Search results for ""author gregg olsen""

Revenge, justice, or closure? Family crimes can’t be hidden forever in this provocative novel of suspense by #1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen. Violet knows that time is a futile healer. When she thinks of her happily married grandfather—a predator lovingly referred to as Papa—the feelings of rage and betrayal still swell. Her younger sister, Lily, just discovered the numbing truth about him. Their mother, Rose? She can’t believe it. Not Papa. Leave it alone, Violet. Focus on the now. When Papa suffers a sudden, and suspicious, fatal heart attack at Violet’s wedding, she can barely conceal her joy. Maybe the fellow survivor at her support group is right: moving on is possible only when monsters are removed from society permanently. Violet is focusing on the now. Even if doing so calls for extremes. For herself, and for the sake of other victims like her, Violet is reclaiming the power stolen from her as a child. Predator by predator, she’s coming for them. It’s intoxicating. It’s liberating. But the secrets she now keeps, and the lies she must tell, come with a price.

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The #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen solves a murder among the Amish and reveals the conspiracy to keep it a secret in a heartbreaking and horrifying true-crime story. In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire. The coroner’s report: natural causes. Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect. But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed. What really happened to Ida? The dubious circumstances of the tragic blaze were willfully ignored and Eli’s shifting narratives disregarded. Could Eli’s subsequent cross-country journey of death—including that of his own son—have been prevented if just one person came forward with what they knew about the real Eli Stutzman? The questions haunted Gregg Olsen and Ida’s brother Daniel Gingerich for decades. At Daniel’s urging, Olsen now returns to Amish Country and to Eli’s crimes first exposed in Olsen’s Abandoned Prayers, one of which has remained a mystery until now. With the help of aging witnesses and shocking long-buried letters, Olsen finally uncovers the disturbing truth—about Ida’s murder and the conspiracy of silence and secrets that kept it hidden for forty-five years.

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell comes the absolutely unputdownable and chilling true-crime story of Stella Nickell-a mother and wife who did the unthinkable... and the unforgivable.At 5.02 pm on June 5, 1986, an emergency call came into the local sheriff's office in the small town of Auburn, Washington State. A distressed housewife, Stella Nickell, said her husband Bruce was having a seizure. Officers rushed to the Nickell's mobile home, to find Stella standing frozen at the door... Bruce was on the floor fighting for his life.As Stella became the beneficiary of over $175,000 in a life insurance pay-out, forensics discovered that Bruce had consumed painkillers laced with cyanide.A week later, fifteen-year-old Hayley was getting ready for another school day. Her mom, Sue, called out 'I love you' before heading into the bathroom and moments later collapsed on the floor. Sue never regained consciousness, and the autopsy revealed she had been poisoned by cyanide-tainted headache pills. Just like Bruce.While a daughter grieved the sudden and devastating loss of her mother, a young woman, Cindy, was thinking about her own mom Stella. She thought about the years of neglect and abuse, the tangled web of secrets Stella had shared with her, and Cindy contemplated turning her mom into the FBI...Gripping and heart-breaking, Gregg Olsen uncovers the shocking true story of a troubled family. He delves into a complex mother-daughter relationship rooted in mistrust and deception, and the journey of the sweet curly-haired little girl from Oregon whose fierce ambition to live the American Dream led her to make the ultimate betrayal.A sensational real-life mystery, American Mother will hook those fascinated by The Staircase and Making of a Murderer.This book was originally published as Bitter Almonds.Read what everyone is saying about Gregg Olsen:"A riveting, taut, real-life psychological suspense thrill ride... All at once compelling and original, Gregg Olsen's If You Tell is an instant true-crime classic." -M. William Phelps, New York Times bestselling author"Classic true crime in the tradition of In Cold Blood and The Stranger Beside Me." -James Renner, author of True Crime Addict"Bristling with tension, gripping from the first pages, Gregg Olsen's masterful portrait of children caught in the web of a coldly calculating killer fascinates. A read so compelling it kept me up late into the night, If You Tell exposes incredible evil that lived quietly in small-town America. That the book is fact, not fiction, terrifies." -Kathryn Casey, bestselling author of In Plain Sight"This riveting account will leave readers questioning every odd relative they've known." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)"An unsettling stunner about sibling love, courage, and resilience." -People Magazine (book of the week)"A compelling portrait of terror and a powerfully honest, yet still sensitive, look at survival." -Bookreporter"A true-crime tour de force." -Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of No Stone Unturned"Olsen has done it again, giving readers a glimpse into a murderous duo that's so chilling, it will have your head spinning. I could not put this book down!" -Aphrodite Jones, New York Times bestselling author"A suspenseful, horrific, and yet fascinating character study of an incredibly dysfunctional and dangerous family by Gregg Olsen, one of today's true-crime masters." -Caitlin Rother, New York Times bestselling author

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A #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller. #1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s shocking and empowering true-crime story of three sisters determined to survive their mother’s house of horrors. After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now. For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders. Harrowing and heartrending, If You Tell is a survivor’s story of absolute evil—and the freedom and justice that Nikki, Sami, and Tori risked their lives to fight for. Sisters forever, victims no more, they found a light in the darkness that made them the resilient women they are today—loving, loved, and moving on.

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Kitsup County forensic pathologist Birdy Waterman is well known for giving a voice to the voiceless: the corpses of people who are often victims of violent crimes. Birdy is also letting her teenage nephew Sean stay with her for a while but the family reunion is put on hold when Birdy gets a phone call from the coroner’s office. An unidentified foot has been found in Banner Forest. The only clue to its owner: pink nail polish on the toenails. As Birdy teams up with homicide detective Kendall Stark to investigate, she soon discovers that people all over town are hiding secrets that can prove deadly if they are uncovered.

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'Olsen will have you on the edge of your seat' Lee ChildNotorious serial killer Brenda Nevins has cajoled, seduced, blackmailed, and left a trail of bodies all across Washington State. Now, after a daring prison escape, she is free to carry out her ultimate act of revenge. The targets: forensic pathologist Birdy Waterman and sheriff's detective Kendall Stark. The pawn: a television psychic hungry for fame, ratings, and blood. There's only one way to stop a killer as brutal, brilliant, and twisted as this: beat her at her own game . . . Praise for Gregg Olsen'Wickedly clever... twisted' Lisa Gardner'Dark and addictive' Jordan Dane'Searing and brilliant' Ann Rule 'Olsen is a top notch writer' Michael Connelly 'Olsen brings complex mystery and crackling authenticity to bear on a cold case police procedural . . . his bizarre, many-layered mystery will keep fans of crime fiction hooked' Publishers Weekly

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell comes the chilling, unputdownable story of Sharon Nelson, the minister's wife whose two husbands mysteriously ended up dead.Colorado, 1976. When Reverend Mike Fuller and his beautiful wife Sharon arrive in the sleepy town of Rocky Ford, local residents think something's off about the new couple. The God-fearing minister is gruff and cold, while charismatic Sharon has her husband wrapped around her finger.It isn't long before Sharon is charming her husband's congregation, and finds herself in a tryst with local, married optometrist Perry Nelson. After the affair ends both their marriages, Sharon and Perry tie the knot. But shortly afterwards, Perry disappears. When his body is shockingly discovered the bottom of a canyon, his death is ruled an accident, allowing grieving widow Sharon to claim his substantial life insurance.Trying to move on from the tragedy, Sharon soon remarries fireman Glenn Harrelson. But when the charred remains of Glenn's body are discovered with two bullet holes in his skull, the police can't help but question if both men dying in such mysterious circumstances is one coincidence too many...Shocking, sensational and gripping, this is the true story of the black widow Sharon Nelson, a must-read tale of greed, sex and murder in a sleepy Colorado town that will have true crime fans of The Staircase, American Mother and Making a Murderer hooked from start to finish.This book was originally published as Confessions of an American Black Widow and Bitch on Wheels.Read what everyone is saying about American Black Widow:"Another winner from Gregg Olsen!!! If you really love a great, nail-biting true crime novel, THIS is it!! Once you start, it's darned hard to put down. Seriously. Mr Olsen again takes you on a twisty, narrow road... you just cannot put this book down." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Gripping... keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end... peppered with shocking revelations, twists, and turns... captivating and spine-chilling." Goodreads reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Oh my goodness... I could not put this book down... fabulous." Goodreads reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"You pick up this book and start to read. Suddenly you realize you cannot stop reading, you need to know what happened next... a page turner... this book deeply affected me and I eat true crime books for breakfast... amazing... one of Gregg Olsen's finest." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"I couldn't put it down. Brilliantly written. I just found my favorite author." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Olsen is an incredible author. I couldn't put it down. Excellent read!... Bravo!!" Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Amazing... WOW! Another winner for Gregg Olsen!" Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Amazing... I literally could not put the book down." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Kept me riveted from the very beginning to the very last page! I strongly recommend this book for any true crime fan." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"I couldn't put the book down. The author made all the characters come alive." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Once you start you don't want to stop until you are done." Goodreads reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Amazing... a must read." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Loved the book!... I could not ask for a better read!" Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Incredible." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Excellent... kept me on the edge of my seat... You had better hang onto your hat for this read." Goodreads reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Amazing... A great page turner." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"A true story that you just can't put down!" Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Gregg Olsen always writes in a style that makes you want to read all night... keeps your attention until the end." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆"Outstanding true-crime." Amazon reviewer, ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

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No matter what you see, no matter what you’ve heard, assume nothing. Adam and Sophie Warner and their three-year-old daughter are vacationing in Washington State’s Hood Canal for Memorial Day weekend. It’s the perfect getaway to unplug—and to calm an uneasy marriage. But on Adam’s first day out on the water, he sees Sophie abducted by a stranger. A hundred yards from shore, Adam can’t save her. And Sophie disappears. In a nearby cabin is another couple, Kristen and Connor Moss. Unfortunately, beyond what they’ve heard in the news, they’re in the dark when it comes to Sophie’s disappearance. For Adam, at least there’s comfort in knowing that Mason County detective Lee Husemann is an old friend of his. She’ll do everything she can to help. She must. But as Adam’s paranoia about his missing wife escalates, Lee puts together the pieces of a puzzle. The lives of the two couples are converging in unpredictable ways, and the picture is unsettling. Lee suspects that not everyone is telling the truth about what they know—or they have yet to reveal all the lies they’ve hidden from the strangers they married.

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A heart-pounding novel of unspeakable crimes and unforgivable sins from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sound of Rain. Homicide detective Nicole Foster has finally balanced an unsteady life and is anxious for a second chance. There’s no better place to start over than at the beginning—back at her childhood home on the Washington coast, where’s she raising her niece and keeping an eye on her increasingly fragile father. But Nicole’s past is never truly behind her—not when a disturbing new case stirs dark memories of the haunting investigation that shattered her career. In the middle of the hottest August in a century, a toddler is found dead inside a parked car. Her father says he forgot her. It’s an unthinkable crime. And for Nicole, it’s made all the more unbearable by her own suffocating secrets—those shared by an old rival who has reappeared from the shadows and is pushing Nicole to the edge once again. Now, wherever the truth lies, solving this case and avenging an unforgivable death is the most important move in Nicole’s career. But to see it through to the end, how far is she willing to go? And what is she prepared to risk this time?

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The shocking true-crime story of two orphaned sisters who arrived at a health retreat as patients - but only one would ever make it out alive... An extraordinary and gripping account of the starvation doctor from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell.In 1911 two British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, read a brochure about a revolutionary fasting treatment that promised a lifetime of good health. The sanatorium in the village of Olalla, west of Seattle, was surrounded by a beautiful forest, sparkling waters and fresh air. The sisters agreed it sounded perfect and exactly the restorative holiday they needed.But within a month of arriving, under the supervision of Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard, Claire and Dora began to realise the frightening truth - they were not patients but prisoners at the isolated sanitorium.Starved and on the edge of death, the sisters made several desperate attempts to escape. But only one would ever make it out alive.Chilling and harrowing, Starvation Heights is a story of two vulnerable sisters, and how they were manipulated by a cunning and dangerous doctor into believing that her monstrous treatments would 'cure' them. Will totally hook fans of The Five and The Devil in the White City.What readers are saying about Starvation Heights:"A fascinating turn-of-the-century story of medical malpractice and murder. If you liked The Alienist, you'll find Starvation Heights all the more gripping because this story is true." Michael Connelly"An engrossing and compelling look at a shocking crime in another era. Olsen's deft touch takes us back to the early 1900s so cleverly that reading Starvation Heights is akin to stepping into a time machine." Ann Rule"One of today's true-crime masters." Caitlin Rother, New York Times bestselling author"Grab a glass of wine and buckle up... If you're into dark true crime, this is the book for you!" Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆>"I couldn't put it down." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"One of the best books I have read in a long time." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"Fascinating... a must read for any true crime or history buff." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"Mind blowing." NetGalley reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"A blistering good tale... mind boggling... a definite winner for fans of true crime, mystery and thrillers and one I will be reflecting on for a long time." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"A wonderful true crime read." NetGalley reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"In depth and well researched you will find yourself immersed... I found myself completely wound up in it and felt like I was in the courtroom. Terrific." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"True crime masterpiece... highly disturbing yet riveting and unusual." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"I absolutely loved this!... so disturbing and fascinating." Nicoles.novel.obsession, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"Olsen has done it again... remarkably detailed... not a book I will soon forget." Inky Book reviews, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >

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From the Amazon Charts and #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a psychological thriller exploring the things we dare to do when no one is looking . . . The community along Oregon’s Deschutes River is one of successful careers and perfect families. For years, up-and-comers Liz and Owen have admired their good friends and neighbors, Carole and David. They appear to have it all—security, happiness, and a beautiful young son, Charlie. Then Charlie vanishes without a trace, and all that seemed safe is shattered by a tragedy that is incomprehensible—except to Liz. It took one fleeting moment for her to change the lives of everyone she loves—a heartrending accident that can’t be undone. Neither can the second-worst mistake of her life: concealing it. As two marriages crack and buckle in grief and fear, Liz retreats into her own dark place of guilt, escalating paranoia—and betrayals even she can’t imagine. Because there’s another good neighbor who has his own secrets, his own pain, and his own reasons for watching Liz’s every move. And only he knows that the mystery of the missing boy on the Deschutes River is far from over.

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Former homicide detective Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase—whose murder case ended her career. As Nicole obsesses over the old facts, she realizes everything about that case felt off: a disinterested mom, a suicidal pedophile, and too many questions left unanswered. When the little girl’s grieving father begs Nicole for help, she’s drawn back into the investigation…and given one shot at redemption. But the deeper Nicole digs, the more evil she uncovers, including betrayals that hit painfully close to home. Will a shocking discovery be the key to finally getting justice for Kelsey and resurrecting her own life?

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Glamorous messiah or charlatan? A mask of beauty hides deadly secrets in #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s mesmerizing novel of suspense. In the Pacific Northwest, detective Lindsay Jackman is investigating the murder of a young journalist found at the bottom of a ravine. Lindsay soon learns that the victim was writing an exposé. Her subject: a charismatic wellness guru who’s pulled millions into her euphoric orbit… To hear Marnie Spellman tell it, when she was a child, a swarm of bees lifted her off the ground and toward the sunlight, illuming her spiritual connection with nature—an uncanny event on which Marnie built a cosmetics empire and became a legend, a healer, and the queen of holistic health and eternal beauty. In her inner circle is an intimate band of devotees called the Hive. They share Marnie’s secrets of success—including one cloaked in darkness for twenty years. Determined to uncover the possibly deadly mysteries of the group, Lindsay focuses her investigation on Marnie and the former members of the Hive, who are just as determined to keep Lindsay from their secrets as they are to maintain their status.

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A #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller. #1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s shocking and empowering true-crime story of three sisters determined to survive their mother’s house of horrors. After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now. For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders. Harrowing and heartrending, If You Tell is a survivor’s story of absolute evil—and the freedom and justice that Nikki, Sami, and Tori risked their lives to fight for. Sisters forever, victims no more, they found a light in the darkness that made them the resilient women they are today—loving, loved, and moving on.

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The tragic story of Susan Powell and her murdered boys, Charlie and Braden, is the only case that rivals the John Benet Ramsey saga in the annals of true crime. When a pretty, blonde Utah mother went missing in December of 2009 the media was swept up in the story. Susan's husband, Josh, said he had no idea what happened to his young wife, and that he and the boys had been camping. Over the next three years bombshell by bombshell, the story would reveal more shocking secrets, Josh's father, Steve, who was sexually obsessed with Susan, would ultimately be convicted of unspeakable perversion. Josh's brother, Michael, would commit suicide. And in the most stunning event of them all, Josh Powell would murder his two little boys and kill himself with brutality beyond belief.

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