Overview:
Jerry Bledsoe’s series of critically acclaimed true crime sagas, originally published in the late 1980s and 90s, have been made into various movies (including Before He Wakes and Honor Thy Mother) and now television shows (Bitter Blood has inspired a new episode of Killer Couples on the Oxygen Network), but until recently, the books have been hard to find in print, and unavailable in ebook. After coming across four of Bledsoe’s titles last year, however, Diversion Books decided to bring the books back into publication with a series of re-releases in ebook. Now, at long last, three of Bledsoe’s best titles with be available in print on July 28th, alongside the bestselling Bitter Blood in ebook.
Before He Wakes, Blood Games, and Death Sentence deal with some of the most chilling domestic murders in the history of crime, and delve into the twisted minds of the murderers who wore masks of sanity that fooled even those closest to them. The books will be available on Amazon, B&N, and other online retailers.
Before He Wakes:
Barbara Stager appeared to be a devoted mother, loving wife, and dedicated church leader in her Durham, North Carolina, community. When she “accidentally” shot her husband, popular high school coach Russ, the police were inclined to believe her—until they found out ten years earlier her first husband had died in a strangely similar way. Detective Rick Buchanan’s relentless investigations into Stager’s life revealed a stunning vortex of compulsive lying, obsessive spending, and sexual promiscuity.
With every shocking new discovery, more of Barbara’s impeccable image unraveled. But the greatest shock—a damning piece of evidence Russ Stager left behind—revealed the nightmare truth about Barbara. New York Times bestselling author Jerry Bledsoe takes us deep into one of the most spellbinding cases of double life, lethal lust, and almost perfect murder.
Purchase Link for Before He Wakes
Blood Games:
Wealthy Lieth von Stein lay dead and his wife Bonnie near death in their North Carolina home after a vicious assault with knife and baseball bat as they slept. The crime seemed totally baffling until police followed a trail that led to the charming von Stein stepson, Chris Pritchard, and his brilliant, drug-using, Dungeons-&-Dragons playing friends at N.C. State University. Blood Games is the shattering true story of degraded young minds—and a son’s gruesome greed turned horrifyingly real. Jerry Bledsoe masterfully reconstructs the bloody crime and its aftermath, as he takes us on a riveting journey into the secret twisted hearts of three young murderers.
Death Sentence:
When North Carolina farmer Stuart Taylor died after a sudden illness, his 46-year-old fiancée Velma Barfield, was overcome with grief. Taylor’s family grieved with her—until the autopsy revealed traces of arsenic poisoning. Turned over to the authorities by her own son, Velma stunned her family with more revelations. This wasn’t the first time the born-again Christian and devout Sunday school teacher had committed cold-blooded murder. Tried by the “world’s deadliest prosecutor,” and sentenced to death, Velma turned her life around and gained worldwide attention.
With chilling precision, New York Times bestselling author Bledsoe probes Velma’s stark descent into madness. From her harrowing childhood to the shocking crimes that incited a national debate over the death penalty, to the dark, final moments of her execution—broadcast live on CNN—Velma Barfield’s riveting life of crime and punishment, revenge and redemption is true crime reporting at its most gripping and profound.
Bitter Blood (Only available in ebook):
The first bodies found were those of a feisty millionaire widow and her daughter in their posh Louisville, Kentucky, home. Months later, another wealthy widow and her prominent son and daughter-in-law were found savagely slain in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Mystified police first suspected a professional in the bizarre gangland-style killings that shattered the quiet tranquility of two well-to-do southern communities. But soon a suspicion grew that turned their focus to family. The Sharps. The Newsoms. The Lynches. The only link between the three families was a beautiful and aristocratic young mother named Susie Sharp Newsom Lynch. Could this former child “princess” and fraternity sweetheart have committed such barbarous crimes? And what about her gun-loving first cousin and lover, Fritz Klenner, son of a nationally renowned doctor?
In this powerful and riveting tale of three families connected by marriage and murder … of obsessive love and bitter custody battles, Jerry Bledsoe recounts the shocking events that ultimately took nine lives, building to a truly horrifying climax that will leave you stunned.
Purchase Link for Bitter Blood
Bio:
Jerry Bledsoe has won numerous awards for his newspaper work, including two Ernie Pyle Memorial Awards and two National Headliner Awards. From 1972-1975, he was a contributing editor at Esquire Magazine. His work also has appeared in New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping and numerous other newspapers and magazines. He is the author of 20 books, four of which were turned into films.
Most recently, his book Bitter Blood was the basis for an episode of Killer Couples on the Oxygen Network. You can watch the Oxygen interview here.