Diane Fanning

A Fiancee's Dark Secrets and a Kayak Trip Turned Deadly

Death on the River

An army brat-turned-marine, he saw combat in Vietnam, and returned a decorated soldier. An avid reader, his dreams of being an acclaimed novelist came true. His desire to find love was fulfilled when he married brilliant executive Kathleen Atwater, the first female student accepted at Duke University's School of Engineering. The Petersons seemed the ideal academic couple- well-respected, prosperous, and happy. All that came crashing down in December of 2001, when Kathleen apparently fell to her death in their secluded home in an exclusive area of Durham, North Carolina. But blood spattered evidence and a missing fireplace poker suggested calculated, cold-blooded murder. Her trusted husband stood accused. Prosecutors introduced evidence at trial that sixteen years earlier, Peterson was one of the last people to see his neighbor alive before she was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her home in Germany. A dramatic trial followed in the explosive final chapter of a life that no novelist could ever have conceived... Written in Blood is a 2006 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Fact Crime.

Written in Blood

When news broke of three-year-old Caylee Anthony’s disappearance from her home in Florida in July 2008, there was a huge outpouring of sympathy across the nation. The search for Caylee made front-page headlines. But there was one huge question mark hanging over the case: the girl’s mother. As the investigation continued and suspicions mounted, Casey became the prime suspect. In October, based on new evidence against Casey—her erratic behavior and lies, her car that showed signs of human decomposition—a grand jury indicted the young single mother. Then, two months later, police found Caylee’s remains a quarter of a mile away from the Anthony home. Casey pled not guilty to charges of murder in the first degree, and she continues to protest her innocence. Did she or didn’t she kill Caylee? This is the story of one of the most shocking, confusing, and horrific crimes in modern American history.

Casey Anthony and her Daughter Caylee's Tragic Fate

Mommy's Little Girl

Ten-Year-Old Krystal Surles Watched In Horror As Her Best Friend Was Murdered At The Hands Of An Intruder. Then with cold-blooded precision he brought a twelve-inch boning knife to Krystal's throat. With a single, violent slash, he severed her windpipe and left her for dead. Miraculously, she survived and would lead authorities to the arrest of 35-year-old Tommy Lynn Sells, a former truck driver, carnival worker, and cross-country drifter... He Aspired To Become "The Worst Serial Killer Of All Time." With no apparent motive and no common pattern to his inconceivable bloodshed, the elusive Sells had carved his way across the country for two decades slaughtering women, men, transients, entire families, teenagers, and even infants with ghoulish abandon. Through The Window is more than an investigation into a crime spree that stunned a nation. It's an utterly terrifying plunge into the unfathomable dark mind of a serial killer, and the heart-wrenching story of the brave child who finally brought him to justice.

The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells

Through the Window

Libby Clark is working as a scientist at a top secret WWII government research facility when she begins to suspect that not all is as it seems there, and after a dead body is discovered, Libby begin her own investigation into the crime.

Scandal in the Secret City

The U.S. national bestselling author of Under the Cover of Night (Berkley, 2014) recounts the gruesome death of mother Laura Jean Ackerson, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend and his wife. Both accused each other of killing Laura, then dismembering and disposing of her remains in Texas. This is the story of that gruesome crime, the events leading up to it and the trial that followed.

A Custody Battle, a Gruesome Crime, and the Mother Who Paid the Ultimate Price

Bitter Remains

A True Story of Sex, Greed, and Murder

Under Cover of the Night

To authorities she spilled the shocking details of a night of horror. It was the lead they'd been desperate for in a multi-state manhunt for an elusive serial killer. Where the witness took them was to the last man anyone would have suspected. Richard Marc Evonitz was beloved by friends and family. He was handsome, intelligent, and compassionate. Serving a spotless eight years in the U.S. Navy, he was a town hero who lived in harmony in an exclusive South Carolina neighborhood. The only ones who saw Evonitz's dark side were his victims. They were helpless teenage girls who, one by one, were subjected to his twisted sexual fantasies of kidnap, rape, and murder-until his double life came undone by the brave cunning of his last young victim. But as authorities and the media descended upon him, Evonitz had one more shocking surprise in store for everyone-a stunning final act of violence and reckoning that would turn a bright sunlit morning blood red.

An Astonishing True Story of Abduction, Murder, and the Nice Guy Next Door

Into the Water

Lisa Nowak was dedicated, smart, and courageous—one of the first astronauts to fly a space shuttle mission after the horrific 2003 Columbia disaster. But that was before a fit of pure, primal jealousy landed her in an airport parking lot in Florida, where Lisa had a fateful, near-fatal confrontation with the woman believed to be her romantic rival. Did Lisa intend to kidnap—or kill—Air Force captain Colleen Shipman because she was involved with fellow astronaut William Oefelein? What was the nature of Lisa's connection with William: True love or dangerous obsession? As the details of Lisa's news-making journey unfolded—she donned a disguise, even wore a diaper during her 900-mile car ride to find Colleen—Americans couldn't help but wonder: Why? In this captivating account, master crime journalist Diane Fanning goes straight to the heart of the case. Through interviews with key family members, friends, and colleagues, the author reveals for the first time the real story behind the headlines—and casts a light on Lisa's groundbreaking fall from grace.

The In-Depth Story of the Astronaut Love Triangle Case that Shocked America

Out There

May, 1945. Their aim is to bring the war to a swift, decisive end. But Libby Clark is not the only one to have doubts about the horror she and her fellow scientists are labouring to unleash on the citizens of Japan. When a campaign of small acts of sabotage escalates into murder, Libby must turn undercover sleuth to unmask the traitor within.

A World War Two Mystery Set in Tennessee

Sabotage in the Secret City

It was planned to look like a suicide. But even in the best-laid plans, evidence is left behind… Jocelyn Branham Earnest was found dead on the floor of her living room in Forest, Virginia. By her side was a gun and a suicide note—typed, lacking a signature, and with one fingerprint on it. A fingerprint apparently belonging to Jocelyn’s estranged husband… Wesley Earnest was a respected high school administrator, poised to restart his life in a new community. Parents entrusted their children to his care and believed he was above reproach. But the investigation into the life the couple once shared would reveal adultery, troubled finances, and shattered dreams—enough for one man with murder on his mind to travel hundreds of miles… Under Cover of the Night INCLUDES PHOTOS

A True Story of Sex, Greed and Murder

"One quiet Sunday morning, homicide investigator Lucinda Pierce is called out to a bomb blast at a local high school. It seems the caretaker has been fatally wounded in the explosion and there is one other unidentified body. A bomb blast points towards suspected terrorism so, much to her annoyance, Lucinda is pulled off the case and the FBI takes over. While they are determined to prove this was an act of terrorism, Lucinda is convinced otherwise and pursues her own investigation -- along with FBI agent Jake Lovett, who just happens to believe she may be right. When another high school pupil's dead body is discovered, Lucinda is convinced she is pursuing the right path in uncovering the motivations for the bomber. However, will the competing agencies ever acknowledge her conviction and allow her to solve the case?"--Provided by publisher.

a Lucinda Pierce mystery

Chain reaction

THE MIRACLE OF LIFE When Lisa Montgomery presented her husband Kevin with their new-born baby girl, he was ecstatic. Naming the child Abigail, the couple brought her to their local pastor. Miles away, police were investigating the brutal murder of a pregnant woman... THE HORROR OF MURDER Twenty-three year old Bobbie Jo Stinnett was found by her mother, lying in a pool of blood, looking as if her stomach "had exploded." Investigators soon determined: Someone had strangled Bobbie Jo to death--and then cut her fetus from her womb... THE WOMAN ACCUSED OF KILLING FOR AN UNBORN CHILD... In late 2004, two women met in a dog-breeding internet chat room. When Elizabeth Montgomery came face to face with eight-months-pregnant Bobbie Jo Stinnett, prosecutors claim she already had a plan. Investigators knew that Bobbie Jo had fought desperately for her life--and that her fetus, alive or dead, was gone. Investigators scrambled after a killer. An "Amber Alert" went out for an hours-old infant. And this horrifying case was about to shock neighbors and a nation: of a woman accused of murdering for a baby...

The Shocking True Story of a Woman Who Murdered a Pregnant Mother to Steal Her Child

Baby Be Mine

SLEEP MY DARLINGS Diane Fanning On January 28, 2011, the Tampa Police Department received a phone call from a woman who was worried about her daughter, Julie Schenecker. A devoted Army wife and mother of two, Julie had sent her mother an email that could be described as "suicidal." When authorities arrived at the Schenecker home, they encountered a horrific scene... Sixteen-year-old Calyx and thirteen-year-old Beau Schenecker were found dead—both of them shot, then covered with blankets. Upon questioning, Julie admitted that she was "tired of the kids talking back" and just "wanted it to be over." Had her manic depression driven her to the point of insanity? Or was hers a case of cold, calculated violence and manipulation? This is the shocking true story of motherhood, mental illness, and two charges of murder in the first degree.

The true story of a mother who killed her children in cold blood

Sleep My Darlings

Susan McFarland was a vivacious, successful mother of three young sons. On November 25, 2002, she disappeared. Three days later, her car was found, keys in the ignition. Later that day, her husband reported her missing—and a desperate search began. Her friends and family hoped against hope that Susan was not gone forever. But investigators became increasingly suspicious of Richard McFarland. When the charred, decomposed body of Susan McFarland was finally discovered at an overgrown farmstead outside of San Antonio, a new hunt began—for justice. McFarland maintained his innocence, and investigators only had circumstantial evidence against him. While headlines screamed out new details in the case, and police tried to gather more evidence, a blockbuster trial was about to begin. Then, Richard McFarland finally spoke...and a terrifying, chilling truth came out...

A True Story of Marriage, Betrayal, and Murder

Gone Forever

By the age of twenty-four, Air Force Staff Sergeant Mike Severance had already survived a series of missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. But his life back at home, in Texas, would prove a lot more dangerous... In the winter of 2005, Mike's wife, a veterinarian named Wendi Mae Davidson, reported him missing. Wendi told police that Mike had been acting erratically—visiting local clubs, staying out late, sometimes not coming home at all. She filed for divorce the very next day. Eventually Mike's body turned up in a stock pond on a private ranch. Investigators described a corpse that was weighted down with two cinder blocks, a rock, a boat anchor, and other equipment. It had also been stabbed forty-one times with a knife. But an autopsy report told a different story: That the cause of death was exposure to pentobarbital and phenobarbital, drugs commonly used in veterinary medicine. All the evidence pointed to Wendi...and soon she would be found guilty of murder in the first degree. Diane Fanning's A Poisioned Passion is the true, shocking story of a war hero and a marriage that ended in cold-blooded murder.

A Young Mother, her War Hero Husband, and the Marriage that Ended in Murder

A Poisoned Passion

THE MIRACLE OF LIFE When Lisa Montgomery presented her husband Kevin with their new-born baby girl, he was ecstatic. Naming the child Abigail, the couple brought her to their local pastor. Miles away, police were investigating the brutal murder of a pregnant woman... THE HORROR OF MURDER Twenty-three year old Bobbie Jo Stinnett was found by her mother, lying in a pool of blood, looking as if her stomach "had exploded." Investigators soon determined: Someone had strangled Bobbie Jo to death—and then cut her fetus from her womb... THE WOMAN ACCUSED OF KILLING FOR AN UNBORN CHILD... In late 2004, two women met in a dog-breeding internet chat room. When Elizabeth Montgomery came face to face with eight-months-pregnant Bobbie Jo Stinnett, prosecutors claim she already had a plan. Investigators knew that Bobbie Jo had fought desperately for her life—and that her fetus, alive or dead, was gone. Investigators scrambled after a killer. An "Amber Alert" went out for an hours-old infant. And this horrifying case was about to shock neighbors and a nation: of a woman accused of murdering for a baby...

Diane Fanning

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