Bitter Almonds : The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders
1 journaler for this copy...
Purchased today at the Edmonton Public Library Fall book sale.
From back cover:
"She thought she could get away with anything.
Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. In 1986, her biggest one came true when her husband died during a seizure, making her the beneficiary of a $175,000-plus insurance payoff - until authorities discovered Bruck Nickell's headache capsules had been laced with cyanide. In an attempt to cover her tracks, Stella did the unconscionable. She saw to it that a stranger would also become a "random casualty" of cyanide-tainted painkillers. But Stella's cunning plan came undone when her daughter Cynthia notified federal agents. And troubling questions lingered like the scent of bitter almonds...
What would turn a gregarious barfly like Stella into a cold-hearted killer overnight? Why would Cynthia, a mirror image of her mother, turn on her own flesh and blood? Did Cynthia reveal everything she knew about the crimes? The stunning answers would unfold in a case that sparked a national uproar, dug deep into a troubled family history, and exposed an American mother for the pretty poison she was."
From back cover:
"She thought she could get away with anything.
Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. In 1986, her biggest one came true when her husband died during a seizure, making her the beneficiary of a $175,000-plus insurance payoff - until authorities discovered Bruck Nickell's headache capsules had been laced with cyanide. In an attempt to cover her tracks, Stella did the unconscionable. She saw to it that a stranger would also become a "random casualty" of cyanide-tainted painkillers. But Stella's cunning plan came undone when her daughter Cynthia notified federal agents. And troubling questions lingered like the scent of bitter almonds...
What would turn a gregarious barfly like Stella into a cold-hearted killer overnight? Why would Cynthia, a mirror image of her mother, turn on her own flesh and blood? Did Cynthia reveal everything she knew about the crimes? The stunning answers would unfold in a case that sparked a national uproar, dug deep into a troubled family history, and exposed an American mother for the pretty poison she was."
Like most true crimes stories, I found this one interesting. I like trying to figure out what makes people tick, and in this case, it was greed. Stella Nickell had actually gotten away with murder. Unfortunately, because the cyanide wasn't discovered and her husband's death was listed as "natural causes" and not "accidental" the insurance payout would be as much as Stella hoped. So, another death had to happen. This time a complete stranger - a wife and mother of two daughters.
The story is interesting and there is a lot of back ground information on Stella and her daughter Cynthia and their lives, but I found the information wasn't in chronilogical order, which at times got a bit confusing. Other than that, a good read.
The story is interesting and there is a lot of back ground information on Stella and her daughter Cynthia and their lives, but I found the information wasn't in chronilogical order, which at times got a bit confusing. Other than that, a good read.
