Murder in the Heartland Author:M. William Phelps On December 16th, 2004, a Nodaway County, Missouri 911 operator received a frantic call from the mother of a 23 year old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, an eight-months-pregnant mother-to-be found bleeding and barely breathing on her family room floor-her unborn baby gone. — More than 150 miles away in Melvern, Kansas, Lisa Montgomery proudly showed off "her... more »" new baby at church and a local diner, duping many while arousing the suspicions of others. Across the nation, televisions broadcast the first Amber Alert for an unborm child...
Here is the true story of the franitc search for a baby born under shocking conditions, of the lucky break that lead to the alleged killer,of a tortured history of sexual abuse and "moral insanity" and the pain that lingers in two American towns that will never be the same again.
With the exclusive cooperation of key witnesses and participants, investigative journalist and acclaimed author M. William Phelps reveals what really happened that fateful December day. Like Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood", Murder in the Heartland takes an unflinching look at an American tragedy, exploring its terrible trajectory with courage, insight, and compassion.« less
Very good book. Sad story, but unlike the other book on this same crime, "Baby Be Mine", it doesnt have all the horrible details of the murder, and focuses more on the people involved.
This book was just ok, it focused in my opinion too much on the suspect's life and very little about the victims. At one point the author went from current day to flashbacks to the suspects childhood and marriages and divorces to her first husband in movies thats a interesting turn in books it just confuses the reader. Also there was alot of stories about the history of the town and things that didn't have to do with this case. Its written alot with the suspects children's help and not much of Bobbi Jo is written about, if you want a good book about this case go read Baby Be Mine.
The part about the actual murder was pretty gruesome, but i found the rest of the book pretty interesting!!!! I had to look up the outcome of the trial online, but it is supposed to be in the paperback version!!!!!
Lisa Montgomery took an alias before she took a woman's life and her baby. A habitual liar, Lisa had to find a child to prove that she had been pregnant...her husband and children believed it and she was running out of options. Phelps' book focuses on the people around Lisa, her husband and ex-husband, her children, her mother, to tell the story and try to explain why a woman might commit such a horrible crime.
Like many true crime stories set in the heartland, this story makes you wonder how pathological the seemingly normal people we interact with everyday really are.
A well-written book covering the Lisa Montgomery-Bobbie Jo Stinnett-Victoria Jo Stinnett murder-kidnapping case. Timely since Montgomery's trial is due to start later in 2007. Reads like "In Cold Blood."
I've read hundreds of true crime books, but this one is the most horrid of all. In the afterword M. William Phelps said he took some rather scathing reviews from some of Lisa Montgomery's allies that he didn't get the entire truth. Phelps said he asked anyone who had any information to get in touch with him when he was writing the book. Those that took issue with him did not do so.
However, it doesn't matter what happened in Lisa's life before she committed that horrid act .... she did what she did and no excuse(s) in the world can could ever be understood nor condoned. This was a well thought out premeditated act of murder, period. She got what she deserved with the death penalty.
As far as the author .... it seemed at times he was regurgitating information (as many true crime writers will do), but if you simply bypass that process the book is well written.
WOW! Unbelieveable what some depraved people are capable of. To pick a victim, kill her and perform a crude c-section is terrible. Worse is that she has 4 children already so it is not like she was one of those crazy barren women who scheme to do the same. (not that they are any more deserving of someone else's baby) I can't imagine how the family could cope with such a brutal crime.
*Spoiler alert* (kinda)
She was sentenced to the death penalty after the book was published.
