Bitter Almonds: The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders [Hardcover]

Gregg Olsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1995

An account of the crimes of Stella Nickell and her look-alike daughter describes how Nickell--with the possible help of her daughter--killed her husband in order to collect on an insurance policy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Absolutely fascinating...one of the most devious female minds in crime history."--Ann Rule

""[A] truly remarkable book. The trailer park babes of Bitter Almonds leap off the page, fingernails sharpened and aimed for your eyes."--Jack Olsen, author of Son: A Psychopath and His Victims and "I": The Creation of a Serial Killer

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

GREGG OLSEN has been a journalist and investigative author for more than twenty years. He is the recipient of numerous writing, editing, and photojournalism awards, including citations of excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists (Sigma Delta Chi), the International Association of Business Communicators, Washington Press Association, Society of Technical Communication, and the Public Relations Society of America.

A resident of Washington state, Olsen has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and the Discovery Channel. Olsen also appeared several times on CBS's 48 Hours, MSNBC's Special Edition, Entertainment Tonight, Sally Jesse Raphael, Inside Edition, and Extra. He has been featured in USA Today, Salon Magazine, Seattle Times, and the New York Post. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 535 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; Warner Books ed edition (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446363596
• ISBN-13: 978-0446363594
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live in rural Washington State (about a mile as the crow flies from Starvation Heights). I've wrapped up my fifth novel -- a serial killer thriller coming out in April 2011. It's called Closer Than Blood. I've been a guest on Dateline NBC, NPR, Good Morning America, The Early Show, FOX News; CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, Snapped, Deadly Women, William Shatner's Aftermath, and A&E's Biography.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars That Stella - what a pill!, December 3, 2006

By 

C. Smith "JrZyChris" (County Jail, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bitter Almonds : The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm glad that I chose "Bitter Almonds" as my first Gregg Olsen book. I'm amazed at the research & detail that went into this tale of greed, deception, promiscuity & a whole bunch of various adjectives to describe Hot-to-Trot Stella Maudine Nickell.

Without giving too much away, should you read this book, pay particular attention to the difference in relationships Stella had with each of her daughters.

I was amazed at the similarities between Stella & Sue Snow's eldest children and seemingly lost younger girls.

Who is Sue Snow? Read up and find out! You will not be disappointed with this book. The trial was probably the most detailed I have ever read and a bit difficult for me to follow and stay interested, but I made it through and look forward to reading the rest of Gregg Olsen's titles!

I also appreciate the updates Gregg has provided at the end of the story. Any T.C. reader is always wondering what key characters are up to in recent days.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, Damning Account of Product-Tampering Murder, December 19, 2004

By 

James G. Greenhill "Jim Greenhill" (Durango, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bitter Almonds : The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

Random killings & murders of strangers are relatively rare--even when it comes to product tampering. There's a reason police usually look close to victims first: That's where the answer lies in more than 90 percent of cases. Turns out this is true even when someone keels over as an apparent victim of ramdomn tampering of over-the-counter drugs.
Gregg Olsen's account of the deaths of Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow and the subsequent conviction of Stella Nickell is extremely thorough & painstaking. At times, there are too many characters, but the book settles down as it goes along and improves the further one gets into it. It's very difficult with true-crime writing to know how to handle the large number of peripheral characters who sometimes appear in cases. Leaving them out could leave the story incomplete. Combining them into composites is a step into fictionalization. Including them as they are can bog things down. Tricky.
Particularly memorable are the characters of Stella and her daughter Cynthia, juror Laurel Holliday & the unfortunate Paul Webking, wrongly suspected of murder.
The questions left by the case & the ambiguity are fascinating. A solid read for true-crime fans that offers a very, very complete account & leaves no doubt that Olsen is the expert on the case.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intricate true crime account, November 29, 2006

By 

An Ann Rule Fan "SeattleMary" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bitter Almonds : The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

This wasn't the first book by Mr. Olsen that I've read, and it certainly won't be the last. He skillfully weaves together the many intricate details of Stella Nickell's murders and her victims' lives into a fascinating, cohesive tale. The book is extremely well-researched and detailed. It's worth the effort to read through this complicated case. Another fine work, Mr. Olsen!