Blood Will Tell: A Shocking True Story of Marriage, Murder, and Fatal Family Secrets (St. Martin's True Crime Library) [Mass Market Paperback]

Carlton Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: St. Martin's True Crime Library | Publication Date: June 3, 2008

They Were The Perfect Family. . .

For twenty years, Ken and Kristine Fitzhugh and their two sons had lived lives of comfortable middle-class normality in the university town of Palo Alto, California. Then came the shocking news that Kristine Fitzhugh was dead, the victim of a terrible accident... By the time the Palo Alto Police Department looked closer at the death of Kristine Fitzhugh, there could be only one conclusion. Someone had murdered Kristine in her own home, inflicting a series of horrific blows to the back of her head, and then cleaned up the mess to make it look like an accident. Who would do such a thing? Protesting his innocence, Kenneth Fitzhugh was arrested and tried for the murder of his wife. And as the case progressed, one by one, the hidden secrets of the Fitzhugh family came spilling out. . .

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carlton Smith was an award-winning journalist for The Los Angeles Times and The Seattle Times in the 1970s and 1980s. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting in 1988, he now works full-time as a true crime author. He lives in San Francisco.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Blood Will Tell

MULE CREEK

JUST outside of lone, California, a small town nestled in the foothills of the old gold-mining country of the Sierra Nevada, atop a small rise, lies Mule Creek State Prison--a series of low buildings, an unattended guardhouse, a parking lot, an administration building, and, behind tall chain-link fences topped with barbed wire, three "yards," or cellblocks, each of them containing involuntary guests of the State of California.

A visitor to these precincts, which were erected in 1985 by then--California Governor George Deukmejian--a former State Attorney General and a law-and-order man of storied repute--must gain access through a closely scrutinized portal. No wallets may be taken through; no writing implements of any kind; no papers; no portable telephones, no tapes, no recorders, and of course, no weapons. Only a single key is permitted, and no more than thirty dollars, and that only in one-dollar bills----change machines on the left before you enter.

Shoes off before stepping through the magnetometer, followed by a wave of the wand to make sure one is sans metal. Then into the sally port through a rolling electronic gate. Wait until all is clear, then through a similar rolling barrier at the far end of the sally port.

Through the sunny interior courtyard to the "C" Yard, where a pass is checked by a guard in front of a sturdy, locked door. The pass is given to another guard, and after some delay, the man you have come to see finally emerges from the interior of the prison.

He is small, this man, and friendly. His once dark hair is now almost completely white. It looks as though he's lost weight, as he approaches, hand held out in greeting.

Sit down at table number 13 in the cacophonous visiting area, surrounded by other inmates with their children, wives and parents--all under the watchful eye of the guards.

How do you feel?--that's the question of the day.

"I feel cheated," says Kenneth Carroll Fitzhugh, Jr. "I'm not guilty and I'm in here."

Copyright © 2003 by Carlton Smith.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime; 1st edition (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312977956
• ISBN-13: 978-0312977955
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #935,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Blood may tell...but book doesn't do that well..., August 8, 2003

By 

Robert Wellen (CHICAGO, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Will Tell: A Shocking True Story of Marriage, Murder, and Fatal Family Secrets (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

Parts of this true crime book were terrific. Particularly the parts about the investigation and the narrative about the life of the Fitzhugh family. However, the last part of the book is a snooze. Smith, who seems to have a talented background, basically gives us trial transcripts for about 100 pages or so, including the DNA evidence. The narrative disappears and is enough to put me to sleep (as it did a few times). The story here could have been told in much more engaging way--transcripts are not that interesting. Also, where was the epilogue? What happened? We know Fitzhugh is convicted, but what about his kids? Bob Brown? What happened to these people? We don't know. Instead, we get some dime story philosophy and a look at Del Mar. Who Cares? There was a much better book to be written on this fascinating case.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars boring, August 27, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Will Tell: A Shocking True Story of Marriage, Murder, and Fatal Family Secrets (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished reading this book and was very disappointed with it. He tell everything that happen through the whole trial. All of this could have been left out and then at the end of the book all he writes is the jury knew Ken had killed his wife. Then he just ended the book. He didn't say what the sentence was or how long he will have to serve. This is a very important part of a true crime book'

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a bit slow and not as many 'surprises' as the cover says, August 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood Will Tell: A Shocking True Story of Marriage, Murder, and Fatal Family Secrets (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this book a bit slow and tedious compared to writings by other true crime writers like Ann Rule and Jerry Bledsoe. The author reveals from the first chapter that Ken is in prison so the book never builds any anticipation as to whether the police will build a case against him. The most interesting thing about the whole book is the eerie similarities to the Michael Peterson case going on right now in NC which is being televised on CourtTV. Actually, that case is more interesting, skip the book.