Circle of Fire: Murder and Betrayal in the "Swiss Nanny" Case [Hardcover]

Joyce Egginton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994 | Series: Circle of Fire (Book 1)

Examines the celebrated case of Olivia Riner, a Swiss au pair charged with murdering William and Denise Fischer's baby daughter in their Westchester home, arguing that Riner's defenders exploited the media in winning their case. 50,000 first printing. $40,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In December 1991, Kristie Fischer, three months old, died in a fire at her parents' home in Thornwood, N.Y. The only other person known to have been in the house at the time was Olivia Riner, a Swiss au pair who had been with the family just six weeks. Investigation determined that the fire was arson. Riner was arrested; and the agency that had sent her to the Fischers, the Swiss community in New York City and the Swiss government all sprang to her defense, hiring an attorney. They had less influence on the case, however, than TV tabloid journalists, who, according to the author, lied, distorted evidence and even set up an alternate suspect in a friend of the Fischers. Add to this an ineffectual prosecuting attorney and the result was acquittal on charges of arson and murder. But those involved in the case, even people who had no doubt of Riner's guilt, remained troubled by the absence of a motive. Egginton (Day of Frenzy) makes a plausible argument that Riner committed the crimes out of powerful homesickness. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When baby Kristie Fisher died in one of the three mysterious fires that broke out in the Westchester home of her parents, the only other occupant at the time was 20-year-old Swiss au pair Olivia Riner. Police later determined that the fires had been set with accelerants and that the baby had been murdered. Egginton effectively shows how the media manipulated the events surrounding the case and how they destroyed, through innuendo and unverified information, the lives of the very people touched by this tragedy. The writing is skillful and objective but filled with enough detail truly to convey the horrors of this case-the awful way the baby died and the possibility that her nanny got away with murder. Egginton also includes an excellent addendum regarding a 1907 medical thesis regarding homesickness and crimes committed by nannies, who would kill their charges so they could be sent home. For true crime collections.
Christine Moesch, Buffalo & Erie Cty. P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688105645
• ISBN-13: 978-0688105648
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,142,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is well-written and builds a persuasive case., August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Circle of Fire: Murder and Betrayal in the "Swiss Nanny" Case (Hardcover)

I think that Ms. Egginton's book is far superior to Don Davis's book, "The Nanny Murder Trial." Ms. Egginton includes information about Olivia Riner which Mr. Davis either did not know or simply neglected to include in his book. Until I read this book, I did not know that Olivia had stolen a whole bag full of baby clothes from the Fischer family. (How do Olivia's supporters explain that?) The passage from Olivia's diary in which she wished that her previous employer, the German doctor, would die was also bizarre. Ms. Egginton builds a persuasive case against Olivia Riner. She explains why Olivia's alibi is not believable, and she rebuts the false charges that Olivia's defense team raised against John Gallagher and Leah Fischer. Ms. Egginton identifies the Fischer family member who made the infamous "barbecue" remark which was erroneously attributed to John Gallagher. Ms. Egginton explains that the remark was actually made by one of Kristie Fischer's paternal uncles, and Ms. Egginton makes it clear that the uncle was only joking and was not malicious. One of the most fascinating parts of this book was the final chapter. I thought that the similarities between Olivia's situation and the cases of the murderous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century nursemaids were both amazing and disturbing. By the time I finished this book, I was one hundred percent certain that Olivia Riner was guilty. I was also deeply moved by Ms. Egginton's account of the extended Fischer family's history and the other tragedies that they had already endured. My only complaint is that Ms. Egginton occasionally criticizes Olivia for alleged shortcomings which have nothing to do with the crime. What does it matter that Olivia didn't wear makeup when she went out to eat? I also do not agree with Ms. Egginton that Olivia's long hair "should have been either braided or cut short." I am a long-haired woman, and I resented Ms. Egginton's irrelevant beauty tips. Another portion of Ms. Egginton's book that annoyed me was a set of quotes by Linda Sawyer, an early defender of Olivia who eventually turned on her. According to Ms. Sawyer, Olivia was "screwed up about sex" because she was proud of being a virgin. Virgins are NOT "screwed up about sex," and virginity is NOT evil! I am a virgin, and I resented the connection that Ms. Egginton drew between virginity and criminality. I would have given this book five stars if Ms. Egginton had omitted the snide remarks about Olivia's hair, her failure to wear makeup, and her lack of sexual experience.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disgustingly one-sided account, March 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Circle of Fire: Murder and Betrayal in the "Swiss Nanny" Case (Hardcover)

I read this book and believe me I was disgusted at Joyce Egginton's arrogance in claiming that only Olivia Riner murdered the child and used some obscure dissertation from the 19th century to "prove" her so-called guilt. She also lambasts the defense attorney for the way she used the media. If the prosecution was upset at the way the defense used the media then why didn't they get the judge to issue a media blackout on the attorneys? What really disgusted me about Ms. Egginton was the way she declared that Ms. Riner was mentally unstable. Instead of a psychiatrist she used a hand-writing expert! I was also disgusted at the way the Fischer family handled having Ms. Riner in their home. Ms. Riner came over here not just to take care of the child but also for a cultural exchange and to learn about the United States. I only recommend this book if you want the Fischer's side of the story. Otherwise read "The Nanny Murder Trial" by Don Davis for a more balanced view of this story.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A terrible, biased book, September 7, 2009

By 

Becky (Rocky Mountain West) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Circle of Fire: Murder and Betrayal in the "Swiss Nanny" Case (Hardcover)

This is one of the worst books I've ever come across. It is so full of bias and non-facts, it's pathetic. Joyce Eddinton leaves out evidence and facts that don't support her opinion. She seems to think that Olivia Riner was jealous of Leah Fisher. Leah had nothing for any young (or old for that matter) woman to be jealous of. She's homely. Olivia is very pretty. Her dorky boyfriend is a local hood. At 22, Leah still lives with and is supported by her parents. (Sure, she has something of a job, but she is not self-supporting). Olivia isn't tied down by a boyfriend and is in a foreign country. She's traveled internationally several times. If anything, Leah should have been jealous of Olivia.

It's obvious that Olivia had nothing to do with the crime other than the fact she was a victim. Even the family believed she had nothing to do with it until they were convinced otherwise by the prosecution team, which had no evidence, no motive, no real reason at all to charge her.

Don't waste your time or money on this book. If you want to know the facts of the case presented in an unbiased manner, read The Nanny Murder Trial.