Death Trap [Mass Market Paperback]

M. W. Phelps (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2010

A loving father and his new wife set out to pick up his kids for a scheduled weekend visit - but never suspected they were walking into a death trap. A handwritten note instructed Alan and Terra Bates to enter the back door of his exwife's Alabama home. A day later their charred bodies were found hundreds of miles away, wrapped in blankets, in a burned-out car's trunk on a desolate Georgia road. At Jessica McCord's house, law enforcement found windows covered in blankets, a cache of weapons and ammunition, carpets torn up, new tile on the floors - a couch gone. Then they learned about the nasty divorce and bitter custody battle that had landed Jessica in jail. Upon release, Jessica swore, 'Somebody is going to pay'. With her new police-officer husband, Jessica became the prime suspect in this brutal double murder.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786021993
• ISBN-13: 978-0786021994
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Crime expert, lecturer, TV personality and acclaimed investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the national bestselling, award-winning author of nineteen nonfiction books. Winner of 2008 New England Book Festival Award for I'll Be Watching You, Phelps has made close to 100 television appearances, including CBS's "Early Show," Court TV/truTV, Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, ABC's "Good Morning America," Learning Channel, Biography Channel, History Channel, Montel Williams, Investigation Discovery, Oxygen's "Snapped" and "Captured;" he's been on USA Radio Network, Catholic Radio, Ava Maria Radio, ABC News Radio and Radio America, who calls him "the nation's leading authority on the mind of the female murderer." He's written for the Providence Journal, Hartford Courant, New London Day, and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series "Dexter."

Profiled in such noted publications as Connecticut Magazine, Writer's Digest, NY Daily News, Newsday, Albany Times-Union, Hartford Courant, Advance for Nurses Magazine, Forensic Nursing, and NY Post, Phelps lives in a small Connecticut farming community. Beyond his true-crime books, in 2008, Phelps published a highly acclaimed narrative nonfiction biography of Revolutionary War patriot Nathan Hale, NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America's First Spy (Thomas Dunne Books).

I have been busy! This December, THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND will publish. It is a book about Sam and John Colt, and how one brother invented the revolving firearm and the other murdered someone with a hatchet, culminating in the tragedies that took place afterward and how they juxtapose against the epic story of the Colt family legacy.

I have five more "Deadly Women" episodes in the can for Beyond Productions to air soon on Investigation Discovery channel. Don't miss the latest season--the best yet! Thank you everyone who has written in to say how much you like the shows.

My first TV series, DARK MINDS, is in post-production and will air in early 2012 on Investigation Discovery (ID). The concept of the show is unique and fresh. I have one of the preeminent serial killer profilers working today, John Kelly, ECD (a National Board Certified Addiction Specialist, Board Certified Social Worker, Certified Forensic Examiner and Fellow of the American Board of Forensic Examiners, president of S.T.A.L.K., Inc.), starring with me in the show--and one VERY special guest star each week--a bona fide serial killer in prison we are calling "13".

My thriller series, introducing Boston PD Detective Jake Sundance Cooper, is in the pipeline, and closer to publication.

When time permits, I continue to work on a Christmas story/literary murder-mystery, featuring an old curmudgeon and WW II survivor who, through a little girl, learns a great lesson in redemption and accountability.

Photo Credit: "Dark Minds"/Investigation Discovery

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Phelps To Date, March 25, 2010

By 

Kim Cantrell "Soap Box Bandit" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death Trap (Mass Market Paperback)

Jessica McCord was a woman who got what she wanted, when she wanted it. Even if it was having someone murdered.

Following four years of a marriage and two children, Alan Bates knew he could no longer make a life with Jessica. She was emotionally unstable, prone to temper tantrums, and having an affair; the latter being what gave Alan the courage to finally file for divorce.

What seemed to be an amicable divorce turned into a bitter, nasty child custody dispute.

At least from Jessica's point of view.

And there was only one way to guarantee she wouldn't lose her children or that monthly child support check: Murder.

Death Trap is a 400+ page true crime that's emotional roller coaster from beginning to end. While I have enjoyed all of M. William Phelps' books, I personally believe this is his best one yet.

This story will hit home for most everyone, as there is a Jessica McCord in all of our lives. And for those who have ever been involved in any type of child custody, you'll walk away chilled to the bone.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New discovery, May 23, 2010

By 

SuZ-Q (SoCal, US) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Death Trap (Kindle Edition)

This is the first work I've read by this author and I really enjoyed his voice. I've read quite a few "true crime" works (admittedly mostly Ann Rule, but several others as well), and found his narrative very engaging. Many times, books like this can bog down and end up being very dry, but I didn't find that the case here.

The only real aspect that bothered me just a little bit is that I feel he slightly overdid the seeming saintliness of the victims. It seems to me that very few people, or at least their behavior, in a situation such as this are as perfectly reasonable as described. But by the same token, the perpetrators were truly creepy and that seemed almost underdone - maybe because it would have been nearly unbelievable otherwise. So I excuse both. Altogether a reasonably balanced look at an *extremely* cold-blooded crime.

I enjoyed the style and pace of this book and have already started another of his works. He uses a conversational tone that rings true and keeps the interest level up. Definitely worth a try if you haven't read this author before - I'm glad I found it. I look forward to my next read courtesy of Mr. Phelps.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No continuity - Author jumps around, April 11, 2010

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K. Curtis (Fenton, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death Trap (Mass Market Paperback)

Unlike his previous books, this book by M. William Phelps is a boring read. The author's story jumps around a lot and adds tiny, boring details to an otherwise good story. Also, the little comments that are made that are not necessary in the telling of the story. Very distracting. Very disappointing book.