First We'll Kill My Husband (Pinnacle True Crime) [Paperback]

Lyn Riddle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pinnacle True Crime | Publication Date: August 5, 2008

Gulf War veteran Doug Gissendaner would do anything for a friend, a stranger, or the wife who broke every rule in the marriage book. Now, investigators were scouring the Georgia woods not far from Doug's home. They'd already found the charred wreckage of his car. They knew they were looking for a body...Gregory Owen had been having an on-again, off-again affair with Doug's wife for years. Then Kelly Gissendaner told Greg it was time for her husband to die. With a knife and a plan, Greg forced Doug to drive into the woods. When Greg finished his savage, cold-blooded deed, Kelly showed up to make sure Doug was dead.This is the astounding true story of the only woman on Georgia's Death Row and the chilling, account of how she got there. From the hold Kelly had over a good and decent man to her dramatic, controversial trial, "First We'll Kill My Husband" captures the lies, schemes, and manipulations of a woman totally bent on murder...

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786017201
• ISBN-13: 978-0786017201
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #532,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Crime & Criminals > Criminology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars First We'll Kill My Husband, September 13, 2008

By 

E. J. Brontee "ELLE JILLIAN" (West Point, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First We'll Kill My Husband (Pinnacle True Crime) (Paperback)

I was a litle disappointed in the overall text of the book. The author jumped from one subject to another and sometimes forgot to explain just who was who and what was what. Poor editing and confusing dialogue at times. Many sentences came out of nowhere and left the reader wondering what they misssed previous. I found myself going back to previous pages many times because something was not clear. There were noticeable errors in the book and one that stands out said that Kelly found out when she was a teenager that Wade was not her real father and at the bottom of the same page the author states that Kelly was 10 when she found this out. There were a number of errors like this but I wanted to point one out that I stayed in my mind. One question I have and if anyone reads these comments and can answer I would appreciate it. In the epilogue the author gives an update on the key players in the story. One comment made was that Belinda was raising her sister's children and I was wondering why and what happened to Katina? Unless I missed something Katina Owen disappeared out of the story not long after she was introduced. I'm a dedicated true crime reader and read nothing else so I have read many. While this story was interesting I would like to see another author give their version of the events. In true crime as I guess in most books, the author's portrayal of the story and it's characters is key.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Written and Factual, September 27, 2009

By 

Family Friend (Buford Ga) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: First We'll Kill My Husband (Pinnacle True Crime) (Paperback)

She keeps you interested in the chain of events to this horrific crime. When I first moved to Atlanta I remember this story as headlines for months, and I am glad to review the case to conclusion now.

She did it and probably helped her boyfriend kill the poor guy. The author takes you inside the mind of both the defense and prosecution and families on both sides of the drama. She also exposes the victim and victim's family as they face hardship. So many times folks focus on the criminal and crime but forget the family left behind and parents of the victim. She does not forget and does them justice with this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Primarily a transcript, November 20, 2008

By 

rockphiler (behind the microphone, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First We'll Kill My Husband (Pinnacle True Crime) (Paperback)

75% of this book is direct quoting from the trial transcript. The research Ms. Riddle did do leaves much to be desired, especially when the main players are not that interesting to begin with. The author is responsible for development and fails in that remaining 25%. I'll also note that I have read hundreds of TC books over the years and this is THE FIRST where I abandoned it toward the end because the transcript-style reading was tedious and, frankly, boring. Skip this one, it lacks everything a TC reader expects.