Lethal Charmer [Paperback]

Patricia Springer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2010

Fort Worth businessman Stephen Barbee was handsome, popular, and married to a wonderful woman. There was just one problem: His ex-girlfriend, Lisa Underwood, was pregnant - and asking for money...As guests gathered for Lisa's baby shower with presents and good wishes, only two things were missing: Lisa, and her seven-year-old son, Jayden. As time passed, friends and family became concerned. But even their worst fears couldn't compare to the gruesome truth...Lisa was still at home when Barbee showed up. Voices were raised. Then fists. By the end, Lisa, her unborn child, and young Jayden were dead...But all police found was a bloody room. What followed was an investigation filled with lurid twists, a wild trial, grisly details of multiple murder, a shocking burial, and the warped motives of a man who would do anything to gain his own happiness.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078601735X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786017355
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Major Disappointment, August 18, 2010

By 

Kim Cantrell "Soap Box Bandit" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal Charmer (Paperback)

Typically I like reading Patricia Springer's books, but Lethal Charmer is an exception.

This 400+ page book tells the story of Stephen Barbee, a man with a pregnant ex-girlfriend that he's hidden from his new wife of two months.

But Lisa Underwood, the pregnant ex, isn't going to go away quietly.

When Barbee is visiting Underwood one evening to "discuss" the situation, a physical altercation erupts between the two. When it's over, Lisa and her unborn baby as well as Lisa's seven-year-old son, Jayden, are dead.

The first 87 pages of Lethal Charmer tell a story that will enrage and disgust readers.

But the remaining 3/4 of the book is just, to put it simply, BORING. Straight from the trial transcripts and filled with references to possible "ailments" suffered by Barbee, readers are left with the impression that Springer was more interested in drumming up sympathy for Barbee and his family than telling this true crime story.

I truly hope this isn't becoming a trend with Springer's writing, or it won't be just this book that goes on my "DO NOT READ" list.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars boring, July 13, 2010

By 

Kristal Baker "kristal" (Omaha Ne) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal Charmer (Paperback)

If you want to read trial transcripts then buy this book.
What a dissapointment!!

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fatal trial, May 20, 2010

By 

wogan "the book reader" - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Lethal Charmer (Paperback)

`Lethal Charmer' is the non fiction book about Steve Barbee's murder of his pregnant girlfriend and her son. The murder and confession are completed by page 70 and the following pages (334 total) are really about the court case.
One point I always wonder about in non fiction accounts such as this is, how does the author know and/or why do they have to include "novelization" type writing. For example; "he breathed deeply as he looked in the rear view mirror at the children who meant the world to him...the tears forming in his eyes". Who tells the author this? It just makes me question if there are other facts that are `over described' and how do they know what the girlfriend thought just before she was murdered??

It seems as if the author tries to create sympathy for Barbee, but is really not successful, despite the constant mentioning of his severe headaches. There are some questions that remain at the end of the trial regarding Barbee's head injuries and his former wife's motives in her testimony and actions.
But there are more of court proceedings than a lethal charmer; there was more of a case put in other authors' writings for Ted Bundy being a `charmer' than Steve Barbee. It might be of interest for those who like to read of detailed court procedures for that is what the book is mainly about.