Customer Reviews

Poisoned Love

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
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Caitlin Rother, although no stranger to newspaper reporting, did an excellent job with this story as a first time true crime author. Readers will find indepth background coverage on the major players in this twisted tale of drug abuse, adultry and murder. I simply couldn't put it down!

This book is the story of Kristin Rossum, who is undoubtedly a spoiled, overindulged girl who has never grown into the maturity of womanhood. Her actions alone speak of someone who has never been taught that there are consequences for their actions. Being the only daughter of enabling parents, it isn't surprising that Kristin would kill her husband rather file for divorce (with monetary gain to be had) when he threatened to expose her relapse into her drug addiction and her affair with her boss, Michael Robertson.

But I do not believe that Kristin acted alone...just as Kristin was childlike in demeanor, so was Robertson. While to some he may have seemed experienced and intelligent, his need to continously seek the "new feeling" of "falling in love," shows his immaturity as well. It would not surprise me to learn that his sophmoric attitude wouldn't lead him to assist Kristin to kill her husband in the niave belief it wouldn't be found out and would live happily ever after....or at least, till the new wore off with Kristin and he went in search of "the feeling" again. In addition, Rossum and Robertson are both arrogant individuals; and most often times, it those who think so highly of themselves that take the hardest falls.

Overall, a must read for true crime fans. I'll look forward to this authors next true crime book.

This book is extremely well-written and gives a great deal more background info than John Glatt's book on the same subject. Kristin Rossum was a cute young lady who loved the meth more than anyone or anything. Like most druggies, she knew how to charm and manipulate to get her way. Unlike most druggies, she had rich parents to back her up at every turn. They refused to believe this could happen in their family, better to sweep it under the rug, get her married off and let her become someone else's headache for awhile. Poor Greg de Villiers, who hadn't had much experience with women, fell for Kristin right off the bat, and she took advantage of it, by stealing from him, his brother and his roommate to buy meth. Prior to meeting Greg, she had asked her current boyfriend to rescue her. He got them a hotel room, and while he took a shower, she cleaned out his wallet, and disappeared to Mexico, where she met Greg, her next victim. She later told this boyfriend that she'd been kidnapped and taken to Mexico, and driven around in the trunk of a car. She said she lied to him to spare his feelings.

When it was time to get married, Kristin repeatedly reminisces that "if only" her parents had listened to her concerns and stopped the wedding. However, she was a grown woman who could have done as she pleased. She married Greg and proceeded to cheat on him with at least 3 men. When she fell for her boss Michael, she was still writing her husband emails begging him to say he loved her. She said she didn't have the guts to leave Greg because it would "hurt" him. So she continued to lie to him, cheat on him, drive him crazy, and probably drug him for the last weeks of his life, until she decided he was interfering too much with her meth use. Then she administered the fatal dose of Fentanyl. Her boss/lover, who also hadn't got a divorce and was actually going to counseling with his wife, quickly claimed his mother was ill and hotfooted it back to Australia - out of reach of the authorities. It's my personal belief that he had to know what was going on - if not before the fact, immediately after. The guy has a PhD, no one can be that oblivious to what's in front of you. Drug use, drugs missing from the lab, 3 different diaries (one written only for Greg to read), and completely different versions of events told - some of them Michael's.

The death of Greg de Villers and subsequent conviction of his wife, Kristin, for murder is tragic in so many ways.

Did Kristin kill her husband? Did someone actually see her commit the crime? There will always be a doubt but is it a reasonable doubt? Of course, in order to find Kristin innocent one would also have to accept that it is possible for one person to win the California lottery three times a row. Impossible? Of course, not. Improbable? Definitely.

Unlike John Glatt's book on same subject, "Deadly American Beauty", Ms. Rother has taken an objective approach to the subject. Where Mr. Glatt cries out that "She did it!", Ms. Rother walks the reader through the evidence.

Ms. Rother has handled with exceptional journalistic dexterity what is a most tragic story.

I'm a long time true-crime reader, having spent 28+ years employed in the law enforcement field, mostly as a radio dispatcher but in other areas as well, and I have to say that is one of the absolute best I've ever read, on a par with McGinness, Rule, Bugliosi and the other elite writers of this genre. This story is about one of the most compelling crimes Ive ever read containing almost every element you could ever want, poisoning, passion, conspiracy, a gorgeous cheating wife involved with a handsome Australian married supervisor, just a superbly written and concise account of a extremely complicated crime. The author obviously had many "inside" sources who lent this book a unchallengeable ring of accuracy, its very apparent that these sources gave of themselves freely. Ms. Rother covered the case on a daily basis for the San Diego Press-Tribune and based on that coverage she was able to put together a complete and detailed account of the whole crime in a exciting book in the tradition of best-sellers like Helter Skelter and Blind Faith. The book is a definite page-turner, I wasnt able to put it down until I was finished. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a great true crime read.

Kristin Rossum was blonde, young, cute, weepy and superficially sympathetic. But the more she tried to make her equally young husband's sudden death seem like suicide, the more the investigation into Greg de Villers' death revealed a long and messy trail of lies, drug abuse, infidelity and, finally, murderous selfishness.

Like many who followed Kristin's arrest and trial a few years ago, you may have found yourself wanting to sympathize with the Jennifer Aniston lookalike as she pouted puffily and wept copiously while handcuffed in jailhouse garb. But one read of Caitlin Rother's incredibly comprehensive "Poisoned Love" should leave no doubt in any reasoning, reasonable mind that this petite blonde wanted another man (her boss, yet) and was willing to kill to clear the way.

What's ultimately persuasive is the professional ethic that Rother brings to her native narrative-storytelling skills -- she takes no side and assumes no point of view other than that of dispassionate, objective observer. Like the detectives who pursued the case, she chases down every lead and examines every shred of evidence ... and through sheer comprehensiveness, allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusion without leading them to it by the nose. In doing so, Rother transcends the blood-splashed hackwork and corner-cutting storytelling that pervades so much of the true-crime-book genre and gives it a lowbrow name. As such, we owe her a debt for maintaining high standards and sticking to them in the face of what must have been remarakble pressure to deliver the kind of bottom-feeder book the market seems to enable. Stories like Kristin Rossum's -- and Greg de Villers' -- need to be told, and we need consummate, skilled professionals like Caitlin Rother telling them.

One thing that keeps this book from being even better is the lack of access Rother had to its main character -- though Rother can hardly be blamed, as she tried to contact Kristin Rossum for an interview to no avail. But I can't help but hope that maybe there will be a fresh edition of this book in 10 years or so, when the headlines and sensationalism have faded, when Rossum is largely forgotten as she slides toward middle age. I can't help hoping by then that, lonely for public attention, she'll open up and provide more fascinating insight into her fascinating psyche. If so, this is one book I'd buy twice.

The other hope for the future is that Rossum's likely co-conspirator -- lover Michael Robertson, who fled to Australia before Kristin's trial -- will somehow face justice. Such hope fades with each passing year he remains unindicted, but there is no statute of limitations for murder. And should the passage of time loosen his tongue, I hope Rother will be the one to share his story from the inside out. (Stay on it, Caitlin!)

In sum, "Poisoned Love" is every bit as essential as it is entertaining. It delivers on all levels, and delivers at the highest ethical and journalistic levels especially. It is a superior example of the true-crime craft, and I eagerly await the chance to read everything else Caitlin Rother has written -- and has yet to write. May it be a long, prolific and wildly successful career.

Caitlin Rother's POISONED LOVE is the story of Kristen Rossum, her husband Greg DeVillers, and her lover Michael Robertson. Kristen is a rich, driven, intelligent overachiever. She is also an immature, selfish meth addict who marries Greg for no reason that I can fathom other than that he asked her and that, while she really didn't want to, she had nothing better to do that day. Unfortunately for Greg, there were numerous days thereafter when she found any number of better things to do.
Kristen's addiction; the strong but seemingly superficial attraction she and Michael find for each other; and the poisoning of Greg - who is found dead in his bed covered with rose petals - form the basic story line.

POISONED LOVE is formatted and written in standard true crime style.
The author, Rother, was the San Diego newspaper reporter who covered the case, and the book is written reportorially and, as such, with a total absence of bias. The police work and courtroom sections of the book are well handled so that the information presented is both necessary to the story and interesting. Though the book is long, it contains no filler. Additionally background information on the main players, in my mind the most important facet in the writing of a true crime, is thorough and well done.
POISONED LOVE is Caitlin Rother's first book. It is an excellent first effort, and fans of the genre and of intelligent writing will be glad they read it.

The author of this book, Caitlin Rother, did have the advantage of being a reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune during the investigation and subsequent trial of Kristin Rossum. That said, this is one of the better true crime novels I have ever read.


Kristin appeared to be the "perfect child" growing up; in fact, this description may have led to her eventual descent into methamphetamine addiction as a teenager. Born into a highly academic family (both parents taught at universities in their fields), she had a LOT of pressure on her to succeed. She also trained extensively in ballet; this may also have been a contribution to her later drug use. Being an "ex-dancer" myself, I can relate to the feelings she must have had when a knee injury derailed any professional dreams in ballet for her forever. She may have become extremely insecure, and when you pair that with the pressure she had from her parents to be successful in all fields, that can be a recipe for depression, anxiety, and soemtimes drug and alcohool abuse.


However, none of this negates Ms. Rossum's alleged actions when her marriage to Greg de Villers was failing. Kristin had been cheating on Greg for 6 months of the marriage at least, though I suspect she cheated while they were dating as well. When she met Michael Robertson, all hell broke loose. In each other, I am sure they found "a perfect soul". Their egos, narcissism, and blatant disregard for anyone's feelings but their own may have bonded them. I also get the impression that both are "in love with love", meaning they get bored once the intial thrill is gone. Michael was a serial cheater, as well.

The only thing that continues to nag me about this case is the choice of fentanyl to murder Greg. I can definitely see that Kristin, who was back in the throes of her meth addiction, might not think too clearly or swiftly about how to go about murdering Greg. I don't think it was planned very well, specifically the bathub stopper being found with calcified material on a very high shelf in the shower on the night of Greg's death; she had told police that she took a bath before discovering Greg was not breathing, so why would the stopper have been pulled ALL the way out (it was one of those screw in and out kinds) and then placed on a VERY high shelf(Kristin is under 5"4) with hardened soaps and water on it? Hmmmm...?


I have doubts toward Michael's direct involvement in Greg's death; being as experienced as he was in the field of toxicology, he would know of may other drugs that could have killed Greg and gone undetected. That does NOT mean that he wasn't aware of Kristin's involvement before or after the crime.


Unfortunately, this case is an ultimate tragedy. Greg de Villers is dead, Kristin is in prison, and both families have lost their children, though at least the Rossums can visit their daughter in prison...Greg was cremated and it is noted in the book that his brother Jerome had a special place he thought Greg would have wanted his ashes spread around Mammoth Lake.



Caitilin Rother is an EXCELLENT researcher; I have read another book regarding this case, and though it has more details in terms of "sexy" details (i.e. emails from Kristin to several paramours, Kristin having another boyfriend after her "true love" fled to Australia,etc.), Caitlin Rother really got to know the people within the prosecution and defense teams, the judge himself, and reported an unbiased story of the events before, after, and during November 6,2000.


Kristin Rossum was found guilty of her husband's death on what would have been his birthday, November 12, 2002. I don't think the jury did that by accident.


A MUST READ!

Kristin Rossum is a spoiled brat, the product of right wing hypocrisy. Her father constantly pontificated on how other people should raise their children and look how his daughter turned out. Yet, he still shows up on CSpan from time to time hawking his books (full of right wing fantasy) while his adultress/murderess of a daughter serves her life term.

Perhaps if they had been less concerned about what everyone thought, their dear daughter could have called off her wedding and Greg De Villers (who was too good for Kristin Rossum) would be alive today!

Kristin's Aunt Marge was the one who really stuck in my craw. This battle-axe alled a murder victim "a wimp" and considered him "less than a real man." (Well, Marge - all men can't be John Wayne or Ronald Reagan, you know.) I'm betting that Marge's own husband says "How high?" whenever she says "Jump!"

Then there's the perp herself....a whining, self-absorbed thief, drug addict, adultress and murderess.

If you're a fan of true crime non-fiction, you simply must read this book. It's one of the best. Caitlin Rother gives us a gripping and truly objective account of a murder that held San Diego media riveted for a very long time. It is truly a whodunit in the classic sense and although Rother lays out all the evidence and the facts of the story in great detail, you may find yourself, as I did, still uncertain at the end of it as to whether justice was served. Kristen Rossum was a beautiful, young, newly married, educated toxologist who worked for the County of San Diego and had an affair with her boss. Her husband died of a toxic dose of a somewhat rare drug. While the evidence strongly indicates the death was likely a homicide rather than a suicide, it is really a remarkable summation speech by the prosecuting attorney (one the judge called the best he has heard in all his years on the bench) that convicted her even more than the evidence did.
I left the book with some reasonable doubt in my mind, but there is no doubt whatever that this is one of the most compelling stories of its kind that I have ever read.

I read a lot of true crime books. I've read crummy books and good books and excellent books. This one is, in my opinion, excellent! I'm fascinated with the murderess - a beautiful, drug-addicted, college-educated woman with financially generous parents, an Australian hunky (at least she thought so) boyfriend, and a really super nice husband (you know what they say about nice guys). I feel sorry for Kristin - she had it all and she let drugs get in the way. The author did a great job of interviewing people and getting all the details. She put together a fabulous book that I could not put the book down. It's one of my "keepers".