Customer Reviews

Poisoned Vows

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am fascinated by the criminal mind, and the story of Jill Coit is fascinating. I recommend the book to true crime enthusiasts. It is well written. I like the way the author chronicles a little bit of the history of each place that Jill Coit finds herself. Not too much--just enough. This woman was so intelligent had she pursued a more "legal" lifestyle, she might have become the first woman President of The United States. The author shows through out the story how focused, single-minded, and intent she is on using up and destroying every man she decides to date and/or marry. But after all was said and done, I don't think the author even knows what makes this woman tick. I know that I don't. It is no fault of the author, because Jill Coit is too complicated. It is extememly sad how her own sons had to testify against her in order to put a stop to this woman. Now that she is behind bars in one of the Countries toughest prisons, maybe she will begin to figure herself out. What is amazing to me is that she has absolutely no remorse, and I do not believe that she even realizes that she has lead her life in the wrong way. She is not crazy. She is just without conscious. Thanks to the author, I enjoyed this book immensely.

Jill Lonita Billiot was destined to be a coniving woman. By the time of her arrest for the murder of Gerald "Gerry" Boggs, her name "techincally" was as follows: Jill Lonita Billiot Ihnen Moore Coit Brodie Dirosa Metzger Steely Boggs Carroll. And one must not forget that Billiot (her birth maiden name) should actually be dropped and "Johansen" added as she manipulated an ederly gentleman to adopt her, whose fortune she later inherited.

Many of Jill's marriage overlapped one another, making her a bigamist along with (most likely) being the record holder for number of marriages!

Poisoned Vows offers a extremely detailed account of the path most traveled by Jill that lead to her convincing her boyfriend (an adultrious affair, nonetheless) to assist her in murdering the one man who was ready to expose her for what she was: a lying, cheating, manipulating, greedy female fatale. Gerald Boggs was distraught and angry when he learned that not only was she remained married to Carl Steely while they were married but she had also lied about being pregnant with and giving birth to a daughter belonging to him. Of course, this wasn't the first time Jill had lied about phantom children. Nor would it be the last time she would play a role in the death of one of her husbands....

While I found the book to be difficult to read, offering details that are confusing; this is not an issue that can be blamed on the author. Clifford Linedecker did an excellent job in attempting to keep the facts sorted for the reader, even if the information is often repititious. I was a bit disappointed that Jill and co-defendant, Michael Backus, was still weeks away from sentencing at the time of writing this book; I feel that the book should not have been published with that info. Otherwise, however, this is an excellent read for any true crime fan.

The author describes Jill Coit's life as it was - however, I liked the book "Charmed to Death" better. I had to deal with Coit while working at the correctional facility and all I can say this that she continues to play her games with everybody in prison... if she does not get want she wants she finds ways to mess with the staff and threatens with law suits! She plays the staff against each other - but else is there to do for her? She got life without parole, that is her way of keeping busy in prison. There is also a movie out about her, but I was only able to get it from the United Kingdom on a European format DVD.

My major complaint with this book is that there isn't any completion to any part of the story. The main character marries man after man, dumps him, moves on to another victim, etc. There is no carry through with the separation, divorce, murder etc. Even when the "black widow" is brought to trial, the author ends the book reporting that she and her cohort have been fould guilty of murder in the first degree, but there's isn't an account of the sentencing phrase of the trial.

The whole book is a series of "left up in the air." More time and atttention should have been devoted to finalizing the relationship with each husband.

This said, the book is very well-written. The author moves the text along at a steady pace, but the chapters are a little too lengthy.

I just couldn't stay with this story. I started another book and came back to it with the same problem. Just a story about a woman who married multiply men and took everything she could. I think the story tried to cover to many marriages and jumped from one to another with no getting to know the charactors story. When I buy a book I at least want to finish it so I get my money's worth, this was a first for me. I don't even care to read the last pages.

I wasn't sure I'd like this book when I bought it, but it ended up being a real page-turner! This woman was absolutely incredible and seriously insane to do what she did, and Cliff Linedecker shows us the events that led up to her victimization of many innocent people, mainly naive men who thought she cared for them. One of the better-written true crime classics. Shocking and unforgettable!