The Preacher's Son: A True Story of Murder in North Carolina [Mass Market Paperback]

Lynn Chandler-Willis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2003

Patricia Blakley's vow to love, honor, and obey...

Pleasant Garden, North Carolina seemed like a God-fearing community where simple dreams came true. For Patricia Blakley it was church on Sundays and a loving family. Her prayers were answered in Ted Kimble, a fellow Christian and son of a local preacher. Then one afternoon, Patricia's charred body was found among the remains of her burned-out home. But it wasn't an out-of-control fire that killed sweet Patricia Kimble. It was a bullet to the back of the skull. Soon Ted Kimble's wall of lies came tumbling down...

...became a pact with the devil...

The investigation not only revealed the cold-blooded motive behind the crime, but the startling revelation that Ted Kimble's own flesh and blood helped him. How could a woman of such purity and innocence fall in love with such irredeemable evil? Through Patricia's heartbreaking diary entries and interviews with friends and family, Preacher's Son answers the question in a stunning tale of blind love, deadly secrets, and murder that would forever shatter the security and calm of Pleasant Garden.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Briskly paced narrative of a small-town murder."
--Kirkus Reviews

"The reader is brought with startling clarity into the world of the Kimble brothers. It is a world where desires and wants are seized, regardless of the cost, and human frailty is a weakness to be exploited and used for the further satisfaction of greed and lust. An excellent true crime debut written with intimate knowledge of the case."
--Greensboro News & Record

From the Inside Flap

The perfect town.
The perfect husband.
The perfect crime.

The Preacher's Son
A True Story of Murder in North Carolina

"Briskly paced narrative of a small-town murder."
--Kirkus Reviews

"The reader is brought with startling clarity into the world of the Kimble brothers. It is a world where desires and wants are seized, regardless of the cost, and human frailty is a weakness to be exploited and used for the further satisfaction of greed and lust. An excellent true crime debut written with intimate knowledge of the case."
--Greensboro News & Record

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime (May 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312978073
• ISBN-13: 978-0312978075
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #899,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, August 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Unholy Covenant: A True Story of Murder in North Carolina (Paperback)

The story itself is fascinating and holds the reader's attention. You really do want to read the whole book from start to finish. However, the author's style is somewhat disjointed and "choppy". This is her first book, and I think that this will improve with more experience. I'm not sure if it would have been as interesting to me if I did not have a connection to the locale of the story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Captivating Book!, June 12, 2000

By 

Coral T. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unholy Covenant: A True Story of Murder in North Carolina (Paperback)

This book is 294 pages of captivation! Your interest stays with you throughout the book. I found myself unable to lay the book down! Lynn Chandler-Willis does a great job in telling this unfortuante story. Her chapters are descriptive enough so that it's easy to invision what you read. For anyone looking for a true crime story to read, I highly recommend this book! Also included are 8 pages of black and white photos. It was such a good book that I hated to see it come to an end.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once you start reading, you can't put it down!, June 10, 2000

By 

Gail Ortega (Asheboro, North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unholy Covenant: A True Story of Murder in North Carolina (Paperback)

Having lived in the community where this true tragedy takes place, I was reliving every moment of the gory details of this insane murder while reading "Unholy Covenant".

Lynn Chandler-Willis has recreated the incidents with spellbinding details and incite into the minds and hearts of everyone concerned with this murder case. It was a senseless murder of a beautiful young woman concocted by her husband for his own selfish, monetary gain. Chandler-Willis has definitely come across with a writing style in this book that is intended to keep the reader hooked from the first page to the last!

I wish her much success with "Unholy Covenant", her first published book, and look forward to any other books she may write in the future.