Preacher's Girl: The Life and Crimes of Blanche Taylor Moore (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An excellent true-crime study of Moore, a victim of sexual abuse who poisoned three men between 1973 and 1989. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Blanche Taylor Moore was pretty, vivacious, and sexy. Men loved her, and she appeared to love them. Too bad she was so unlucky in love. Man after man fell ill and died, in spite of her devoted nursing. Schutze draws a compelling, chilling portrait of a woman spoon-feeding poison to husbands and lovers who were dying in agony. The book is not only a fine portrait of a madwoman, it is an indictment of the hospitals where the truth was routinely ignored. There are heroes, though, in the detectives who doggedly uncovered the truth and the lawyers who fought to see Blanche convicted. There are also numerous victims, including the sons bilked out of their inheritance after Blanche convinced them that their father wanted her to have his money. Schutze also gives a good feel for the small North Carolina towns where the story unfolded, and he carries the reader through the investigation and trial without ever losing momentum. Highly recommended for any true crime collection and for larger public libraries.
- Lois Walker, formerly with Winthrop Univ. Lib., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 10 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (Mm) (December 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380761858
• ISBN-13: 978-0380761852
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #444,594 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

I got this book out of my local library after seeing the TV movie starring Elizabeth Montgomery. The TV movie was based on this book. However, the movie did not even begin to scratch the surface of what Blanche Taylor Moore was really like. I was horrified to think that one human being could be this evil, yet appear perfectly normal. Her father was a terrible man, there was no question about that. He forced Blanche to do things that no child should have to endure. That is why Blanche probably turned out the way she did. It does not, however, excuse the terrible things she did to the people she supposedly "loved." It's a fascinating book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably real, August 26, 2004

By	M. Stamper "Criminal Justice buff" (Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Preacher's Girl: The Life and Crimes of Blanche Taylor Moore (Hardcover)

Jim Schutze, the book's author, takes you inside the crimes committed by Taylor-Moore against lovers, husbands, and family members. In horrifying detail, Schutze describes how the poison used, arsenic, destroys the body from the inside, and the pain and torture it creates. At times, the descriptions may seem almost too graphic, particularly if someone leans towards being a "visual" person to begin with. Not for shock value, however. I am convinced that Schutze uses the graphic detail to take the reader into the victim or his (her? as suggested in the death of Isla Taylor) family, allowing the reader to "see" and feel what those around the victim felt and experienced. Horribly real in every way, but it's not easy to put this book down either.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Writing, Scary Subject Matter!, September 7, 2004

By	Christiana Washington (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This woman really was a wounded, sick individual and Schutze tells her bone-chilling story with grace and wit.