Diane Fanning

Not once, during either of two frantic calls to Durham 9-11 did Michael Peterson mention the blood...and there was a lot of blood. During the early morning hours of December 9th, as Kathleen lay dying on the stairs, police and rescue personnel rush to the home on Cedar Street.

Connecting the complex sequence of dots that convinced a jury of his peers that Michael Peterson was indeed guilty of murder would have been the easy part, because the evidence had been painstakingly detailed during show more the five month trial. But, Diane Fanning takes the reader behind the carefully orchestrated performance in the court room and delivers the journey through the raw, unfiltered eyes of those who lived it. Detailing the crime scene, police procedure, the autopsy and the trial I fully expected, however, this book is chock-full of extras. Intimate conversations between Kathleen and her beloved sister, details concerning the exhumation and autopsy of Elizabeth Ratliff, the suspicious death of George Ratliff and much more. There's also eight pages of photographs that give the reader a glimpse of the Peterson's before, during and the aftermath is punctuated with a single photo of Kathleen's headstone.

During the trial, the defense displayed an air of arrogance both in and outside the courtroom. And much to the chagrin of Peterson's few remaining supporters, the author pulls no punches describing the showboating behavior of David Rudolf and Thomas Maher, the mysterious discovery of the missing blowpoke and the effect these antics had on the grieving families.

Superb, unflinching, emotionally gritty at times, Written in Blood is a stinging, in your face novel that paints a haunting picture of the madness that often lurks behind the gates of the nicest communities or in the home right next door. And reminds us all that the monster hiding in the shadows is easily recognized in hindsight...but, that's too late!

Although the last chapter of this story will be written by the North Carolina Supreme Court, Written In Blood is as complete a history of the Peterson saga as could possibly be written. If you enjoy reading a true crime novel that goes behind the scenes and beyond the glare of the cameras, Written In Blood does not disappoint!

Happy Reading!
-RJ show less

This book details the shocking death of a church of Christ minister, Matthew Winkler by his wife Mary. This true crime occurred in Tennessee in 2006. Fanning covers the trial extensively and delves into the background of both Mary and Matthew.

As in any crime or trial, there are a multitude of unanswered questions. Was the shooting intentional or an accident? Only Mary knows, and she may not know for sure. Was the emotional and physical abuse as bad as described? Again, only Mary knows. Was show more justice served? Was the best interest of the children served by returning them to Mary after her sentence was served? Many questions linger that remain unanswered.

This is a fascinating story and book that I read in only 3 days. I just could not stand to put it down. I highly recommend it, especially for fans of true crime stories.

My only complaint is Fanning’s story has much false information about the church of Christ. Starting with the title, Winkler was not a pastor. A pastor is the same as a church elder, of which the Bible indicates there must be a plurality. One man alone cannot serve scripturally as an elder, and furthermore, Winker was not an elder, nor was he qualified to be an elder. Fanning repeatedly refers to a “sanctuary” in the building. No church of Christ refers to their building, or any part of it, as a sanctuary. The building is not holy, people are. Without belaboring the point, there are other inaccuracies regarding the church of Christ in the book. Other than these quibbles, I highly recommend the book. show less

(35) Gawd. Embarrassed to have read this really. Blame it on the Netflix documentary 'The Staircase' and the fact that I've lived in Durham, NC for the past 20 years and have watched this all play out on local news. The true crime genre just emphasizes something faintly horrifying and voyeuristic about us as readers. But I can't deny that at times I am strangely fascinated. This is the story of a novelist and mayoral candidate in our city who found his wife at the bottom of the staircase in show more the wee hours of the morning bloodied and ultimately dead. First responders thought the scene suspicious and the blood dried which didn't jive with the husbands story. Unbelievably many years prior he had been the last one to see a close female friend alive before she too was found at the bottom of a staircase bloodied and dead - another accident. Or was it? The body is exhumed and the medical examiner rules this case too as a homicide. So a twisted story with high court theatrics and a slick high-priced defense attorney. A family divided with most standing behind the aggrieved and potentially wronged husband who is arrested.

The writing is decidedly pedestrian and I am not sure I would have been engaged if I hadn't seen the documentary or lived contemporaneously with this case in the news. While 'The Staircase' is quite biased for the defense; Michael Peterson - this book favors the prosecution. This book brings in things that were not emphasized in the documentary that shed a bad light on the defendant. In particular and most damning for me was the fact that there was a fracture of the hyoid bone - a classic finding in strangulation; as well as the fact that autopsy suggested she was alive for hours in shock from blood loss. And really, really - all this time he was out at the pool in shorts and T-shirt in 50 degree weather. That is not what he suggested when asked initially by first responders - he said - 'I just went out to throw out the trash.' And there is something off about his personality - even in the biased defense documentary; his actions/reactions all seem a bit choreographed.

Anyway, hopefully I have gotten this bit of true crime obsession out of my system. It just seems wrong to me to be fascinated by this. just wrong. Yet - here I sit writing my review. And how many hours now have I watched/read about this case. Basta! RIP Kathleen; I am so sorry for you and your daughters/family. show less

3.5 stars.

After watching The Staircase miniseries 3 times (over time! With different people!), I wanted to do a deeper dive. The Staircase is one sided beyond belief, and there are blatant facts they have zero excuse for leaving out that look very, very bad for Peterson.

It was very fast paced and as enjoyable as a book like this really can be. I’m glad I read it. But, like other reviewers, I think that the author did too much editorializing that only weakened the prosecution’s side of show more the case.

I do appreciate that this author painted a more realistic and compassionate picture of Kathleen’s family members than the show. On the other hand, the book portrayed Margaret and Martha as victims rather than simply insulting them for standing by the man they see as their father.

As for Todd and Clayton, well, I’ll keep my unpleasant opinions about them to myself. show less