Evil Beside Her by Kathryn Casey

At first, Linda Bergstrom's marriage to her husband James was idyllic. They were young and in love; he was about to enter the Navy and she was eager to start a family. But it wasn't long before the dream exploded. James became abusive and violent, prone to sudden bursts of anger, long silences, and unexplained disappearances. But Linda vowed to hold on, despite the pain and fear,and her disturbing suspicions about her husband's secret life. Then, not long after their move to Houston, Texas, she made a terrifying discovery: James's hidden cache containing duct tape, a ski mask, and handcuffs. No longer could Linda Bergstrom deny the hideous truth. The man she lived with, the man she married for love, was a dangerous psychopath. And there was no escape and nowhere to run. Because no one,not her friends, the Navy, or the police would believe her.

This is my final review on true crime books by Kathryn Casey until her next crime book is published.This was a hard story for me to read as it was quite close to home.I know someone who for many years I considered a friend.This man held a good position with a well known company.In fact I met him at that company when I started working there.He was polite,well groomed and extremely conservative in his views.On 3 August 2004 I received a phone call from him that he was in jail for public indecency.What I found out later is that is the name he chose to call it.He had in fact been exposing himself to schoolchildren.It later emerged that he had been doing this since he was 18 years old.In 2004 this man was 44 years old and had never spent more than 3 nights in jail.This time it was considered more serious as it involved minors.He spent 8 months in jail this time and now holds another excellent position in another company.As in the case of Linda Bergstrom,this man's family protected him.They knew about his past and never found it relevant to warn me considering I have a daughter.I remember his sister calling me telling me that 2 of the female schoolchildren victims had been unable to identify him in a line up and she laughed at them saying"they were so confident and arrogant on the way in".This woman,the sister, has a small daughter of her own.I had had absolutely no idea about this and yet when I received the news.I started to remember small details.The one time I asked him why he had binoculars in his car.The other time he explained in detail what the ladies next door had done during a party including sexual conduct.I remember telling him "You must have been watching out here in the dark for a long time.I remember leaving work every day and looking up at the offices and he was always watching me.I recall saying to him once that I saw him at a traffic intersection and his answer was "I have seen you much more times that you have seen me".And calling the police one time because my daughter and I had a feeling we were being watched.When the police got there they walked around our small garden and found in the one corner close to a big bush so many cigarette butts that the police was convinced that the prowler came to this spot often.Since coming out of jail he hooked up with a lady with a small daughter and after I warned her she married him(thinking I was competition who wanted him for myself).His true colours came out because she divorced him four months later.

I could carry on but I will just say this.I am disgusted by family members that cover up or minimise the crimes committed by family members.In no way do I include Linda Bergstrom in this category.This woman tried everything short of locking him up herself.I have read other readers' reviews and quite a few seem to be disgusted with her decision to stay.It is obvious to me that they either did not read the book or they,themselves do not have children.She chose to stay because no lawyer could guarantee that they could restrict access to her daughter by the father,James Bergstrom.He had never been convicted so in the event of a divorce he would have had unrestricted access to Linda's little girl.She knew he was a monster and she could not take that chance.I would have done exactly the same thing.Do not judge until you have walked a mile in someone's shoes.She put up with years of abuse in order to protect her child.She put her own life in danger by constantly trying to get him arrested.

I found so many parallels between this story and mine and can only imagine the life she went through considering I did not live with this sexual offender and Linda Bergstrom did for 7 years.I have enjoyed reading all of Kathryn Casey's books and this one is a re print.This was originally published as The Rapist's Wife when Kathryn Casey was relatively unknown.Now she is well established as a true crime writer this book has been republished.Kathryn Casey has developed close relationships with the victims' families of the crime she writes about.This book I believe is to publicise the fact that this serial rapist came up for parole and was rejected.He is due for parole again next year and the details below are from Kathryn Casey's website.Please believe me when I say I am 100% sure that this man will offend again if he is released.He has no remorse for what he has done.A truly remorseful man who has spoken about the fact that his "problem" is a big one and has proven that he cannot control his urges,would not have been requesting that the jury put him on probation.Surely he would want to make sure he was never in a position to hurt anyone again,if he was truly sorry for what he had done.And this plea for medical help?Why now after he gets caught?Why did he not seek help on his own?Please..I have no mercy,none whatsoever,and anything I can do to help keep this monster in jail,I will do.

This is from Kathryn Casey's website
James Bergstrom was refused parole in March 2008. He'll be eligible in 2010. I urge you to write to protest. James is a dangerous psychopath, and we're all safer if he remains behind bars.
To protest:
Via email to:
victim.svc@tdcj.state.tx.us

Or snail mail:
TDCJ Victims Services
8712 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Suite 265
Austin, TX 78757

Or Fax: 512-452-0825

In your letter, state why you believe Bergstrom should be denied parole, i.e., that he is a sexual predator and a psychopath who remains a continuing danger on women.

Include the following information:
Name: James Edward Bergstrom
TDCJ Number: 00659297
SID Number: 04408281
Birth date: 4/6/1963

If you want to read the full story South African readers can access this book via Kalahari Books or via the Amazon link below.
Evil Beside Her: The True Story of a Texas Woman's Marriage to a Dangerous Psychopath

I read this book in April 2009.

She Wanted It All by Kathryn Casey

Trophy wife Celeste Beard wasn't satisfied with a luxurious lifestyle and her rich Austin media mogul husband's devotion so she took his life
The wife:
She wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way.
The lesbian lover:
A love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness, she would do anything to set Celeste free.
The beauty salon receptionist:
Celeste hired her to tie up the loose ends,in a second conspiracy to commit murder.

The ultimate debate when trying to find out why some people end up becoming criminals is "nature versus nurture".In Celeste Beard's case we might never find out.She was adopted and her adoptive mother was mentally unstable.This unstable woman managed to adopt four children (including Celeste) despite having serious psychological problems.She terrorised these children.One time she told Cole(Celeste's brother) that his mother had been a prostitute who gave him up because she did not love him,and then added "I don't love you either."

Kathryn Casey recounts Celeste Beard's childhood in detail and the reader is left in no doubt that the "nurture" theory is definitely applicable here.The "nature" theory might also have played a role but that cannot be confirmed.Possibly a prevalence of both theories leave a person with a higher than average chance of becoming a criminal.I have ordered a book "Base Instincts" which explores and researches why some people end up killing.I will post a review on that in May sometime.

Then,just to make things complicated,Celeste Beard had twin daughters who she treated in the same erratic manner that she had been brought up with.And yet one daughter managed to see through all the histrionics and the other was manipulated endlessly by Celeste.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.Starting from the beginning of this book the story of Celeste Beard covers physical,mental and sexual abuse of a minor,promiscuity,lesbianism,murder for hire,murder,another murder for hire.You name it,it is Celeste Beard's life story.Despite the intricacies of this story,Kathryn Casey succeeds at bringing all these details together in a book which was surprisingly easy to follow.This is something which I have come to expect from books by Kathryn Casey.However complicated the story,it will always flow effortlessly if she wrote it.

At the end of the book Kathryn Casey speaks to Celeste Beard and this final chapter just confirmed for me what I had picked up throughout the book.This was just the final nail in the coffin.I would absolutely recommend reading this book.

If you would like to find out more about this book then South African readers should go to Kalahari Books and if you want to read some more reviews on this book then the Amazon link below will provide that
She Wanted It All: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and a Texas Millionaire
Here is another review of She Wanted It All by one of my book blogger friends Bella at Bella Is Reading.Please have a look.

I read this book in November 2007 and it has 448 pages and 8 pages of photographs.Really personal photographs.Steve Beard really was a nice person.The photo of him in hospital is really sad for me.This Celeste Beard was absolutely heartless and she is one person who I truly believe had ice running through her veins.If you don't believe me consider this.She had a painting done of herself and her two daughters and Steve's face was painted in a tiny corner by the fountain.This,she said to her daughters,was so they could paint his face out when he died.Steve Beard was a dedicated and loving husband to his first wife Elise.

Die,My Love by Kathryn Casey

The day before Halloween 2004 was the last day on Earth for respected, well-liked college professor Fred Jablin. That morning, a neighbor discovered his body lying in a pool of blood in the driveway of Jablin's Virginia home. Police immediately turned their attentions to the victim's ex-wife, Piper, a petite, pretty Texas lawyer who had lost a bitter custody battle and would do anything to get her kids back. But Piper was in Houston, one thousand miles away, at the time of the slaying and couldn't possibly have been the killer . . . could she?
So began an investigation into one of the most bizarre cases Virginia and Texas law enforcement agencies had ever encountered: a twisted conspiracy of lies, rage, paranoia, manipulation, and savage murder that would ensnare an entire family—including two lethally close look-alike sisters—and reveal the shocking depravities possible when a dangerously disordered mind slips into madness.

Regular readers probably know by now that Kathryn Casey is one of my best true crime writers.I am still trying to come up with a rating system more based on likes and dislikes of readers of true crime stories.This would involve how much of the book is based on early childhood and past of the main characters,how much is spent on the investigation,graphic details of the crime,and finally the actual court case.I would also mention if the person who committed the crime has actually been charged or not.Each true crime reader has their own likes and dislikes and this rating system would help them decide if the book is for them.

So this is where Kathryn Casey comes in.Her books consistently strive towards applying all these above preferences so that the special needs of each true crime reader is satisfied in whichever book of hers you would read.Applying my rating system to Kathryn Casey books would result in high scores for each of the different categories.The only choice left to the true crime reader would be to decide if the true crime genre is something that interests them.Some people prefer reading about family murders and others about serial killers.Obviously if you are absolutely rigid on which true crime genres you prefer then your choice would go according to that.No true crime writer could possibly only write about one genre.But we all have a choice and I would suggest reading ALL of Kathryn Casey books as they cover a wide variety of genres coupled with brilliant writing and intensive research.

True crime writers are a special breed of people who have decided to use their talent to publicise and bring to our attention the stories of the victims of crime.If it were not for them some of the victims' stories would never be known.And believe me when I write that they are not motivated for the money as true crime books are much cheaper than fiction books.One of the main reasons I blog about these books is because I want to create an awareness of these books.There are so many people out there who don't know about them,some who do believe them to be full of gory details,and this is my way of putting them out there and getting as many people to start reading them so they can share the same joy that I have in reading true crime books.

Back to the review on Die,My Love by Kathryn Casey.First and foremost you need to know that the investigation process is intensive in this book.This is not the book to read while listening to TV.I had to absolutely concentrate on every line as there was different information all the time.It is so brilliantly written and I was so absorbed in the investigation that I got to the stage when the investigation stopped and we had to go to Fred Jablin's funeral and my feeling was "not another funeral".This sounds callous but he was such a well loved character that there were so many farewells for this wonderful man and I was so involved in the investigation and so hyped up that I thought "gosh do we really have to go to another one?We have things to do and we have to catch this woman."This is how involved a reader gets in a Kathryn Casey book.

The background of the main characters and the information provided is so interesting and relevant to how this woman ends up being a murderer.I was engrossed from beginning to end.And this is all after I actually watched an hour long program on this case on TV.I was reluctant to read this book because of that but decided to because it is written by Kathryn Casey.And it was the right thing to do.After the TV program I was left with a lot of doubts as to whether it was Piper Rountree who had done this and not her sister Tina Rountree.After reading this book and all the extra information on the investigation and the evidence presented I am in no doubt that Piper Rountree murdered her husband and the father of her children.This is one crazy puppy.

I absolutely recommend reading this book whatever your preferences are,unless you have a need for graphic crime details(which it does not supply-after all the man was shot)but I personally do not read these books for the crime details at all but more for the psychology behind the crimes.

If you would like to find out more about this book,South African readers can access via Kalahari Books and if you would like to get a few more opinions in the form of other readers' reviews then the Amazon link below will supply that.
Die, My Love: A True Story of Revenge, Murder, and Two Texas Sisters

I read this book in April 2009 and it has 353 pages and 8 pages of photographs.There is also a final "Author's Note" chapter where Kathryn Casey speaks to Piper Rountree(the convicted murderess).And for me I totally appreciated the "Acknowledgements" chapter where Kathryn Casey thanks her readers and also the readers who recommend her books to others.I felt special and recognised and all I can say,Kathryn, is thank You for your brilliant books and sharing your talent by writing wonderful,wonderful books.

My New True Crime Books Order M7058414

Hey
I hope that everyone had a really good Easter.Mine was really nice with my mom and gran and the kids.It's been a really long time since I had an Easter holiday with the extended family as they live overseas.This is the first time definitely for my little 4 year old and I think only the third time for my 15 year old.

Anyway I have placed my new order for true crime books to be delivered in 10 days time.These are the books I have ordered and as soon as I receive them I will read them and then post reviews for everyone.
Here they are:

Because You Loved Me by M.William Phelps
This is the true story of love, loss, betrayal, and murder, in which 14-year-old New Hampshire teenager Nicole Dominico and her boyfriend Billy Sullivan, an 18-year-old man met on the Internet,and then brutally killed Nicoles mother Jeanne, in 2003.

House Of Evil by John Dean
What began as a temporary childcare arrangement in 1965 turned into a crime that would haunt Indianapolis for decades to come. The case is the basis of the 2007 film An American Crime, starring Academy Award nominees Ellen Page ( Juno ) and Christine Keener ( Capote )

Murder In The Heartland by M William Phelps
On a December night in 2004, a 911 operator in Nodaway County, Missouri, received a frantic call from a woman who'd found her pregnant 23-year-old daughter in a pool of blood on the living room floor. Most shocking of all, the dying woman's unborn baby had been viciously ripped from her womb.

Sleep In Heavenly Peace by M.William Phelps
Tells a true story of a mother killing four of her own children. This book includes interviews with the killer as well as 16 pages of photographs.

Taken From Home by Eric Francis
When Michael Blagg's adoring wife, Jennifer, and his six year-old-daughter, Abby, disappeared from their home, Michael led the charge to find them, even going so far as to make a nationwide appeal on "Good Morning America" for information. But seven months later, investigators found Jennifer's remains in a Mesa County landfill, and things took a darker turn...Jennifer had been shot in the head.

Evil Beside Her by Kathryn Casey
Originally published in 1995 as The Rapist's Wife, this repackaged edition updates the story of a courageous woman married to a serial rapist and her brave fight for justice.

A Descent Into Hell by Kathryn Casey

Bright, attractive, and both from good families, University of Texas college student Colton Pitonyak and vibrant redhead Jennifer Cave had the world at their beckoning. Cave, an ex-cheerleader, had just landed an exciting new job, while a big-money scholarship to UT's prestigious business school lured Pitonyak to Austin. Yet the former altar boy had a dark, unpredictable streak, one that ensnared him in the perilous underworld of drugs and guns. When Jennifer failed to show up for work on August 18, 2005, her mother became frightened. Sharon Cave's search led to Colton's West Campus apartment, where Jennifer's family discovered a scene worthy of the grisliest horror movie. Meanwhile, Colton Pitonyak was nowhere to be found. A Descent Into Hell is the gripping true story of one of the most brutal slayings in UT history--and the wild Bonnie and Clyde-like flight from justice of a cold-blooded young killer and his would-be girlfriend,Laura Hall, who claimed that her unquestioning allegiance to Pitonyak was just the way I roll.

I received this book yesterday and meaning to start preparing for my Easter lunch I thought I would just read a few chapters and then go on with my Easter To Do List.Instead I started reading and could not put this book down.All I can think of now is that of Kathryn Casey's true crime books I have read She Wanted It All,A Warrant To Kill and A Descent Into Hell.I also received with my last order Die My Love which means I need to order Evil Beside Her and then wait for Shattered:The David Temple Case which is the new true crime book that Kathryn Casey is working on.Since I have no idea when that will be finished and I happen to adore Kathryn Casey's style of writing I think I am going to order her fiction book Singularity,just to keep me going until the David Temple true crime book is released.

Now to get on with my review of A Descent Into Hell by Kathryn Casey.First of all the title is absolutely brilliant for this book.This is a descent into hell like never told before.Kathryn Casey takes you to the beginning and details the childhood and growing up years of Colton Pitonyak.You get to meet a nice enough boy and slowly the reader goes through the deterioration of this boy though his drug abuse.I, as a reader, took that journey with this young man and since the first thing I do before I read a true crime book,is look at the pictures in the middle,I must say I liked this boy's face.He had such an open face,seemed like a nice guy.I really believe the drugs destroyed him and turned him into a monster.

Kathryn Casey also takes us back into the early life of Jennifer Cave the young woman who was murdered by Colton Pitonyak.What a wonderful girl and really makes you think that some people really are too good for this earth.I believe that Jennifer Cave was too sensitive to deal with the harshness of this world hence her escape into drugs as well.I take my hat off to her mother Sharon who brought up her girls and son single handledly and remains so strong still despite all the trauma.This book is filled with good people and yet their lives had to be tainted by evil.An absolute tragedy and a lesson to all of us,that none of us are immune to life and we can just do the very best we can to survive relatively unscathed.

This book is brilliant and is one of those which has touched me deep inside my heart maybe because I have a young daughter.I am keeping this book close to my bedside.This is just my way of doing what exactly I dont know.All I know is that I need to keep it close for a while.I feel like I know these people and I am so very sorry for their loss.

Kathryn Casey wrote this book really well and the two main life stories of Colton Pitonyak and Jennifer Cave then merge when they meet.And even though they are never together as a couple the writing is such that the stories remain interspersed and end obviously with the tragedy and the subsequent courtcase.

I have however one strong opinion to voice and that is on Laura Hall the girlfriend of Colton Pitonyak.I absolutely hate this defense theory that she did what she did out of "love".I see things in black and white and I dont care how much she "loved" him.My point is there is legislation about gun laws and that guns should be banned.Well a gun on its own on a shelf is relatively harmless.But if a person has hold of a gun you can then use this gun to create harm.The same applies to people who can be manipulated by others to create harm.So if some people believe guns should be banned then people who use as a defence that they were manipulated by others into causing harm should be put away for as long as the manipulator themselves.They are in essence as dangerous as guns.Just my opinion,use it dont use it.

If you would like to find out more about this book then go to
Kalahari Books for South African Readers
or if you would like to access more reviews on this book then go to the Amazon link below
A Descent Into Hell: The True Story of an Altar Boy, a Cheerleader, and a Twisted Texas Murder

Publisher: Harper
ISBN: 9780061230875
Publication date: July 2008
Length: 173mm
Width: 107mm
Thickness: 27mm
Weight: 191g
Pages: 366
Illustrations: Illustrated

I read this book in April 2009 and it has 8 pages of pictures but the nice thing is it has about 4 photographs on each page which is quite unusual but wonderful to have so many faces to connect to the story.

A Warrant To Kill by Kathryn Casey

This book A Warrant To Kill by Kathryn Casey describes the chilling case of deputy sheriff Kent McGowen, an aggressive police officer with a troubled record, who stalked, harassed, and finally murdered Susan White, a single mother who had rebuffed his advances.

Some people prefer reading fiction books because the end is always a surprise and some people prefer reading true life crime stories because the truth being stranger than fiction makes for a more interesting read. Kathryn Casey with her brilliant writing has managed to capture the best of both worlds in her true crime book “A Warrant To Kill”. The reader has no idea how the story ends until the very end, and there are surprises for the reader right up to the second last page. The last page deserves a special mention as it ends with an extremely poignant paragraph that will have most readers in tears and totally sympathetic of the victim, although she was not really someone who got any sympathy from me throughout the book. I, as a reader, made a connection with the victim and felt terrible for being in judgment of her.

Kathryn Casey’s writing is absolutely brilliant and I have to list all the reasons why. First of all, I have in previous reviews mentioned that if you have seen a certain story on a program on TV then it is best not to read the book about the same story. Well, I saw this story on the Crime & Investigation network and it was an hour long program. I was initially reluctant to read about the same thing again but this is where Kathryn Casey’s brilliance comes into play. I had no idea what the end was going to be like and was very tempted a few times to go to the end to see what happens. Kathryn Casey writes specifically to keep you in suspense and manages to do that with a true crime story, which is virtually impossible to do.

Another point in Kathryn Casey’s brilliant writing is the short paragraph she has at the beginning of every chapter. It is usually to give you an idea of what is coming further but also with some very thought provoking ideas and questions. The reader then enters the chapter with those thoughts and as the events unfold you feel yourself looking at everything from different perspectives, which just adds to the reading experience. I felt involved and able to come to my own conclusions as we went along.

An important point to note about A Warrant To Kill is that the book is written when all the court proceedings are complete which is really excellent . If you do decide to read one of Kathryn Casey’s books and you decide that you also like her style of writing, then I would suggest that you keep up to date with other projects that she has in the future so you can make sure that you buy her version of the book. I suggest that you make a list of your favorite crime writers and keep track of their future projects by going to their personal websites.

I absolutely cannot give you the ending of this book and the following might look cryptic but again it is on Kathryn Casey’s style of writing. There is something in the book which happens twice and Kathryn gives all the details in the first one and only the extra details in the second.This is done so well that the reader does not need to page back to re acquaint themselves with what happened prior but instead it is all there and yet it is not repeating any information. This book was truly brilliant writing at its best with so many twists and turns up until the very end.

I suppose after all of this I do not have to tell you that I loved this book, that I adore Kathryn Casey’s style of writing and that I would buy all her books.

This is what Ann Rule had to say about “A Warrant To Kill”
“Only In Texas could killer and victim meet in a true story, full of wealth and excess…and terror in the night. A Warrant To Kill will astound readers”

And this is what Carlton Stowers had to say
“Kathryn Casey has crafted a gripping psychological study-a real life nightmare wherein the darkest form of evil wears the disguise of a trusted public servant.A book as fascinating as it is troubling.”
So if you do not believe me then take it from Ann Rule and Carlton Stowers,two of my favorite brilliant true crime writers.

The link below will take you to Kathryn Casey’s website.

Kathryn Casey

Her website has all the links on her true crime books and any earnings made from her books sold via those website links is donated to charity. So not only do you get to read an excellent true crime story but you get to donate to charity as well.

If you are interested in finding more about this book please go to Kalahari Books for South African readers or below for the Amazon link



I read this book in March 2009 and it has 8 pages of pictures.There are also pictures of the psycho cop McGowen and he really has a "hit me now" face.I really wish I could deck him,just once,and then run really fast.