Beautifully Cruel
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Beautifully Cruel
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Yen
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Written by:
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M. William Phelps
About this listen
Iowa housewife Tracey Pittman Roberts seemed to have it all: natural beauty, three loving children, and a fairy-tale second marriage to a wealthy, handsome businessman. But beneath the happy façade was a woman who used lies, manipulation, sex, ugly allegations, blackmail - and even murder - to serve her own selfish ends.
On December 12, 2001, police rushed to Tracey's home after a shooting left her vulnerable young neighbor dead. Tracey claimed it was an act of self-defense. Nine gunshot wounds - and a decades-long trail of extortion, fabrication, fraud, and intimidation - said otherwise. Ten years after the crime, Tracey's case finally went to trial in an explosive courtroom showdown. In a searing exploration of the criminal mind, best-selling investigative journalist M. William Phelps traces the saga of a psychopath who hid in plain sight - until her wicked ways caught up with her.
©2017 M. William Phelps (P)2017 TantorWhat listeners say about Beautifully Cruel
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2024-05-07
Disappointing Storytelling
Investigative Journalist M. William Phelps presents a fascinating case of a bizarre serial criminal - Tracy Pittman Roberts - lying like it's an occupation, slinging false accusations, engaging in fraud with abandon, and eventually killing a neighbor in an attempt to frame her ex-husband for a botched Home Invasion. The depths of her crimes are actually jaw-dropping. Phelps paints a convincing picture of a self-serving textbook psychopath. I found myself engrossed in the narrative.. wondering what could possibly come next.
...aaaand then Phelps decides to tell the tale with events that jump from timeline to timeline and storyline to storyline seemingly at random. The book has very little structure (more like a collection of the author's notes thrown together haphazardly). This book badly needs an Editor.
As to presentation: Jonathan Yen is an enthusiastic narrator - turning in an emotive performance with spot-on tone - but his nasal reading timbre gets annoying after a few hours. Tantor Audio Inc. could have cast this project better.
Altogether, 'Beautifully Cruel' was a serviceable True Crime distraction for a couple of quiet afternoons as a 'Plus' option.. but you could do faaar better than this 4.5/10-star audiobook if they ask for a Credit.
[NOTE: I personally despise the technique of nonsensically incorporating direct quotes - often single words - into sentences, too: "(Narrator's voice)Tracy was threatening to (Tracy's voice) "get even with" (Narrator's voice) that (Tracy's voice) "Schmuck" (Narrator's voice) and (Tracy's voice) "Monster"". Ugh. Phelps & Yen use it over and over.. like nails on a chalkboard.]
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