Behind the Staircase

Michael Peterson Murder Case

By: Michael Peterson

Narrated by: Roberto Scarlato

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Step inside the mansion of Michael and Kathleen Peterson, the home where they lived as empty nesters in North Carolina.

December 2001 marked the beginning of the long, arduous journey for Michael Peterson, who was accused, placed on trial, and convicted of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. In Behind the Staircase, a memoir, Peterson recounts the events leading up to the incident which would forever change his life.

Follow Michael’s depiction of the tragic events leading up to his conviction and incarceration for his wife’s death and the next eight years of his imprisonment for her alleged murder. Upon his release, Peterson shares in his memoir, Behind the Staircase, his perspective on what happened to his loving wife, the misleading evidence of the trial, and the years that he spent behind bars with criminals, murderers, and rapists.

Listen as Michael painstakingly describes how as the prime suspect in the investigation, he was forced to endure one of the longest trials in North Carolina history, all the while asserting his innocence in her death.

You will be engrossed in the real-life depiction of the events and left in awe at the harrowing tales of his life in prison.

Listen and learn about Kathleen’s tragic accident and Michael’s desperate plea for justice.

©2020 Public Domain (P)2021 CSA Publishing

Excellent

I watched the Netflix version first which compelled me to get this audiobook. Well written story, captivating, and great narration. I would recommend this 10/10.

Breathtaking Story - 10/10

This is an exceptionally well written book. Mike does not only guide you through the detailed events that decided his fate, it simultaneously makes you feel the strong emotions that resulted from him having to make painstaking decisions.

Michael Peterson’s creative, intriguing and easy to follow writing style matched with the the narrator’s dynamic, clear and captivating voice shapes a breathtaking story.

Fantastic

I’m a crime series buff but this gave me chills. Wow. Written so well and sadly true. Thank you for being so transparent. It was riveting, humorous, entertaining, and eye opening.

It was pretty good

It mostly focused on his life in prison. It covered the death and court etc. but it was I think primarily his way of covering his side and life while away.

Worth a read esp if you've followed the case.

I was hoping that Michael Peterson would've narrated himself to be honest. It was good, though. maybe I'm just too picky but it seemed to be somewhat lacking or "missing" something. This poor man was locked up for years basically for being bi sexual. There's arent many things much more disturbing than that in my opinion. It delves into his life behind bars which is also pretty disturbing but very interesting. It was obviously highly traumatizing. Makes me sick that he felt he had to take the Alford plea just to live out the rest of his life in peace. This is a good example of how the justice system can get it very wrong.

Needed a different narrator to make the story much better

I saw the limited series, “The Staircase,” on Netflix. That was the impetus to purchase the book. After finishing the Netflix series, I was convinced he had been railroaded. Allowing unrelated testimony concerning bisexuality and the death of the mother of his two “adopted” daughters was most certainly a mistake by the judge which was borne out at the time of granting a new trial. Now, I just feel sorry for the him. The losses of living his life in jail rather than with family were tremendous.
Several impressions after finishing the book. More than half the book focused on his time in jail. I don’t know if he was trying to evoke sympathy, but I could certainly empathize with his predicament. Innocent, but caught up in the machinations of a corrupt justice system. In the Netflix series, there was no word about a new live, Sophie, so that was a surprise.
I recommend the Netflix series first, then the book. The series is an indictment of the American justice system, and the book reveals the depravity of our incarceration system.

An American Tragedy

Homicide Detectives and prosecutors often get tunnel vision.
Their theme is commonly “Find a CULPRIT get a CONVICTION” .
Typically an investigation would start at the scene. In the Peterson case it stopped at the scene.
This book does an excellent job of detailing incompetence of the investigation. Everything from Dwayne Deavers deception to the homophobic nature of Black & Hardin’s statements and arguments.
A bludgeoning with no scull fractures no injury to the brain, that’s is impossible.
Get the story straight from the source. This is an excellent read..

Contemplating.

I'm not convinced he didn't do it. I've watch it on Netflix and now listening to the book I can't think otherwise. I tried to be open minded.

Behind The Scenes Read

I watched the documentary multiple times and it kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a good behind the scenes book. It filled in a lot of things I wondered about, that the documentary didn't cover. I really enjoyed it! I want to listen the revised one now and see what was added. No matter what you believe guilt or innocence, the man has undeniably lived an interesting life!

It just made me more curious.

After watching the staircase documentary I became fascinated with the Michael Peterson murder case. It is true that the documentary is very one sided for the defense, and mostly filled with behind the scenes access to how defense lawyering works. I think it was the fascination with how all of the circumstantial evidence against Michael Peterson would be overcome, or if it would be overcome, that drove me to watch the series multiple times. This was the catalyst that drove me to read this book. I wanted to learn more, even if only from the point of view of the accused. Perhaps it might shed new light on my opinions about the case.
At the very beginning I was completely convinced of Michael Peterson’s guilt. The amount of blood, the lacerations, the last person to see Kathleen alive, the possibly credible motives, the blood spatter on the inside of his shorts, and perhaps most damning- the autopsy report. It all led me to believe he was guilty. As I expected, this book did little in the way of convincing me otherwise. But I will admit, there is a small shred of me that believes he is just simply one of the most unlucky people on planet earth, and, if he is guilty, which I still believe he is, surely that was one of his goals in writing this book.