Fatal Jealousy

The True Story of a Doomed Romance, a Singular Obsession, and a Quadruple Murder

By: Colin McEvoy, Lynn Olanoff

Narrated by: Roger Wayne

June 26, 2010: A Pennsylvania state trooper witnesses a car speeding and crashing into trees. Stopping to help, he finds that the driver, Michael Ballard, is alive - and drenched in blood. When asked what happened, the man answers, "I just killed everybody."

Not far from the accident, police make a gruesome discovery. In the home of Michael's ex-girlfriend, Denise Mehri, they find four bodies that had been stabbed repeatedly with a knife: Denise, on the kitchen floor; her grandfather, in his wheelchair; her neighbor; and her father, in a room with a blood-smeared obscenity painted on the wall. How could anyone do something so horrendous?

Michael had already been convicted of murder, sent to prison when he was only 18. Despite several incidents of misconduct during his time in prison, he was found suitable for parole shortly after his minimum sentence lapsed. But this time, his deadly rampage would not be so easily pardoned.

©2014 Colin McEvoy and Lynn Olanoff (P)2014 Tantor

Lack of making me care

Way too long without much to tell. Victims hard to relate to. Narration tries to breathe life into these characters but they are just pretty irredeemable. Narrator cannot pronounce simple foreign names. Kind of insulting.

Great listen!

Although this book was shorter than most, the amount of information given was just right. Sometimes authors go into way too much detail with the back stories of everyone involved an it looses focus and reader interest. Roger Wayne did an excellent job narrating, I will be looking for more books with him as the narrator.

Evil

If anyone is truly evil it’s this demon. He should’ve be put to death immediately.

This is my dear friends murder

Denise’s murder was heartbreaking as was her Father,Grandfathers and her Heroic Neighbor. I’m happy the book brings the murder to light but at the same time the authors use the book as a platform to state their thoughts on the government and how the judicial system is run not to mention I feel they truly make it seem that Ballard was victimized and he is nothing of the sort.
Do I suggest this. If you are listening as a uninterested party then yes. But if you know the families it is not as easy.

good story

very well Renton and I like the person who is reading the book overall. really good book

Enjoyed the storyline

I've never heard so many mispronunciations of towns in any one book, sheesh. Also, Denise was an XRAY tech, NOT A NURSE!

Sympathy for the Devil?

This writer’s sympathy for a brutal multiple murderer emanates from every sentence. Author also tries very hard to use this story to make some sort of commentary on parole systems, but discussion of said system is ill-considered and disjointed—and he has no clear point. It’s a gross and stupid, superficial narrative that is more fascinated with its gross and stupid protagonist. And the narrator clearly thinks that they give out Academy Awards for book narration. Spare us the weepy, faux-female voices and cheesy accents. Just read the book.

Too drawn out

The book is 10% actual sorry and the rest of the time an endless commentary on the history of the criminal justice system.