Cold Blooded (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

By Carlton Smith

Book Overview

An account of the murder of wealthy California attorney Larry McNabney details the search for his wife Elisa, a black widow and fugitive killer with more than thirty aliases and a lengthy criminal history, who, unbeknownst to her trusting spouse, looted his law firm's client accounts. Original.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312994060
• ISBN13: 9780312994068
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

No Babble, No Boring Trial - Just The Facts of People & Places

Typically I am not much of a Carlton Smith true crime fan; however, I found Cold Blooded to be a tremendous piece of writing for the true crime genre. Most often writers are prone to present a bit of background, followed or preceeded by the known details of the crime and then the remainder of the book is generally the trial and sentencing of the accused; and, more often than not, is written almost word for word from trial transcripts. Not so in Cold Blooded! There is NEVER a dull moment in this book! The life and doings of Laren (aka Elisa) Jordan/McNabeney is better than any beauty salon gossip any day! And Carlton Smith details these events in a fast paced, attention gripping style that makes putting this book down difficult! Highly, highly recommended for true crime fans!

A Winner

Reviewer Jim Greenhill's analogy with the Coen brothers Blood Simple, a modern film noir was excellent. The thing great about this is that it's real. Much sadness and heartbreak but I thought this was a very well written book and I've read a lot of true crime. I firmly believe the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction," and this is once again confirmation on that point. The book and characters are unbelivable and twisted but most are frighteningly unaware that they are so. Even the main character is a person who seems driven to do what she does. It brings questions to mind about hereditary factors, brain chemistry or maybe the idea that there may or may not be good and evil

Excellent Read

This book was written almost perfectly. As a true crime reader I go through many books and find the Author stays on one situation to long or goes over and over again on it and then the suspense leaves and/or I have to skip a few pages here and there because they drag out the history of the town and then drag out the trial. This Book did neither. The Author did a wonderful job. It was a horrible story of Murder and greed and you will not be able to put down the book. P.S. I have to correct the poster "Rick Eeee".She posted that the Victims wife was a Lawyer. This is not true Elisa was not a Lawyer.