She Survived

 

 

“In this true crime book, Phelps focuses on unrepentant killer

Danny Hembree . . . [who] seizes the chance to take center stage with lurid confessions of a decades-long career of violent robbery, assault, rape, and murder.... Fans of the author’s Discovery TV series,
Dark Minds,
will be rewarded.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

 

“True-crime junkies will be sated by the latest thriller from Phelps, which focuses on a fatal love triangle that definitely proved to be stranger than fiction. The police work undertaken to solve the case is recounted with the right amount of detail, and readers will be rewarded with shocking television-worthy twists in a story with inherent drama.”

 

 

“Fascinating, gripping . . . Phelps’s sharp investigative skills and questioning mind resonate. Whether or not you agree with the author’s suspicions that an innocent is behind bars, you won’t regret going along for the ride with such an accomplished reporter.”

—
Sue Russell

 

 

“This riveting book examines one of the most horrific murders in recent American history.”

 

“Phelps clearly shows how the ugliest crimes can take place in the quietest of suburbs.”

 

“Thoroughly reported . . . The book is primarily a police procedural, but it is also a tribute to the four murder victims.”

 

“Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.”

—
Allison Brennan

 

 

“Reading anything by Phelps is always an eye opening experience. The characters are well researched and well written. We have murder, adultery, obsession, lies and so much more.”

—
Suspense Magazine

 

“You don’t want to miss
Love Her To Death
by M. William Phelps, a book destined to be one of 2011’s top true crimes!”

—
True Crime Book Reviews

 

“A chilling crime . . . award-winning author Phelps goes into lustrous and painstaking detail, bringing all the players vividly to life.”

—
Crime Magazine

 

 

“Phelps gets into the blood and guts of the story.”

—
Gregg Olsen
,
New York Times
best-selling author of
Fear Collector

 

“Phelps infuses his investigative journalism with plenty of energized descriptions.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

 

“A chilling tale of a sociopathic wife and mother . . . a compelling journey from the inside of this woman’s mind to final justice in a court of law. For three days I did little else but read this book.”

—
Harry N. MacLean
,
New York Times
best-selling author of

 

“Phelps has an unrelenting sense for detail that affirms his place, book by book, as one of our most engaging crime journalists.”

—
Katherine Ramsland

 

 

“M. William Phelps, one of America’s finest true-crime writers, has written a compelling and gripping book about an intriguing murder mystery. Readers of this genre will thoroughly enjoy this book.”

—
Vincent Bugliosi

 

“Starts quickly and doesn’t slow down.... Phelps consistently ratchets up the dramatic tension, hooking readers. His thorough research and interviews give the book complexity, richness of character, and urgency.”

—
Stephen Singular

 

 

“Drawing on interviews with law officers and relatives, the author has done significant research. His facile writing pulls the reader along.”

 

“Phelps expertly reminds us that when the darkest form of evil invades the quiet and safe outposts of rural America, the tragedy is greatly magnified. Get ready for some sleepless nights.”

—
Carlton Stowers

 

“This is the most disturbing and moving look at murder in rural America since Capote’s
In Cold Blood
.”

—
Gregg Olsen

 

 

“An exceptional book by an exceptional true crime writer. Phelps exposes long-hidden secrets and reveals disquieting truths.”

—
Kathryn Casey

 

 

“An insightful and fast-paced examination of the inner workings of a good cop and his bad informant, culminating in an unforgettable truth-is-stranger-than-fiction climax.”

—
Michael M. Baden, M.D
.

 

“M. William Phelps is the rising star of the nonfiction crime genre, and his true tales of murder are scary-as-hell thrill rides into the dark heart of the inhuman condition.”

—
Douglas Clegg

 

 

“An intense roller-coaster of a crime story . . . complex, with twists and turns worthy of any great detective mystery . . . reads more like a novel than your standard non-fiction crime book.”

—
Steve Jackson

 

 

“True crime at its best—compelling, gripping, an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Phelps packs wallops of delight with his skillful ability to narrate a suspenseful story.”

—
Harvey Rachlin

 

“A compelling account of terror . . . the author dedicates himself to unmasking the psychopath with facts, insight and the other proven methods of journalistic leg work.”

—
Lowell Cauffiel

 

SHE SURVIVED: MELISSA

M. WILLIAM PHELPS

PINNACLE BOOKS

Kensington Publishing Corp.

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

Table of Contents

What you are
about to read is a true story of intense, brutal violence, how the victim in this story survived, and how she went on to overcome the obstacles and challenges left behind after the attack, albeit medical and emotional. This short e-book will be, at times, written in the first-person voice of the survivor, but also built around the context of a third-person narrative I have constructed to give context and foundation to the overall story. If you are familiar with my work on television or in print, you’ll know I am an investigative journalist by trade and will often dig deep into the stories I cover, interviewing hundreds of sources and sifting through thousands of pages of documents in search of exclusive, new information connected to those cases. This “She Survived” series I have developed for Kensington Books, with my longtime editor Michaela Hamilton (who had the original idea for the series), is in no way meant to be perceived as one of those detailed, investigative pieces of journalism for which I have become known. In this new series of exclusive e-books, I aim to showcase survivors’ stories from their point of view. Even the perpetrator will play a smaller-than-usual role in what you’ll see are truly inspiring and empowering stories of emotional and physical endurance. Law enforcement, as well, will have a much smaller role than normally speaking. My goal is to allow surviving victims of brutal sexual assaults and rapes and attempted murders the space and the opportunity to tell their stories in an unencumbered fashion, without judgment and/or hindrance. This space is here for victims to explain how they were able to overcome adversity and horrible life-changing injuries in the face of great evil. Their stories will be moving. You will hear testimony of great strength at times when many of us might otherwise curl up into a fetal ball and descend into the clutches of the demons plaguing many post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) survivors. I am humbled by these stories—and especially by these strong women who have entrusted me to tell their stories. I have a great amount of respect and admiration for crime victim survivors and consider myself as a staunch victims’ advocate. This series is one more way for me to explore that role and bring readers and viewers of my television series more in-depth stories of survival. It is these survival stories that prove there can be sunshine on the other side of the mountain; people can come back from a harrowing, violent experience and not allow the crime to consume their lives, thus taking the power back from the perpetrators.

 

—M. William Phelps