Most Helpful Customer Reviews2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars
A great new voice in true crime, January 2, 2012
This review is from: The Wicked Wives: A novel based on a true story (Paperback) Article first published as Book Review: The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti on
Blogcritics.
Time and tide are steady and reliable, functions you can rely on. When you involve personalities and events however, egos and feelings as well as the search for the everlasting dollar contribute to how those various functions relate to lives. Tide may never change, but time is elusive, you can have more-or you can have less. Sometimes fate intercedes. Sometimes that fate if brought about by those you know in unimaginable ways. Murder is not new; it has been around for thousands of years. The reasons are varied and yet make sense to the perpetrator at the time, but not necessarily to anyone else.
In The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti, we are given the opportunity to look into the lives of a group of both women and men that were responsible for the murders of the women's husbands in the 1930's. The story is based off a true set of crimes, and the strange and unethical reasons understate how little it takes for some to cross over to the side of murder. During this time in Philadelphia, the scandal resulted in seventeen wives being arrested for murdering their husbands. It would take one man to stand up for the victims and uncover the acts that would bring justice.
During the depression, money was scarce and this is the story about how a group of women went about finding the money to lead the lifestyles they were accustomed to, and the depravity of the acts they were willing to use to get where they felt they had to go. Not alone in their disenchanted lives, there appeared to be a mastermind, one who helped and used convincing arguments that allowed them the reasoning for killing their husbands for the insurance money. This man was also an integral part of the process and a lover to all of the women involved.
Pelagatti has used his background as a trial lawyer to help dig into the files and do the research behind this strange and bizarre set of crimes and bring us a story of these women and their prolific thoughts and reasoning's. He digs deep into the psyche of those involved and brings us a look at the lives they led and the circumstances that lead them to the final act of taking another's life.
As the story unfolds Pelagatti has a way of bringing sadness to the lives of those involved although each murder was well thought out and planned with malice. The women themselves almost came across as victims as well in some cases, but each time the crime seems so brutal. The conspirator, Giorgia DiSipio, was an amazing con man and as such he created a con for each of the wives. They seemed almost na?ve in their belief that they were his one and only love. Even their knowledge of the others could not convince them of his unreliability. The story moves from time and place in a well-orchestrated fashion keeping you interested and often in disbelief. While the money involved seems so small in our day and times, we are continually reminded of the times and the depression as it affected the lives of all those involved.
If you are interested in true crime and murder mysteries, you will find this a strong starting point. The methodology behind the killings and the brutality of the process leaves you wondering how this could have happened. Pelagatti not only tells us a story of the times he is able to set some strange red herrings and give us a surprise that you do not see coming.
This would be a great book for your true crime library, full of history and real life. I believe it would also be a great find for a reading group, a way to discuss how little is can take to make someone step over the edge.
This book was received free from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Intrigue from the very 1st page!!, November 7, 2011
This review is from: The Wicked Wives: A novel based on a true story (Paperback) I couldn't put this book down! I may or may not have been late to work one morning because I was tired after staying up late to read this book.
The Wicked Wives opens up with the death of Lillian Stoner's husband. The physician is ready to rule the death as being due to pneumonia, but the D.A. isn't so sure he agrees. But since the deputy Mayor is Lillian's uncle, the D.A. has a fight on his hands if he continues to insist on the autopsy. And this is just the first suspicious death!
In a city where corruption is rampant, and a D. A., Tom Rossi, who is willing to give up his future political career to do what's right, the story of women who may murder for their husband's insurance money is so intriguing. When you add to that women who are willing to sleep with the enemy for some extra cash, and who are willing to, knowingly, share the same man, I'm just hooked. I was kept in suspense all the way to the end. This novel is intriguing, has elements of danger, and is based on a true story. It reads like a serious work of fiction, and it wasn't until the end that I remembered that it was based on a true story. Just, wow!
Reviewed for Arms of a Sister blog.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Murderous Dealings in Depression-Era Philadelphia, September 13, 2011
This review is from: The Wicked Wives: A novel based on a true story (Paperback) Gus Pelagatti has done a wonderful job of taking readers into the immigrant communities of South Philly as well as the
society circles of Philadelphia in his novel based on a sensational series of
insurance scam murders that came to light in 1938.
With such a rich cast of characters and with such nasty ways of getting rid of unwanted husbands, the book will have you eagerly turning pages to find out what happens and who is the mastermind behind all the players in this scam.
I look forward to reading the sequel to this novel.
--- Phyllis Zimbler Miller, author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT
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