cover image My Husband's Trying to Kill Me!: A True Story of Money, Marriage and Murderous Intent

My Husband's Trying to Kill Me!: A True Story of Money, Marriage and Murderous Intent

Jim Schutze. HarperCollins Publishers, $20 (232pp) ISBN 978-0-06-017960-1

Schutze's (The Accountant) grippingly suspenseful true-crime tale details the foiling of a wealthy Texan's plot to have his wife murdered. Real-estate wheeler-dealer Robert Edelman is depicted as an unscrupulous man who was determined to have everything his way; he physically abused his wife, Linda, and terrified their young children with cruel taunts. The man whom he hired to kill Linda subcontracted the murder to a hit man who was actually an undercover FBI agent. The agency set up a sting involving Linda's disappearance and presumed death in order to secure hard evidence against Robert. The sting was almost ruined by Linda's relatives, friends and neighbors, who flocked to her house, which had previously been bugged by Robert. Told with high drama, the tale ends with Robert's trial, conviction and sentencing to 10 years in prison. Photos not seen by PW (Oct.)