Beautifully Cruel

The New York Times bestselling true crime author investigates a shocking case of a wife, mother, and murder in the Iowa suburbs. Iowa housewife Tracey Pittman Roberts seemed to have it all: natural beauty, three loving children, and a fairy tale second marriage to a wealthy businessman. But beneath the happy façade was a woman who used lies, manipulation, sex, ugly allegations, blackmail-and even murder-to serve her own selfish ends. On December 13, 2001, police rushed to Tracey's home after a shooting left her young neighbor dead. Tracey claimed it was an act of self-defense. Nine gunshot wounds-and a decades-long trail of extortion, fabrication, fraud, and intimidation-said otherwise. Ten years after the crime, Tracey's case finally went to trial in an explosive courtroom showdown. In a searing exploration of the criminal mind, acclaimed investigative journalist M. William Phelps traces the saga of a psychopath who hid in plain sight-until her wicked ways caught up with her. "Phelps is one of America's finest true-crime authors." -Vincent Bugliosi "Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers." -Allison Brennan