October 25th 1992 (my 12th birthday so that doesn't make me feel old AT ALL!) Cynthia Albrecht, executive head chef for the Penske-Marlboro racing team, went missing.

All of her friends knew something wasn't right, she wouldn't just leave and not tell them where she was and they all pointed the finger at her, soon to be, ex-husband Michael Albrecht, a mechanic in the Indy 500, a man who has a history of being a bully and abusive who also tried to control her and keep her in his shadow.

He had an airtight alibi and therefore couldn't be arrested for her murder not even when her body was found, minus her head, and despite troubling and strange behaviour.

The case went cold for 6 years until a new prosecutor took on the case and arrested him. Could they find the evidence and break down his alibi or would he be released and the murder of Cynthia be shelved again and remain unsolved?

True crime is my jam and when I saw this I knew I had to read it, for some reason, I hadn't heard of this story before so I ended up flying through it and absolutely loved it!

The strength and resilience of the prosecutor, the journalist, her best friends and her colleagues to continue fighting to bring justice is amazing and heart breaking. So well written and a book I will keep in my true crime collection to re-read again and again.

*Huge thanks to Larry Sells, Margie Porter, WildBlue Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Will be spoilers ...so beware...

Very good true crime book...Well covered by the author and definitely brings you into the book and know them as people...Feel so bad for families that have to go through this sort of tragedy ...The only problem I have with the book is that this book is entirely one sided as to the way it is written...the best true crime will be objective and let the facts lead the story...every book can lead you how they want but the comments throughout the book make it very evident that the author is absolutely behind the guilt of Michael Albrecht ....not saying I think he is innocent...I think he is guilty...but would have been good to have done some individual investigation into the other proposed suspects...might not have led far...but the police didn't seem to do any investigation that way...Albrecht's alibi witness switched...and there is just no reason to flip knowing you could be prosecuted as an accessory ...unfortunately ....Michael is not spending his entire life in prison...since her head was never recovered they chose not to go for the death penalty ...the case hinged on the evidence they had... This ...unfortunately ...is just not uncommon...praying for both families ...and hoping Michael has this out of his system...he is able to be out in 2023...not too far away....

I want to thank Netgally.com for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

On October 25,1992, Cindy Albrecht went missing. She was a popular member of the hospitality crew for the Penske Racing team, serving as the executive chef. Two of her friends on the hospitality crew were concerned and called the authorities. Weeks later, Albrecht’s body was found in a remote area with her head removed. The date of her disappearance was the date her divorce from her husband Michael was finalized and she had started dating a new boyfriend. Michael had just been fired from his job as a mechanic for the Dick Simon racing team and was not handling the divorce well. His arrest for the murder of his wife and subsequent trial is the story behind this true crime book written by the prosecutor of the case, Larry Sells and journalist Maggie Porter.

Before the book focuses on the criminal investigation and trial, the description of Cindy’s life of working with the Penske team is described well. The reader will lean not only about the inner workings behind that food that is served in the tents to race team members, visitors and other VIP’s, but also about the races, mechanical teams and drivers. There are photos of drivers and some excerpts from exciting races, such as the close finish to the 1992 Indianapolis 500.

While auto racing is an important part of the book since it was the industry in which the Albrechts and others worked, the book is mostly about the investigation into the death of Cindy Albrecht, the subsequent arrest of her husband and his trial for murder. With one of the authors being the lead prosecutor during the trial, it would be expected that there would be much focus on the courtroom proceedings. That was the case and it was done so in very specific detail, down to the description of each of the witnesses. As one who enjoys reading about court trials, I found this part of the book riveting and could not put it down.

If a reader enjoys legal or true crime stories, then this book is highly recommended and is one to pick up. If the reader would prefer to not read such details but learn more about the people, then the beginning of the book will satisfy that person.

I wish to thank Wild Blue Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read this book as I have always enjoyed racing. It really brought to light how big a family the racing community is when times of trouble appear. Roger Penske is a good man and wonderful employer from what was told. The disappearance of Cynthia Albrecht was told in detail. The legal section was very specific, but did was a little too much detail. I found myself zoning out on that portion. Overall, a good book about a horrible crime!


I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review.

This was a good, informative story told by the Prosecutor, Larry Sells.

I don't want to give too much away, but I will say Roger Penske did more for this woman from the time she went missing until after her death including paying for her cremation and funeral. The husband, well, I won't giveaway what he did, but he's just scum.

Such a sad story.

October, 1992. When Cindy Albrecht flew back to Indiana so she could be home in time for the finalization of her divorce, she’d begun feeling anxious every time she thought about it. Her husband, Michael, also known as “Crabby” has still been trying to talk to her in an effort to get her to cave in and get back with him. But there’s no way she’s going back to that life. Nothing but being controlled and monitored all of the time and never having any fun, all while worrying about his explosive temper. No thanks. She’s got a great job as executive chef for the Penske – Marlboro Racing Team hospitality and things are going in a great direction finally for her with her work and her friends. She’s even started fallen for a great new guy and it looks like she’ll be moving to Florida soon to be with him.

A couple of days later, no one can reach Cindy at her place and she’s missed a meeting and more importantly, she missed showing up to sign her final divorce papers. After her friends compare notes two of her best friends and coworkers drive over to Cindy’s apartment to check on her. Her truck is there, but they get no answer at the door. They finally get in by climbing up to the balcony and going in thru the patio door and find her two cats wandering about and crying hungrily for food. The two women grabbed hands and went through each room, not finding their friend anywhere. After consulting with her new boyfriend by phone, they hang up and quickly called police and reported her missing.

I enjoyed this true crime book written by the prosecutor Larry Sells that covers the investigation, her body being found, and then the trial. The case seems fairly obvious, but there are lots of quirks to it, and it’s far from a slam dunk in court. You really want to see the killer get his due. For true crime fans and for racing fans as well. The victim was well liked by those in racing, and had just enjoyed an end of season Halloween party thrown by one of the well known racers and his wife that was just filled with famous racing names of the day. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, authors Larry Sells & Margie Porter, and the publisher.