This was fascinating, the author knows how to write true crime in a way that completely grabs you. I was enthralled by the facts of this and loved the way it was written

Thank you author, publishers, and NG for the free copy of this book in exchange for my review. I was so excited to have received this book! Phelps is one of my constant “go-to” true crime authors! Rarely do I find an error in his writing ie: medical facts, drug facts, that sort of thing not an error in the story. And what stories he picks! He is so,original! Take this story! Really makes you wonder who,you can trust while at the same time reminding oneself that it’s not really a great idea to stay close to,your kid’s ex lol I’ve had a couple of friends who have done that successfully but it’s typically when my friend has had a more positive relationship that the one their own child had with his parents. And that’s just sad. I esp would not want to,keep my job with the parents! AWKWARD ONE BIG AWKWARD
I always hold my breath until the next phelps book. I hope it too will be offered on NG as I will definitely ask for it. He is such a great true crime author and I own just about every one of his books!

A fascinating case which the author carefully unpicks, sometimes leading to more questions than answers. The victim and their death are treated with respect and I think this is very important in true crime accounts, a bit repetitive from time to time but a very good account.

Loved this book! I’m a huge true crime fan, and M. William Phelps is always a great author. This story was shocking and I loved taking a deep dive into it. Highly recommend.

M. William Phelps is a fixture in the true crime TV world, so I was eager to read one of his books. Ann Rule is my true crime gold standard and so far I haven't found anyone who could fill her shoes. I didn't disagree with Mr. Phelps's assessment of this particular case, but it could have unfolded a little more persuasively.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

SYNOPSIS

We Thought We Knew You is a book written by the prolific true crime writer and investigative journalist, M. William Phelps.

Mary Yoder is dead at sixty.

It is July of 2015 and Mrs M. Yoder, a previously healthy married woman with one son, has just collapsed and died in great pain and discomfort. An autopsy reveals the terrible truth that Mary has been murdered.

Means, motive and opportunity are key indicators used by police to determine the suspicion of an individual suspected in the involvement of a crime. It was no different in the case of the murder of Mrs, Yoder. The family and those closest to her were the first to come under scrutiny. Her long time husband Bill, her son Adam, and his former girl-friend Kaitlyn (Katie) Conley formed the triad of characters under investigation. Quickly, the focus falls upon one of the three suspects.

The suspects are:

Kaitlyn Conley is an attractive, vivacious, and popular woman and the former girlfriend of Mary Yoder’s son. Following an acrimonious split, Katie continues to work at the Yoder’s family owned chiropractor’s office. Kaitlyn had suffered from a contentious relationship with Adam from which she continued to harbored unrequited rage. She has a history of rage combined with instability when it came to dealing with rejection in relationships.

Adam Yoder is a conscientious and hard working young man who in the time running up to Mary Yoder’s death had some verbal disagreements with his mother. These disagreements placed him in the purview of the investigation.

Then there was Bob Yoder, Mary’s long suffering husband. Could he have murdered his wife in such a brutal and heinous way?

Could it all be so simple? Could there be another more motivated killer on the loose? Or does this murder boil down to someone motivated by a combination of lust, control, and selfish greed?

In court, the Defense appears to be winning the case. With conflicting motives and the nimble mindedness of the Defense Team, they outmaneuver the Prosecution.

Then a Cyber Crime Forensic Expert comes to the aid of the prosecution council. A man who sifts through the hidden evidence and constructs an irrefutable truth based in cold, hard facts from meta-data. The true motive is revealed. Through a jigsaw like puzzle, the jury of their peers must decide who is to blame beyond any reasonable doubt.

So who did it in the end? The quickest and easiest way to discover the culprit, is to listen to it for yourself.

Happily, you can read We Thought We knew You for free on Kindle Unlimited. See link at the bottom of the page.

CONCLUSION

We Thought We Knew You by M. William Phelps is not the best of his work. There were a number of times where I found some repetition. The tendency to transcend between one time and another proved to be a little disorientating. Despite that, I enjoyed Phelps unraveling of the conundrum that is: We Thought We Knew You.

One of the reasons that Phelps is a successful writer is he sincerely cares about the victims of the crimes he reports. His success cannot simply be attributed to his excellent skills in writing or his investigative methods. There is a palpable sense of anger and frustration that his subjects have been callously killed. This is borne out by the consistent pattern of his writing style in that he always has the victim as the fulcrum of the story. He consistently regales us with the minutiae of the victims daily lives and their hopes, dreams and vulnerabilities. He paints them in flesh and blood terms as they once were through the written word. This to me, this is what make M. William Phelps work stand out. In the world of true crime, he stands alone and unique in his defense of those who can no longer defend themselves.

⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely love this author and his podcasts too. I appreciate the level of research that went into this book and that it kept you interested in the story.

A bit repetitive and the time jumping was difficult to follow at times but overall, an interesting story. I thought the best part was the investigation into the crime.

Update 7/8/21: When I finished this book a few days ago, while I generally enjoyed the story, I was left wanting to know more about Katie's history: her family life, her early years, etc. I felt this would have given us a more well-rounded account, from both sides. I noticed and felt this lack both while reading and upon finishing the book. Since then, I've come across information showing some interesting ideas from another perspective, one we didn't get in this book. The fact that this information is so interesting, and compelling, makes me wonder why it wasn't presented in this book for a more well-rounded, compelling and thought-provoking story. It's interesting enough, and perhaps even convincing enough, to be added to this account, why would we not get this side of the story? Instead we are given a story from one perspective and that's it, we are to believe this one side and not consider other ideas. It nagged at me while I was reading the story, but now that I've had some time to sit and think about it, and, in fact, come across some additional information that I'm sure the author could have, and probably did come across, I'm left wondering why we didn't hear about this side of the story and as a result, I'm now pretty dissatisfied with this book. Downgrading my review to 2, and that's being generous.

This was a fast-paced tale of true crime and narcissism following the untimely death of Mary Yoder and the subsequent trial . If you are a fan of true crime and/or need read-alikes for thrillers, this would be an excellent choice.

We Thought We Knew you: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder by M. William Phelps is a 2020 Kensington publication.

An unreal, twisty, very sad, true crime saga...

This book is about the murder of Mary Yoder, a vibrant, active person, who, along with her husband, Bill, ran a chiropractor clinic.

The couple had hired their son Adam's girlfriend, Kaitlyn Conley, to work in the office, and never allowed the couple's on/off turbulence to affect the work relationship they had with Kaitlyn. In fact, it seemed Mary and Kaitlyn got on quite well... Until one day...

Mary came home from work presenting with symptoms of a violent gastrointestinal illness. The initial consensus was that she had a bug, just as Adam had endured a short time ago, but it soon became clear that Mary needed medical attention.

Once admitted into the hospital, the staff also felt her illness was due to what was most likely a short- lived stomach bug. But, Mary's condition quickly deteriorated, taking a serious turn for the worse. She coded, then rallied several times before finally succumbing to death.

Because it did seem very unusual that a woman in perfect health had died so suddenly, an autopsy was performed, where it was eventually discovered that Mary had been poisoned with colchicine, a substance normally used to treat gout- a condition she did not have.

The investigators, as is usually the case, zeroed in on Bill, but an anonymous letter pointing the finger at Adam changed their focus, leading them to conclude that Adam might be the victim of a frame-up.

Who wrote that letter? Who stood the most to gain from Mary’s death? Did Adam kill his mother… or was there a more sinister plot afoot?

Well, this was one strange story. By all accounts, Mary was a wonderful, beautiful, spirited woman. Why on earth were there SO MANY suspects???

My goodness- Mary’s husband, her son, her friend and employee, Kaitlyn-

They were All primary suspects. Mary’s daughters, and law enforcement say all the evidence points to Kaitlyn, but three of Mary’s sisters think it was Bill, while Adam also faced damning evidence and accusations against him, as well.

What did the jury say? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out the shocking way this case came to a close!

I have my own opinion, and because of remarks made by the author about the Dateline coverage of the case, I looked it up online. Mary’s daughters had interview time, as did Mary’s sisters. I didn’t really pick up on a strong slant. Still, I was disappointed to learn those involved in the Dateline production, seemed to have favored one side over the other. No matter, though, because I’m still with the author on this one.

This is just a horribly sad case. Mary seemed to live life with gusto, with so much more to give, it's just tragic that her life was cut short in such a cold, ruthless way, and that her death has torn her family apart.

As for the organization and presentation of the facts, the author uses multiple timelines, outlining Adam and Kaitlin’s relationship, Bill and Mary’s history, the gathering of evidence and the trial.

For the most part, this approach works well, and prevents the book from becoming too dry, the way a more traditional, chronological approach might have. The downside to this method is that it led to some repetitiveness.

One should also be aware that this book is focused Kaitlyn, who was the person arrested, and who was placed on trial for Mary's murder.

The book, I think, sets out to remove all doubt about who killed Mary Yoder. From that standpoint, it might seem one sided- but in my personal opinion, the evidence bears the burden and law enforcement got this one right.

Overall, true crime fans will find a great deal to puzzle over with this case. The courtroom drama was unbelievable, and the author lays out his case admirably and convincingly. I hope the Yoder family finds some comfort and peace moving forward.

A very sad case but very well written. It gives you a good background of the family. Mr Phelps is one of my favourite true crime authors and he didnt disappoint with this one. He lays out all the facts brilliantly.

I requested this book in October 2020, just started and finished it in February 2021. I totally forgot that this book was based on a real murder. Typically I stay with fiction. This was a chilling book of murder. This was so well written that I was totally unaware until the very end that this was a true story. I am so glad I read this book. The evidence of Mary Yoder's murder is laid out in great detail. As with all families of loved ones that are murdered they are never the same. It is hard to believe that after presenting the evidence there would have been any other outcome. Although while I was unaware that this was a true story I went back and forth between trying to solve this crime. Slowly but surely I came to the realization of the guilty party. M. William Phelps did a wonderful job laying out the story and the evidence. I look forward to reading more books by Mr. Phelps.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

This started really strong, lots it’s way in the middle, then picked up again at the end.

The book has an interesting narrative style, which took a while to get used to. I found it repetitive in parts, and lacked interested in the ongoing dynamic of Adam and Katie.

However the way the story unfolded and the work of the investigation team was really interesting and I found myself wanting to research the crime more once I finished the book.

Different.

This is a well-written, interesting narrative about a true crime. It is apparent the author spent a lot of time researching the facts of the case and gathering documentation to support the story. The results of the many interviews are detailed enough for the reader to to understand the people impacted by this horrible crime. I recommend this book to all true crime fans.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own honest opinions written voluntarily.

Written by a well known true crime author, this is the story of the life and death of Dr Mary Yoder. M William Phelps has written a well balanced, thoroughly researched of the victim and her untimely death due to poisoning. When police begin their investigation, it is clear the murder is someone close to Mary, so her family is the first suspects. Expertly presented from the story of Dr Yoder's life to the trials of the suspects, readers will have enough facts and evidence to make their own conclusions and agree with the jury. While definitely a true crime book, the story is written as well as a first class thriller.

I loved this book, which is usually for the books written by M. William Phelps. He is one of my favorite authors. He absolutely did not disappoint with this book. Well written and the storyline, although so sad, was very interesting. I like the way he highlights the victim and the loved ones. I had never heard of this case so it made it even more interesting. I highly recommend this book!

M. William Phelps writes wonderful True Crime book. I have read many of his and have not been disappointed yet. I have never heard of Dr. Mary Yoder until I read We Thought We Know You. This case was extremely interesting and had me staying up late to read more because I couldn't wait to find out what happened.

I loved this book. It’s based on a true, very tragic event. I remember seeing something about it on tv. My heart goes out to the family. This book is well written. Thank you for writing this story.

I LOVE true crime stories. I love especially if I haven't heard of them before and can explore a case that's entirely new to me. The death of Mary Yonder was an interesting case. The way this book was written - not doing a simple retelling of the case and what had happened, but also including literal speech and not just as a form quotation of what happened - was new to me. Most of my true crime books have been a simple retelling of the crime committed, so this was a refreshing change. It's always fascinating to get small glimpses into a human soul, especially the criminal ones and I have a knack for female criminals.
I can't say the motif was surpring to me - it's often something of that sort when I've been reading about female murderers and the reasons behind their deed.
I especially enjoyed the pictures at the end of the book - it reminded you once again that this was no work of fiction, no thriller, no horror story, but the life and death of a woman whose only fault was that her and her husband had such a strong, unbreakable love. That saddens me - but that's probably because murder out of jealousy due to unrequited love is something I can't really understand.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review

This is well written, documented true crime book. I used to only read true crime books, but after a family catastrophe I couldn’t read them very much. As a reader of true crime, I’ve heard of M. Phelps many times, but never read his work, I’m sad I haven’t. As, he is one heck of a storer in this genre, or at least in this story. He makes it intriguing and riveting, but also factual. This case is one I’m mot familiar with, but I do feel the author showed exactly why the person was guilty, what happened, and did so without bogging down story with minor details. I would recommend to my fellow true crime lovers!