American Mother
By Gregg Olsen
Review and Rating 3 ⭐️

American Mother by Gregg Olsen is the revised and updated version of previously published ‘Bitter Almonds’, a true crime story of Stella Nickell and the Seattle cyanide murders.
Stella cruelly murders her husband Bruce by lacing his Excedrin capsules with cyanide. To throw off suspicion she laces other bottles and places them in random stores in the area. Sadly, another life is lost to the cyanide laced pills. A family must face life without their mother and wife and with suspicions about what happened.
The Seattle area and the country fears who will be next.
Mr. Olsen definitely researched his material for the book well, there is a lot of information presented. He delves into the backstory of Stella’s life and relationships. At times, I felt the same information was presented over again, just in a different way. I definitely felt the book could have been shorter.
For these reasons I am going to stick with 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️, but if you are a true crime lover like me, it is still a highly readable book.
I want to thank #Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Gregg Olsen for providing me with an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my

#netgalleyarc This isn’t a book I’d purchase for my high school library but it was a read that I enjoyed. Nonfiction isn’t usually my cup of tea but this book caught my attention and I was intrigued by the title. It took me a bit to get through it but I’m very glad that I did. Very compelling and attention keeping. Definitely a great read.

I always enjoy Gregg Olsen’s books. It always amazes me what humans can do to other humans. In the name of love, hate, or for money. Very well written. I had a hard time putting this down. You never know what goes on behind closed doors, and it’s crazy the kinds of relationships families have. You usual never know!

I have not read a bad book from this author. It’s a heartbreaking story BUT the way he writes it’s as if he’s speaking directly to me. I absolutely love him and look forward to his future work. He’s a true artist !

Originally published as Bitter Almonds: The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders in 1993, American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood, and the Cyanide Murders That Shook the World is a revised and updated edition from Gregg Olsen.

On June 5th in 1986, emergency services were called to the mobile home of Stella and Bruce Nickell in Auburn, Alabama. Bruce had collapsed and was struggling to breathe. When asked by the paramedics trying to make sense of his symptoms, Stella, calmly sipping her coffee, claimed he’d taken nothing other than Asprin. Despite best efforts, Bruce passed away, and the M.E. attributed hid death to emphysema.

Bank accounts manager, wife and mother, Susan Snow took two Extra Strength Excedrin as was her habit while getting ready for work on the morning of June 11th 1986. Fifteen year old Hayley, heard her mother fall and rushed in to the bathroom to find her unresponsive and gasping for breath. Sue was rushed to hospital but slipped into a coma before being declared brain dead shortly awards. Electrocution, heart arrhythmia or stroke were suspected causes but during the autopsy, the M.E.’s assistant detected an unmistakable if faint odour of bitter almonds, and to everyone’s shock, toxicology tests confirmed a fatal level of cyanide in the blood.

Though Detective Dunbar strongly suspected Sue’s husband of poisoning his wife, the FDA could not risk a repeat of the Chicago Tylenol tampering case in 1982 and a recall was issued of Extra Strength Excedrin bottles, especially batch #5H102. That evening a patrol officer was dispatched to a hysterical caller. Stella Nickells informed him that her husband had died two weeks earlier, shortly after taking Excedrin capsules from a batch matching media reports. Tests quickly revealed that the some of the capsules were contaminated and though Bruce had already been buried, a blood sample was fortunately available which showed Stella’s husband was the first victim of cyanide poisoning from tainted capsules.

Olsen presents a comprehensive account of the case and the people involved. The first half of the book focuses on two things after establishing the facts of the crime - the investigation by local and federal agencies, and a portrait of the victims and their family’s, while the second half focuses on the trial that found Stella Nickell guilty of the murder of her husband and Sue Snow.

To shed light on Stella’s actions, Olsen delves deeply into her life. Drawing on interviews with her family, friends and acquaintances, he reveals a complex, sad tale of generational dysfunction and trauma. Of particular interest to Olsen is Stella’s relationship with her eldest daughter, Cindy, who eventually testified against her.

Olsen’s extensive research into every facet of this case is evident, but the huge amount of detail he includes can sometimes be overwhelming. I thought the narrative was generally well organised, though some repetition is noticeable, especially with the account of the court case as it presents much of the same material Olsen had already disclosed. I feel photographs, and a timeline of evidentiary events, would have been beneficial inclusions.

From the evidence shared in American Mother, it seems obvious to me that Stella, who was sentenced to 90 years imprisonment and who remains incarcerated in 2022, is responsible for the deaths of her husband and Sue Snow. I believe Cindy was at least aware of her mothers intent to kill Bruce but I remain undecided about her direct complicity in the execution of the crime.

American Mother is an absorbing exposé of a shocking true crime and the woman found responsible, both an interesting and entertaining (in a morbid sort of way) read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of American Mother to read.

I am a fan of Gregg Olsen. I typically love to read his books. However, this book felt like I was reading a textbook for a research paper I had to write. I found myself dreading finishing it.

The story itself is interesting and sensational and I wanted to learn about it. Unfortunately, the amount of research that Olsen did for this book is obvious when you’re reading because the unnecessary amount of detail is excessive. I couldn’t keep track of characters or dates because there was just too much.

I’m still a Gregg Olsen fan, but this book just didn’t meet the mark for me.

This was the true story of a cruel woman who selfishly killed her husband and then a woman she never met in order to collect his insurance. The author did a wonderful job putting the reader into the story. The woman, Stella Nickell, even sought to blame her daughter for the murder even though the daughter was the one who turned her into the FBI. A very well written story. Gregg Olsen is the master.

Special thanks to Grand Central Publishing for my advanced ebook copy! This chilling true crime story is available now!

American Mother uncovers the shocking story of Stella Nickells – a wife and mother that does the unthinkable and unforgivable in a cyanide murders case that shook the world. Gregg Olsen delves into the complex layers of a mother-daughter relationship rooted in mustrust and deception and tells the story of a little girl from Oregon whose fierce ambition to achieve the American dream led her to make the ultimate betrayal.

I had never heard about the SeaMurs (Seattle cyanide murders) case before reading this but I am familiar with the Tylenol poisonings from a crisis comms class in college. Anything relating to medicine tampering makes you take a cautious look at your own cabinet…. I learned so much about this case, the people/family involved and WAY more knowledge than I ever needed about the calculation that went into the poisonings. The trial provided strong arguments for Stella vs. her daughter Cindy and it makes you wonder if Stella orchestrated things on her own or if she had help. It’s upsetting to learn about the steps someone is willing to take for money and I’m truly upset that the Snow family were involved unnecessarily in these heinous murders.

Having worked at a true crime network, I can’t get enough of this stuff. Especially when it’s a case I had never heard about previously and getting my fill of details. I understand that this case was super complex and involved many different parts and people, but I’d rate it lower only because there were many slow spots where the story felt dragged out or repeated and it got hard to keep track with all of the names being thrown around outside of the key offenders.

Excellent. I'm a huge fan of True Crime and Gregg Olsen once again shows us why he's one of the best in this genre. I didn't know much about this story prior to reading / listening to this, and was fascinated. This read like fiction - partly because of Olsen's ability to present the details of the case in a way that is not just interesting, but gripping, and partly because the case itself is gripping. I alternated between the audiobook and the e-book and found I enjoyed the audiobook so much that I preferred listening over reading, which is rare. The narrator is excellent. There are a lot of moving parts in this story and a lot of players, and I did have a bit of trouble keeping some of the many individuals straight - there are two different families affected by the tragedy of this case, and early on I had difficulty keeping track of who was related to which family / case. I felt like I needed a "family tree" of sorts to work out all the different relationships. If you read / listen to this, it might help to jot down names with a note of who they belong to! Otherwise, I loved this. I'll pretty much read anything by Gregg Olsen and hope he continues to give us more. Highly recommend this and any of his work to fans of true crime.

I, like so many others, discovered Gregg Olsen because of his spectacular and disturbing book If You Tell. So I was very excited to read American Mother. It's a true crime story about a cyanide poisoning case against Stella Nichol. This is a very thorough covering of the case, which I normally like, but it fell short for me. It seemed very drawn out. It felt like there was too much detail. I honestly think the book would have been better if it were cut down a bit. And I didn't like the way the section covering Stella's trial was put together. To me it felt like Olsen copy and pasted quotes and such out of the trial transcript. When I read a true crime, I like there to be some sort of narrative and flow. This lacked both.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Bookouture Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest true crime novel by the one-and-only Gregg Olsen and wonderfully narrated by Karen Peakes - 4.5 stars!

A few years after the Tylenol tampering tragedies, Stella Nickell is on trial for lacing Excedrin capsules with cyanide, causing both her husband and a complete stranger to die. Gregg Olsen meticulously researches the background and family of Stella, including Cindy, the daughter who would later testify against her in court.

I have been a true crime junkie since my teens, and have eagerly awaited Olsen's books, whether his true crime or fiction books. I really enjoyed listening to the discussion between the narrator and author at the end of the book, as well as his afterword. It's so frightening to think that someone could be so evil as to tamper with a product that could kill any one of us. In this case, as in so many, it all comes down to money. Another winner by this author!

I was unfamiliar with the story of Stella Nickell before reading “American Mother” as I was just a young child when the events took place. Gregg Olsen tells the story with great detail while also leaving the reader with just enough suspense to keep questioning their own suspicions.

This nonfiction was so easy to read I sometimes forgot it was true crime. In the first half of the book I spent much of my time trying to figure out what happened, who did it, and how everyone was connected. I was unsure of the perpetrator of the crime until the very last of the book. I was captivated with every word and I cannot wait to devour more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC to review!

Interesting read, especially for true crime fanatics. I did find it hard to keep up with all the people throughout the story, but do appreciate that Olsen gives as much facts as possible.. Another book for fans of his to add to the collection.

Very intriguing first scary to think that something on the shelf and we can grab unknowingly could’ve been tempered by someone out to hurt someone else. Give me a fascinating for the majority of the day the mother daughter relationship and how I kept going back-and-forth up and down like a really person is easy to keep up with. It jumped a lot between different characters different scenarios different scene so you had to really say focus on what point was trying to get across. wasn’t too much of a story with the snow family which is understandable I just kind of felt like her death was kind of lost in the story. Work was very detailed it on there definitely did his research the trial was a little uncaptivating for me at first but overall author did an amazing job of getting the story out there. Definitely kept you in suspense to find out if she had actually did it!

I remember this case well. In the ’80s someone doctored up some Excedrin and another OTC pain reliever.

I had already read the first story of this true crime, Bitter Almonds, a while back. Two families at the center of a loved one’s death from cyanide poisoning. Then they found more bottles and nationwide panic ensues.

Following on the heels of the famous cases in Chicago, this little town is now the center of not one suspicious death, but two.

On June 5, 1986, a call came into the sheriff’s office in Auburn, Washington. A wife, Stella Nickell, reported her husband was having a seizure. When police arrived at the mobile home, they found Stella standing in the doorway doing nothing as her husband struggled on the floor. Odd, right?

From the first contact, I knew something was off about this lady. And the autopsy shows some disturbing things.

Meanwhile, in the same town, Sue is having a headache and pops some aspirin. Her teenage daughter finds her collapsed on the floor. She dies.

This was a long and involved story. A daughter turns on a mother and a daughter suspects her father. But the truth is shocking and kind of still unresolved.

A good look at these famous murders.

NetGalley/November 8th, 2022 by Grand Central Publishing

I really found this book well-written and it was definitely eye-opening! This is about the case of Stella Nickell and her desire to kill her husband Bruce. Olsen takes us through Stella's early life along with the saga of raising her daughter, Cynthia. The family dynamics in this case are so intriguing. From Stella's mother to Cynthia, you can see how the discord between mothers and daughters shapes these women's thoughts and decisions (and not in a good way). If you are a fan of true crime, you can never go wrong ready a book written by Olsen. He always thoroughly researches his subjects and organizes all of the facts in a way that makes the reader want to turn the page. I highly recommend this book. I received an unedited proof of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was disappointing to me. I am a fan of Gregg Olsen, and signed up with Net Galley simply in order to read this book. However, this one feels like Mr. Olsen had a required word count to meet, and repeated information several times in order to meet it. It felt like a chore to read more often than not.

I do love the way he writes, and especially the crimes he chooses to write about. In American Mother, he writes about the cyanide painkiller poisonings in Auburn, Washington. I understand that the backstory of the suspect must be told, and, in this case the backstory of her daughter as well. But Mr. Olsen includes all sorts of extemporaneous information, even about the second marriage of the widow of the “other” victim of the poisoning. The “other” victim, though he begins the book with her story, soon falls into afterthought.

I wish I could give this book a higher rating because I truly love Gregg Olsen’s books typically. But in my opinion, and for the reasons listed, I cannot.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy of the book in exchange for writing this review.

This book felt so disjointed and had so many characters that it was super hard to get through and keep who was who straight. It was also very repetitive and non-linear which I usually do not mind but with the subject matter, it really detracted from the actual crime being committed. I have read and will continue to read books by this author as I have enjoyed him in the past but this was not his best work.

Gregg Olsen is so captivating! He has a talent for writing about famous cases while still keeping us guessing what will happen next.

There were so many twists and turns in this story making it hard to tell who was guilty at times.

You won’t want to put this book down once you start!