Thank you to the publishers and author for allowing me to read this before it’s release date.

The author has done his research into this case. As you read, you’re really brought into the case as it unfolds. There were many characters at play here and the details were often overwhelming. I found myself getting confused at times so I had to flip back to ensure I knew who everyone was.

Very detail oriented but it was too much detail for me.

The author has done an excellent job with ensuring he knew all of the relevant facts and details of the case, but it was too much for me at times.

Big fan of Gregg Olsen here! I love his crime novels and his true crime deep dives, but this book in particular was not my favorite. It's well written and detailed, but not quite as interesting to me as his other non-fictions. It could be simply that I did not find this specific case as complex and as intriguing. It was easy to take breaks with this one, whereas I could not put down If You Tell.

American Mother focuses on a mother and daughter relationship and the details surrounding the 1986 cyanide murders.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance! Gregg Olsen, I'm a forever fan!

I read another true crime novel by Gregg Olsen, so I was pretty excited about this one, especially since I’ve heard of the case before. I was looking forward to taking a deep dive into the case. Unfortunately, this one was a dud for me. I found the storyline jumbled and disconnected, which made it more difficult to keep track of the myriad of characters. Honestly, if I wasn’t reviewing this, I wouldn’t have finished the book

I've read a lot of true crime books. Some read like horror novels; some read like boring textbooks. Gregg Olsen -- you've nailed the former. This was a fast, easy read that I couldn't put down, and I finished it in a few days despite the length of 400+ pages.

The book was easy to follow because of the way the chapters are organized. Even though the book chronicles two different, unrelated families, it was easy to keep track of who was doing what and what happened to each family. It was also easy to distinguish present day from what happened in the past.

It's also not often that a true crime book has some kind of "wow" moment at the end. Truthfully, that's not why we read true crime -- that's why we read fiction! Most times, we know how true crime stories will end. I honestly did not know where the end of this book was headed, and I mean that in the best of ways. I loved the little thrill at the end, and we don't always see that with non-fiction. Amazing work!

I also loved how the book, despite its length, didn't focus too much on childhoods OR too much on the courtroom. The best true crime authors can show 1) a dysfunctional childhood and 2) a courtroom transcript without dragging on for pages and pages. Thank you for that.

This was an easy read for me. Happy publication day on 11/8 -- this book will do great among veteran true crime enthusiasts as well as those just getting into the genre!

Gregg Olsen always gives you immense insight into the story that just sends shivers up my spine. Great true story. "American Mother" is a win.

Gregg Olsen has mastered the art of writing about true crime. American Mother is the true story of Stella Nickell, and her unthinkable crimes. Olsen draws you in with his research and writing, and you will not want to put this book down. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

What. A. Circus.
This was such a crazy read. True crime is usually a wild ride but WOW.
Note: The story gets a little confusing at points because there are so many people involved in this case and they marry and divorce, so names change. It also doesn't really transition to the trial it just switches which was a little jarring. There was some...odd?...phrases the author adds throughout which always shocked me out of my concentration because they seemed to be so out of the blue and not part of the "official story" but the author's own thoughts. Examples: "dressed like a street-walker", "the FBI man", "their little drama", "her little folder".
ASIDE FROM THAT, this was a very good read. Extremely detailed and thorough, especially so since this is a re-print. The is childhood to old age stuff we're talking. Gregg Olsen doesn't seem to have left anything out. You've heard this case on some true-crime podcast or women-killers tv episode, I'm sure - you haven't heard this much. GO really went at this case (30 years of research). This is my first of his books and definitely won't be my last. For fans of true crime, thrillers, horror, muder-mystery. This is like reading a case file in chronological order.
Someone send Ash and Alaina from Morbid a copy - they will love it.

Trigger warning, there are sexual abuse things mentioned, child abuse.

Stella Nickell’s husband dies after taking Excedrin laced with cyanide. Another woman, Sue Snow also dies after also taking Excedrin. How did two different people, with seemingly no connection both die from cyanide laced Excedrin? Stella’s life was full of drama due to her wild nature and strong willed personality.

I’m torn on this book. The story is great but I feel like it can get lost in all the names provided. There are a lot of extra people named. I’ve read other books by Gregg Olsen so I know how much research and attempts at accuracy for his stories. This book reads like a documentary, not a story. Although it is based on true events, other books by Gregg Olsen that are also based on true events, they had a smoother flow. The further you get into this book, the smoother it gets, reading wise.

I love how this book gives people more background on true events in a way that they can almost imagine being a fly on the wall as it happened. Stella

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

a excellent retelling of a previously published book. This book will captivate you and reel you in from the first few lines

Very few authors can grab you with the first few lines every time - Gregg Olsen is one of those. I jumped at the chance to read this book before release, and I am so glad I did. I finished it in two days! With a whole cast of characters, the author does an excellent job keeping everyone straight and making it easy on the reader to understand what was going on. As is usual with Olsen's books, he drops little tidbits of information throughout that end up tying everything together. Wonderfully written!

** Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review **

I’ve always been fascinated with the Stella Nickell case and was stoked to see that this book by Gregg Olsen (previously released as Bitter Almonds in 2002) was getting revised and rereleased. Unfortunately, this ended up not really working for me. I got a little overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of people introduced in rapid succession with little context. Paired with the alternating timelines, it made it a little difficult for me to keep track of key players and follow along with how everyone connected. As a result, I felt very detached from the case and a result almost seemed to minimize the impact/severity of some of the essential points of the case. And that’s considering the fact that I had some basic knowledge of this case going into this, so I can imagine this would be even more confusing for those licking this up with little to no prior context.

I read previous books from Gregg Olsen and have found them very informative and palatable, so I just think one was a miss for me but would be curious to pick up more from him in the future.

The story of Stella Nickell is one that should chill anyone's blood. The lengths that she was determined to go, just to collect on her husband's life insurance policy was chilling.
In American Mother, the story unfolds, showing the depravity and the desperation of a woman who was trying to build a life, get away from the background she had, but instead, falling deeper into it. Knowing the story of the Tylenol poisonings, her mind began to work, and she decided to use cyanide to poison her husband.
While she wanted only to get him out of the way, she put laced pills back on the shelves of a supermarket, killing another person in the process, and destroying innocent lives along the way. While many thought that the husband of the second victim was to blame, all the evidence eventually pointed back to Stella.
There were so many questions that surrounded the case. She could have said nothing, and would have gotten away with murder. But greed won out, and she pushed the case, trying to get the larger insurance payout, eventually turning her own daughter against her.

This was a truly chilling, yet wonderful read. Gregg Olsen never disappoints in his books. The meticulous research, and the methodical laying out of the book all bring together the drama of Stella, while sharing the hard work put in by law enforcement.
True crime fans will not be disappointed in this book. This book will run you through the emotional gambit, bringing the case closer to home. With each turn of the page, you are reading faster, wanting to know more. When you can't put a book down, even for sleep, you know you have found a winner!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book, I found it both interesting and overwhelming.

The book starts off great, introducing two families and situations. I wasn't a huge fan of the book bouncing back and forth between the two, I felt I was just learning about one when suddenly there was a switch to the other's story line. While I understand that the stories were to intermingle to show the similarities, at times I found keeping the facts straight between the two. Once the trail begins, things really slow down and hit a lull. The ending was a interesting but I did have trouble getting through the entire book simply because the fact overload and everything lost my interest at times.

Previously released in 1993 & 2003 under the name Bitter Almonds. American Mother by Gregg Olsen details the 1986 cyanide murders in Washington along with the fraught relationship between Stella Nickell and her daughter Cindy Hamilton. Despite this crime occurring in 1986, I wasn’t familiar with the murders of Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow who each consumed Excedrin tablets laced with cyanide. For those people just now diving into true crime or are looking for a less gory, violent crime this is a great book to start a new obsession.

The chapters are quick, leading you wanting to continue reading all night long. There are a lot of people in and out of the story but the author does a great job of reminding you who they all are as they reappear. The book is very detailed going back decades in people’s lives to provide you with the full scope of Stella’s and Cindy’s character.

The book does begin to slow down in the middle when the author documents everyone called to testify in front of the grand jury. It was a lot of rehashing what had already been discussed previously. The merry go round of did Stella have an affair with Jim McCarthy and everyone’s opinions on the subject was exhausting.

The trial was also kind of boring and repetitive to read but it got more interesting once Stella took the stand. I would have liked to see some pieces condensed down since some parts had already been discussed at length or didn’t add anything more to an established character description of Stella.

Despite portions of the trial slowing the flow down, the jury deliberations kicked the book back into gear. I really appreciated the updated Afterward to read where everyone was in life after three decades. It was a nice way to end the book and bring to light what a close relationship the author had with the victim’s families and how much care went into the book.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was not familiar with the back story of this book, so everything was new as I read. Wow! What a tale, told in depth by Greg Olsen. It kept my interest, was well-told, and I thought about the tale when I wasn't reading it.

Hopefully the print version will be illustrated -- that would be my only complaint.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

American Mother by Gregg Olsen

I was familiar with the early 1980s deaths in Chicago that resulted from people consuming tainted Tylenol capsules…but I truly don’t remember the (copycat?) tainted Excedrin capsules in the Seattle area in the mid 1980s. In 2002, prolific author (of both fiction and nonfiction) Gregg Olsen published Bitter Almonds : The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders. And I recently received a copy of American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood, and the Cyanide Murders That Shook the World from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Olsen is known for his true crime and thrillers, and does a great job with both. I admit I cruised through some of American Mother, after reading about 100 pages, getting a strong sense of deja vu, then realizing I had read Bitter Almonds. I still thought there were some incredibly complicated family dynamics at work (to say the least) in the story about a woman so desperate to kill her husband (insurance $ is often a strong motivator!) that she poisoned him with cyanide and then, realizing her likelihood of being caught, she thought it would be a good idea to tamper with some more Excedrin and then scatter the bottles around Seattle suburbs. The mother-daughter relationships are fascinating, especially the contrast between the murderer/her daughter and the innocent victim/her daughter.

I had a day to waste, and I did it with this book! It will be appreciated by true crime aficionados, Gregg Olsen fans, and anyone who appreciates solid research. Four stars.

First thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion. I am such a fan of the author and always look forward to his books. I was not aware of this story so it was very interesting to me. Gregg writes in such a fashion that makes it hard to put down. My only critique would be that the trial could have been shorter as much of it was just a retelling of what was already stated earlier. A solid read though for any true crime buff!

Another great read by Gregg Olsen!
The amount of research and time spent in the writing of this story is amazing! There is so much detail and information included, makes a perfect read for a true crime fan!

This had a great build up as do all of Olsens novels however it becomes hard to follow. I really wanted to be able to follow along but too many people get thrown in and it becomes like a courtroom drama or circus. I couldn't follow very well despite wanting to. Some parts also read fairly choppy and text book like.

If you love true crime stories that unravel almost as if they were fiction, then you must read Gregg Olsen. After “If I Tell, “ a story of a toxic serial killer mother who almost included her three daughters as victims, Olsen has updated his 1993 “Bitter Almonds” narrative about another evil mother who also had a daughter who is key to mom’s downfall.

In this case, it’s Stella Nickell, a wannabe Tylenol poisoning copycat, who got away with killing her husband in 1986, was unhappy about the small “natural death” insurance payout, and then decided to tamper with Excedrin capsules, killing a total stranger. She then drew attention to herself by claiming her husband also consumed tainted product (which would increase her insurance claim) and sued Bristol-Myers for even more money.

Many people don’t remember the terror caused by product tampering. I had a friend who was a very young manager trainee at a drugstore in Chicago during the 1982 Tylenol killings. One of the only unopened bottles of poisoned Tylenol that was not purchased by a victim was found in her store and 40 years later she’s still traumatized by the fact that the unknown killer visited the aisles of her store. What did change after 1982 was a federal law that made product tampering a federal crime and better packaging. Stella Nickell’s mistake was not realizing that the FBI would be far more persistent than the local police. It was the FBI that determined the cyanide was mixed with an algae killer for fish tanks, and that Stella owned aquariums.

The story, however, is more than just Stella’s: the investigation around the second victim, Sue Snow, had police and family members wondering if her angry husband had actually killed her. The book explores what the victim’s family went through and how investigators followed up multiple leads unrelated to Stella before the truth was revealed.

Olsen reveals Stella’s complicated life and equally complicated relationship with her daughter Cindy — one that eventually convinced Cindy to contact the FBI. Real life is messier than fiction, yet this book distills all the events and becomes a true thriller. 4 stars! A great read for true crime fans and thriller lovers!