Creepy and true. I had read Gregg Olson’s fiction and enjoyed his writing styles. His nonfiction did take me a while to get into. Idk maybe I’m not a true crime person.

American Mother by Gregg Olsen is a gripping true story that delves into the complexities of family, motherhood, and the shocking cyanide poisonings that captured global attention. The narrative follows the harrowing experiences of a troubled family and the profound impact of these tragic events on the world. Through the lens of poignant storytelling, Olsen examines the deep-seated emotions and challenges that come with motherhood, offering a compelling portrayal of resilience and human strength.
This compelling book presents a thought-provoking exploration of the intricacies of familial relationships, the impact of adversity, and the resilience of the human spirit. Narrated by Karen Peakes, the audiobook delivers a powerful and evocative experience that resonates with readers.

I love Gregg Olsen's books and this case is one I find to be very interesting. I'm glad that he made such an awesome job covering it.

American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood and the Cyanide Poisonings That Shook the World was a great read by Gregg Olsen. This is the true crime story of a mother and wife, her family secrets and how she became a killer. On June 5th, 1986 a local sheriff office in Auburn, Washington get a call from Stella Nickell. Her husband Bruce was having a seizure, but by the time the officers arrive, he is dead. It is found by forensics that Bruce consumed headache pills laced with cyanide. Stella saw to it that a stranger would get the tainted painkillers also to cover her tracks. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

This book was very long and was difficult for me to get into. While the information was interesting, it was a DNF for me.

Unfortunately, I have tried getting into this book several times and have found myself losing interest in it. The writing of the book does not keep my attention even through audio, it is very choppy and is hard to follow at times, and I eventually decided to DNF around 20% in. I haven't read any Gregg Olsen books in the past, not sure if this is his style or if it is just me that isn't connecting, but I felt it was best to move on because it felt like I was trudging through a book I wasn't interested in finishing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This review contains my own opinions.

I love a good true crime rendtion. I regularly listen to true crime podcasts, so when I saw this True Crime/Non-Fiction audiobook, I knew it was for me. I am very thankful to both the publisher and Gregg Olsen for granting me advanced access to this wonderfully informative piece about how our justice system has failed us time and time again.

I love reading Gregg Olsen's books and was excited to listen to his newest release, American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood and the Cyanide Poisonings That Shook the World. The audio version was great and wanted to listen all the way to the end. I enjoyed the interview with the author at the end.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Great read! i have heard about this case i think but never read anything in this much detail.

It was interesting to read about Stella and her daughter. I also loved the afterword because it showed how involved and dedicated the author has been. I think it would have been better if this information came at the beginning because it’s exciting to know that the author has met some of the people he writes about. It brings life to the story and makes it more real.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

American Mother is the story of Stella Nichols and how she poisoned Tylenol capsules in Washington state. It all came down to money, and her husband's insurance policy. The author, Gregg Olsen, does a fabulous job in laying out the story and giving out all of the details, for all of the victims and the investigation. I basically knew the story before reading it, but he gave details that I did not know and made it so interesting that it was hard to stop listening to it. I love his writing and he has never disappointed me in anything I have read of his. This is no disappointment either. The writing is superb and the storyline very interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone!

I found this book to be very interesting, and very shocking. It is a real life crime story about a woman called Stella who went on trial for poisoning people with cyanide, and her daughter Cindy who got abused by Stella. The book goes into great detail about the trial, the poisonings and Stella and Cindy's lives.

I enjoyed the book, and the narration was superb, although I found the story to be upsetting.

If you like true crime, and books that have a lot of detail, which have had a lot of research gone into them, then you will love this book!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Before reading this, I didn't realize this was originally published as Bitter Almonds, which I had already read.

The story is interesting and I do recommend it. But if you have already read Bitter Almonds, I'm not sure that there was enough new information, to justify a reread.

When Stella decides she needs more money, she goes about creating a misdemeanour of dire consequences for not only her husband, whom she wants to get rid of for his insurance money but for an innocent bystander. She concocts a dastardly plan to lace pills in a local chemist with cyanide to feed to her husband but what happens when things go wrong. An in-depth reconstruction of the case surrounding her court appearances and subsequent conviction. Some people may still doubt the outcome of the case. Listen and make your mind up yourself.

Have you heard of the Cyanide murders that happened in 1986? If y’all can’t tell I am on a serious true crime binge right now and honestly its been awesome.

So in 1986 Stella Nickell called 911 saying her husband was having a seizure, when 911 arrived they found Stella just standing in the door way emotionless just waiting for them to show up smoking a cigarette. Later that night her husband Bruce was pronounced dead. The cause of death was ultimately discovered as a cyanide laced excedrine capsule.

The thing that made this book so interesting is Stella’s family. Her daughter was actually the key witness in the tribal against her, though Stella’s mom, Cindy, raised the whole to not talk about family outside of the family and to protect each other at all cost.

This book was an interesting read but definitely a longer read. I think if it focused on just the crime and not so much about her family that the book would have held my attention longer. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the advanced digital and audio copies

Anyone that loves solving real life true crime cases, enjoys gritty details and likes analyzing people using psychology will enjoy American Mothers. This book is steeped in amazing detail which was a bit overwhelming at one point, but so interesting and critical to the story development. The story is sad and so tragic and great food for thought about mothers and daughters and relationships. Nobody really ever knows what goes on behind closed doors.This is an excellent true crime story and although it was repetitive and long its a good read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this without any knowledge or recollection of the actual facts of the cyanide killings. Then slowly it started to dawn on me that I did know this story, I had already read a book about it years ago. Was absolutely stunned to realise I was reading the same book retitled. This is obviously my fault. However, I read physical books back then, and I remember being immersed in it. So for that reason I figured maybe it doesn’t come over quite as well for audio (for me personally) that being said, it’s a fascinating if a little drawn out look into one woman, her family and a truly shocking crime. 3 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.

I ended up reading a physical copy gifted by the publisher rather than listening to the audiobook. It is a really interesting and shocking story. Written in the format of a fiction book, it had the potential to be great, but it was far far to long. It became a chore in the end to go through the whole book which was a shame.

Based on a true story this audio book was worth the listen I'm still not convinced the daughter wasn't involved as she knew so much about what had in mind
The fact Stella Mikell had put so much thought into this and nearly got away with it shows what people will do for money
Read/Listen to this book you won't be disapointed