Amazing story, so outrageous it is hard to believe. Audiobook was excellent. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

3.5 stars rounded to 4

I listened to the audiobook version. This read like a true crime podcast, which I loved. I enjoyed the narrator. What I didn't love was that the story wasn't really in chronological order, making it difficult to follow the sequence of events. The descriptions of the events that led to the attempted murd3r of Linda were terrifying and well written. Robert was a horrible person, which goes without saying, and it was plain to see that from the beginning. It's a good audiobook for true crime lovers and would be great to listen to while working or driving to pass the time.

This book was your typical true crime book. It was..... meh. It wasn't a bad book. It was just a little -- pedantic. It was overly detailed in some parts, and that made the book drag some for me. It was also obvious in the places where the writer tried to drag out the tension when really there wasn't as much tension as the book implied. (If that makes sense.)

At times, it felt like the author was trying too hard to build suspense in areas where there wasn't a lot of suspense, and it made it seem like he might have been stretching the facts somewhat.

Also, the whole clustermuck near the end (where people started spilling the beans on the secret) seemed almost too ridiculous and over-the-top to be true. Maybe it was, but if it DID happen that way, that's a comedy of errors if ever I've seen one. I saw someone else's review that said the writing style "gave the book a fictional feel." That describes it EXACTLY. The book read more like fiction than true crime.

It was also a bit difficult to get through some of the scenes with the children. They were so heartbroken and hurt and traumatized. It was.... hard to read about.

Overall, I'd say this was a solid 3-star book.

After reading many thrillers back-to-back I decided I was overdue for a true crime novel, which meant it was time to read "My Husband's Trying to Kill Me!”: A True Story Of Money, Marriage, And Murderous Intent by Jim Schutze. Of course, it was this title that caused my initial interest and I was honestly very curious to find out if the husband succeeded.

The opening chapters share the wife's memories while she hides away in a remote vacation home, feeling threatened and fearing the worst for her life. From these memories it is easy to grasp the husband is both controlling and violent, their relationship laid out in all its horrors. The story-line then moves to the sting operation, while the wife is again depicted at the secluded lake-front home. This timeline shift deviated from the typical linear fashion, and almost gave the book a fictional feel stylistically.

This true crime was especially difficult to read as the couple’s children were present for the violence and were emotionally devastated during the sting, not knowing about the operation; the same ringing true for the wife's close family members. Slowly information was divulged to those closest to the wife, but then I found myself screaming as I read, scared that the truth would be leaked to the husband.

The audiobook narration sounded flat, and far too much like a news anchor; I had wanted more inflection with their voice in order to create extra drama and foreboding. I expected a voice more in line with John Walsh’s (America’s Most Wanted).

I want to add that this book was originally published on September 1, 1992 and there were some phrases used that gave me pause as they are just not common place today. I wished this book was edited and adjusted to align with the social norms of today.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the complimentary copy to read and review.

This was hard to get into. The story itself was interesting, especially since it was based on a true story, but I just didn't like it. There were parts of the story that I was genuinely interested in, but for the most part, I couldn't wait to just be done.

I only finished this because I needed to see how this story ended. The writing was not good: repetitive phrases, jumping around, and outdated phrases (granted this was published in 1992). The author also chose to breeze through the early years of the couple’s marriage, so the drastic shift from meeting to murder for hire was jarring.

Fun fact (but actually really sad fact) when I operated my own vegan bakery pre-pandemie we would always listen to true crime podcasts on bake days (17hrs of straight baking no customers) and prior to opening on normal days. This was a little nostalgic ode to the old days baking a scratch made vegan apple crisp and a true crime audiobook that definitely read like a long form true crime podcast! I absolutely loved the narrator and though the subject matter was heinous it was well put together and easy to follow along! Also I could easily listen to it at 2x speed for the most part!

This story was a particularly hard one to listen to as it went into grave detail of the ab*se that the wife in this story went through but if you are interested in true crime this one was well documented!

⭐️OUT NOW⭐️

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC review copy of this book!

#macmillanaudio #jimschutze

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of "My Husband's Trying to Kill Me!" by Jim Schutze.

This is a totally bonkers true story of a woman who had to work closely with the FBI in order to save her own life from her husband who had hired a hitman to kill her. On reading reviews it looks like this is a release of a book that has been out for a long time, so, now you know.

The story itself is great, it's crazy, it's stranger than fiction. The writing and narration drove me a bit crazy. Sometimes we just don't need all the dialogue, it was overdone, and the narration made everyone sound clueless and whiny. I doubt that they were whiny, but I guess I'd feel a little clueless if I was in their situation too. However, if the author had cut down on the cheesy dialogue, the story itself probably would have been a lot more readable.

Still worth the story.

This was a very interesting story, it definitely read like fiction or a crime drama. I felt that it was quick moving and explained the situation well to the reader, without too many extraneous details.

I read a lot of true crime but this one really had me on the edge of my seat. Truth is really stranger than fiction as the events unfolded. Narration was good, but had to pay close attention with the many unannounced timeline jumps. Well-researched and documented and glad I listened!

This was so disturbing and almost unbelievable on so many levels. It almost felt like a movie. This really explored the complexities of a physically abusive marriage and divorce that ends with the husband plotting to kill his wife. Everything that Robert said and did made me so angry. My heart was racing just listening to Linda's story unfold. All I can say is that if I ever went missing, I wish my friends and family would rally like Linda's did. They were relentless and determined to find their friend.

Overall, this was a well-written true crime novel that had me absolutely enraptured.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for the audio arc of this book!

Interesting story made even better (or I guess, technically worse?) because it’s a true story. The author’s writing style is great and it felt like I was listening to an ID network worthy narration. I enjoyed it a lot and highly recommend to others interested in true crime.

My Husband's Trying to Kill Me! is a dramatized version of the true story of Linda DeSilva during her divorce from Robert Edelman in 1987. Their rocky and abusive marriage is introduced in a nonlinear fashion at the beginning of the book with flashbacks between the present and key moments of distress throughout the marriage. After years of violence, Linda seeks a divorce from Robert, only to be entangled in a messy battle for custody of the children that culminates in Robert taking out a hit on Linda's life. The FBI are tipped off to the conspiracy and work with Linda to fake her own death and finally build a case against Robert to put him behind bars.

I enjoy true crime, but I didn't love this book. There are a number of cliched characters and plotlines, which seems like a strange choice considering it's based on real people (e.g. Ja as the "magical negro"). Maybe this was more of an acceptable writing style when the book was originally published in 1992, but it comes off as a bit tone-deaf and hackneyed today. I also felt the choice to provide the plot in a non-linear manner buried the lead and made the rest of the story feel anti-climactic. It's hard to balance telling a story in an interesting way when it's based on real events, but I don't think this was the best version of that genre.

Indeed, truth can be stranger than fiction. The unfolding events were so extraordinary that I found myself repeatedly acknowledging that the book chronicles the real-life experiences. The sufferings of Linda and her kids were heartbreaking. This is a must read for fans of true-crime.

I’m always interested in these true life “my spouse tried to kill me” stories. I should have been a psychologist instead of my current profession because it interests me so much reading about these types of stories. Why would someone do this to another human, much less to someone they loved at some point in their life? We do get the answers to these questions, but it’s really sad to find out why and how the husband has decided to put a hit on his wife and the mother of his children.

Overall I found this book interesting and well written. The author did a great job telling the story of a controlling and deceitful husband. And the intelligent wife who fought hard for her life and her children’s lives. The narrator of this audio did a great job as well. I would definitely recommend this book for any true crime fan.

***Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

A big thank you to NetGalley, Jim Schutze, and Tantor Audio for advanced access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
This is a re-release from 30 years ago. I had never heard of the case, nor had I read the book. I love true crimes, so this audiobook was right up my alley!

I had a hard time with the narration for the first few chapters. I wasn't able to re-listen to it to pinpoint what it was about it that made it hard to get through though. As the story went on I felt the narrator was express and kept me engaged!

The marriage between Linda DeSilva and Robert Edelman was toxic to say the least. The book tells How Linda worked with the FBI to avoid her husband murdering her and her family.

Trigger warnings-Profanity, child abuse, domestic abuse

I would recommend this book to any true crime lover.

⭐️4.5 stars⭐️

The events that unfolded in Linda Edelman’s life were so outlandish, this story truly sounded like a book of fiction. I cannot fathom the stress and trauma she and her children endured throughout the entire ordeal. My heart was racing and my anxiety was raging just listening to it!

And that group of friends…I want friends like that if I ever go missing. They were relentless! I mean it was almost to their detriment but thankfully they didn’t derail anything.

The story was well written and made it seem like a tale rather than just details of an event. I think that kind of writing makes for the best true crime novels.

It took me a minute to get into the story. I think it was the narrator. Once I was adjusted I was hooked. Great listen. Similar to listening to a murder podcast.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this true crime story by Jim Schutze, narrated by Jonathan Sleep - 4 stars!

Linda DeSilva married her college boyfriend, Robert Edelman, who became a wealthy real estate tycoon. To the outside, they were the perfect family, with two children, and led a glamorous life in Dallas. But the reality was quite different behind closed doors, where Robert was cruel and violent. Then she learned he hired a hit man to kill her. This is the story of how Linda worked with the FBI to trap her husband in a sting operation that nearly went very badly wrong.

I'm a big true crime reader and this book, like so many in this genre, was disturbing on so many levels. This is a re-release of a book written in 1993 and while I would hope that we as a society have grown into a better understanding of domestic violence, these situations of course continue to happen. In this book, neighbors and family knew and suspected of the abuse, but no one said or did anything until Linda went missing. My only comment about this book was that I thought the transition between timelines was abrupt. It could be because of listening to it rather than reading it, but I would have to pause to figure out where the story was taking place.

I devoured this audiobook in the span of two days, it’s that good! Unlike any other true crime book I’ve read, this one makes you forget it’s a true case because it reads more like a suspense. If you enjoy true crime podcasts (especially serialized ones), then I highly recommend this audiobook. I had never heard of the Robert Edelman case before reading this and the author does an excellent job at presenting it in a well-researched and engaging way.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Jim Schutze, and Tantor Audio for the free audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review!