Almost Paradise
The East Hampton Murder of Ted Ammon
-
-
4.6 • 7 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
A shocking true crime story of wealth, passion, and murder in the playground of New York's superrich.
On October 22, 2001, multimillionaire financier Ted Ammon was found bludgeoned to death in his magnificent East Hampton mansion. His wife, Generosa, stood to inherit millions, but her history of violent outbursts and bizarre obsessions made her the prime suspect.
Generosa, a talented decorator, had fashioned a lavish lifestyle for her family, divided between Fifth Avenue, the Long Island estate, and an English manor house. However, when she discovered Ted's mistress, her demons were unleashed. She began a very public affair with her electrician, Danny Pelosi, an ex-con with a lengthy rap sheet.
In Almost Paradise, New York Times bestselling author Kieran Crowley recreates the three tumultuous lives that intersected fatally in East Hampton that fall. He chronicles Generosa's lonely transformation from an angry, orphaned teenager to a temperamental Manhattan artist and society wife. He follows Danny Pelosi's rambunctious odyssey from privileged son to down-on-his-luck alcoholic and unsuccessful contractor charged with murder. And he tracks the charmed life and tragic death of Ted Ammon, whose money and status couldn't save him from the machinations of those around him.
This extraordinary story of a volatile marriage, infidelity, and a brutal demise set in the high society world of the Hamptons will captivate fans of true crime and anyone who read Maria Flook's Invisible Eden.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Crowley, a New York Post reporter and veteran true crime author (The Surgeon's Wife), has written a fast-paced account of the sordid circumstances surrounding the brutal October 2001 bludgeon murder of multimillionaire Ted Ammon. With interweaving narratives, Crowley presents the stories of the three principal players in this drama: Ammon; his estranged wife, Generosa; and her blue-collar lover, Danny Pelosi. None of the three is likely to engage readers' sympathies, although Generosa, whatever her involvement in her husband's death, if any, is clearly the villain of the piece. Possibly scarred by sexual abuse she claimed occurred in her youth, she became a cruel, manipulative and imperious woman who treated others like chattel, and who inflicted horrific emotional damage on the twins she and her husband had adopted. Her rants and threats escalated as she began to suspect that Ammon was cheating on her and looking to end the marriage that had elevated her into high society. She struck back by beginning her affair with Pelosi, who was charged with the murder earlier this year. As Pelosi's trial on that charge began on November 1, this readable but not particularly deep book may well be regarded as dated soon after publication and be superseded by an account that incorporates the trial's revelations and outcome.
