'Till Death Do Us Part
Love, Marriage, and the Mind of the Killer Spouse
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3.0 • 10 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The first book chronicling the psychological profiles of spouses who kill—from Scott Peterson to Rabbi Fred Neulander—told by a renowned psychotherapist who specializes in spousal behavior and the criminal mind.
Every day six people in the United States are murdered by spouses or intimate partners. The stories of killer spouses tend to captivate us, as they beg the question of how so many seemingly normal and happy people manage to go over the edge. Indeed, every relationship presents "extreme moments" where scary feelings surface, yet what happens when those feelings turn to action?
In Till Death Do Us Part, noted psychotherapist Dr. Robi Ludwig, along with journalist Matt Birkbeck, presents the psychological profiles of notorious killer spouses—from Scott Peterson and Clara Harris to Rabbi Fred Neulander and Betty Broderick. Ludwig reveals ten killer personality types. These ten personality types are defined in detail and illustrated with examples from high-profile cases along with in-depth analyses of the motivations behind the murders. The ten types range from the Betrayal/Abandonment Killer (who loses control and kills from a broken heart) to the Control Killer (who micromanages every aspect of the spouse's life) and the Black Widow/Profit Killer (who kills for money).
With gripping stories and probing insight, authors Ludwig and Birkbeck examine the concept of peaceful versus violent resolution and why certain spouses believe murder is the best and only response. In an age when spousal murder is headline news, Till Death Do Us Part explores a phenomenon that many spouses can't help but think about at some point in their relationships, shedding light on the very notion of "happily ever after."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Capitalizing on America's fascination with spousal murder, psychotherapist Ludwig details 10 "motivations and triggers," and uses real-life examples (some more famous than others) to illustrate her theories about why husbands and wives off one another. And after a slow first chapter on the history of marriage ("Why Marry?"), it's off to the homicidal races. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of the murder profile's hallmarks before delving into case studies, the first of which details a woman running over her cheating husband. That Ludwig loads her book with profiles of seemingly ordinary marriages gone violently wrong lends credence to her insistence that "most of us, whether we admit it or not, sometimes have violent, even homicidal thoughts toward our spouse." Her case studies stick to the facts and don't dwell on or sensationalize the crimes, which are told in a straightforward fashion uncommon in true crime books. An intelligent and timely book, this will please true crime readers as much as those interested in psychology.
Customer Reviews
Great book
This was a very good book