Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero

Ashley Smith · Stacy Mattingly

Nov 2010 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

In April 2005, Ashley Smith made headlines around the globe when she miraculously talked her way out of the hands of alleged courthouse killer Brian Nichols after he took her hostage for seven hours in her suburban Atlanta apartment. In this moving, inspirational memoir, the 26-year-old widowed mother of a six-year-old girl shares for the first time the little-known details of her traumatic ordeal, and expands on how her faith and the bestselling book The Purpose-Driven« Life helped her survive and bring the killer's murderous rampage to a peaceful end.

Just as she told her 6'1", 210-pound captor that his ultimate "purpose" in life was to end up spending the rest of his life in prison, preaching the teachings of Jesus Christ to his fellow inmates, Smith believes her own purpose is to spread that message of love to the rest of us. Juxtaposing the minute-by-minute tale of her experience with the never-before-told tragedies and triumphs of her own life, Unlikely Angel is a gripping tale of downfall and redemption, involving addiction, violence, death, loss, faith, and love. It is a story that will leave no reader untouched.

Ratings and reviews

This book was so incredibly repetitive and mostly about God. She was so busy writing about God that there wasn't even 50% of the book about the interaction between her and her kidnapper. I finally looked him up on wiki to find out his sentence because she was repeating her life story and her feelings and interactions with God and what God told her to do. If you believe in God you may really enjoy this book. I don't belittle her bravery and what she's been through, I just didn't like the book. It belongs in the religious section, in my opinion.

I bought hardback copy when it was first published yrs ago b/c I was so interested & fascinated by entire story & b/c I followed the story from 1st min it was happening till end of trial! She's TOTALLY AMAZING & A TRUE HERO (to everyone---esp women, victims of crime, & her dtr---who'd be abt 15 or 16 now)! I've often wondered since this crime, what's happened to her & her dtr.! Would love update on them!

i LOVE this book it keeps making you guessing whats going to happen next i enjoyed it an this now my favorite book of all time

About the author

Ashley Smith lives in North Augusta, South Carolina with her husband Daniel Robinson and her three children Paige, Riley, and Cole. She is an imaging technician at University Hospital, loves to run, paint and enjoys crafts. She also travels the world and shares her story through public speaking, and finds it very rewarding. Stacy Mattingly is an Atlanta-based writer.