Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder

Jerry Bledsoe

May 2014 · Diversion Books

About this ebook

The “riveting” #1 New York Times bestseller: A true story of three wealthy families and the unbreakable ties of blood (Kirkus Reviews).
 
The first bodies found were those of a feisty millionaire widow and her daughter in their posh Louisville, Kentucky, home. Months later, another wealthy widow and her prominent son and daughter-in-law were found savagely slain in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Mystified police first suspected a professional in the bizarre gangland-style killings that shattered the quiet tranquility of two well-to-do southern communities. But soon a suspicion grew that turned their focus to family.
 
The Sharps. The Newsoms. The Lynches. The only link between the three families was a beautiful, aristocratic young mother named Susie Sharp Newsom Lynch. Could this former child “princess” and fraternity sweetheart have committed such barbarous crimes? And what about her gun-loving first cousin and lover, Fritz Klenner, son of a nationally renowned doctor?
 
In this tale of three families connected by marriage and murder, of obsessive love and bitter custody battles, Jerry Bledsoe recounts the shocking events that ultimately took nine lives, building to a truly horrifying climax that will leave you stunned.
 
“Recreates . . . one of the most shocking crimes of recent years.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Absorbing suspense.” —Chicago Tribune
 
“Astonishing . . . Brilliantly chronicled.” —Detroit Free Press
 
“An engrossing southern gothic sure to delight fans of the true-crime genre. Bledsoe maintains the suspense with a sure hand.” —The Charlotte Observer

Ratings and reviews

I was interested in the story but it is hard to follow. The flow was too choppy for my liking. I think the gallery at the end should have been placed earlier in the book. It explained the characters to me and helped to understand the families. I may read it again to understand the story more completely. I thought the subject was great I just couldn't follow it the way it was presented.

I could not keep up with the dozens of family trees. Hard to follow. Hard to keep every character separate. I am an advent reader but this was tiresome. I quit a third if the way through.

A ture story of a woman that hated her ex husband so much that she took the life of her on children . It is a great book that kept you on the edge of your seat through the entire book.

About the author

Jerry Bledsoe is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Bitter Blood and others. Among the many publications in which his work has appeared are Esquire and the New York Times. Bledsoe lives in North Carolina and Virginia.