Fatal Vision: A True Crime Classic

Joe McGinniss

Aug 2012 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The electrifying true crime story of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, the handsome, Princeton-educated physician convicted of savagely slaying his young pregnant wife and two small children—murders he vehemently denies committing...

Bestselling author Joe McGinniss chronicles every aspect of this horrifying and intricate crime and probes the life and psyche of the magnetic, all-American Jeffrey MacDonald—a golden boy who seemed destined to have it all. The result is a penetration to the heart of darkness that enshrouded one of the most complex criminal cases ever to capture the attention of the American public. It is a haunting, stunningly suspenseful work that no reader will be able to forget.

Includes photographs and a Special Epilogue by the author

OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD

Ratings and reviews

This is still a brilliant piece of classic true-crime writing. Joe McGinnis did not start out being critical of Jeffrey Macdonald. It was a slow process. Macdonald was a hot shot, obsessive, narcissitic show off who had to be a winner at whatever he did. Toxic masculinity is what we call it now, always trying to prove himself as an Alpha male. I believe Colette was tired of it and began to show resistance, and Macdonald couldn't handle that. McGinniss points this out in the book. No wonder this book has been hugely successful.

An in-depth, chilling, disturbing read. I watched the miniseries when it originally aired in the 80's as a teenager and found it curious. At 50 I have finally read the book and found it utterly spellbinding. I wish I would've read it years ago. Hard to put down but sometimes I found it necessary to process the horror that occurred that cold February night in 1970. Everyone sees Manson as a crazed killer because he looks the part. What you have here in MacDonald is far more disturbing. A cold, psychopathic murderer in a slick, attractive package who could probably sell ice to the Eakimos. This book will definitely keep you up at night

I applaud McGinnis for never giving up..never letting Macdonald truly con him into writing anything other than the absolute truth he uncovered by all his hard work. Bravo Joe!!

About the author

Joe McGinniss was the author of eleven non-fiction books and one novel. He first came to prominence with the best-selling The Selling of the President 1968, which described the marketing of then-presidential candidate Richard Nixon. He is popularly known for his trilogy of bestselling true crime books—Fatal Vision, Blind Faith and Cruel Doubt—which were adapted into TV miniseries in the 1980s and 90s. He passed away in 2014.