Bitter Almonds: The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders

Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. In 1986, her biggest one came true when her husband died during a seizure, making her the beneficiary of a $175,000-plus insurance payoff — until authorities discovered Bruce Nickell's headache capsules had been laced with cyanide. In an attempt to cover her tracks, Stella did the unconscionable. She saw to it that a stranger would also become a "random casualty" of cyanide-tainted painkillers. But Stella's cunning plan came undone when her daughter Cynthia notified federal agents. And troubling questions lingered like the secret of bitter almonds...

What would turn a gregarious barfly like Stella into a cold-hearted killer overnight? Why would Cynthia, a mirror image of her mother, turn on her own flesh and blood? Did Cynthia reveal everything she knew about the crimes? The stunning answers would unfold in a case that sparked a national uproar, dug deep into a troubled family history, and exposed an American mother for the pretty poison she was.

Gregg Olsen's Bitter Almonds is true crime writing at its best.

• Author
• Gregg Olsen

• Format
• paperback

• Pages
• 576

• Publisher
• St. Martin's True Crime

• Language
• english

• ISBN
• 978-0-312-98200-3

• EAN
• 9780312982003

• Genres
• crime, biography, audiobook, history

• Release date
• 2002