American Black Widow

Sharon Nelson, sexpot extraordinaire, convinced/sexed her lover Gary Adams to kill two of her husbands, optometrist Perry Nelson and fireman Glenn Harrelson. Women mistrusted her, most men adored her, and Sharon didn’t care as she collected her dead husband’s life insurance. She wasn’t much into make-up, but she flirted shamelessly, and often dressed inappropriately.

I had not heard of Sharon Nelson prior to reading this book. Her story is fascinating and even more fascinating is how easily she manipulated and took over the lives of the men she was involved with. Sharon had a skill of getting men wrapped around her finger. People were either drawn to her or uneasy in her presence. Sharon began as a preacher’s wife and soon became a black widow.

I enjoyed Gregg Olsen’s books and jumped at the chance to read this book. I have always been fascinated by what motivates people and how some can be easily manipulated and controlled. Although I enjoyed this book, it was not my favorite book by him. I would have enjoyed a more straightforward timeline in this book, the police investigation, etc. I enjoyed reading about Sharon and how she got her lover to do her bidding. But I do feel that there were a lot of unanswered questions, again in terms of the investigation, etc. Plus, I found this book to be slow in parts.

I had both the book and audiobook versions of this book. This made for an immersive reading experience. While reading and listening, I thought this would make a good true crime docuseries (if it hasn’t been made into one already).

Fascinating true crime about a woman responsible for the death of two of her husbands.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Bookouture Audio, Thread Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.