My oversight, but I did not realize what type of bok I was reading at first. Very Forensic Files. I ended up being intrigued and actually researched updates on the case after I finished the book.

This book was so long and drawn out that it was boring. I couldn't finish it and lost interest

Don't Tell a Soul narrates the true account of the tragic death of 39-year-old Cherry Walker in Texas in 2010. Cherry was developmentally disabled but lived independently with the help of a carer/an aid. Kim Cargill, a 43-year-old mother of four, was later accused of murdering Cherry to stop her from testifying in a child protective case. Cargill had used Cherry as a babysitter for her youngest son.
The book starts off at the time Cherry's parents begin to wonder where their daughter is and leads through the investigation and the subsequent trial. The reader learns a lot about Kim Cargill's background, family, relationships, and her erratic and abusive behavior.
This was my first experience of reading true crime, so I was unsure what to expect. I assumed this genre was going to be more an objective reporting of facts, but there were several instances where the account seemed pretty subjective. I'm not doubting the decision the court arrived at in any way, but I was surprised by the way some of this was worded. I also really disliked that Cherry was constantly referred to as "mentally retarded". Seriously, do people still use this term?! After reading about 20% of this, I was almost ready to give up, but I'm glad I finished it (although it took me ages). It became more interesting the more I read. However, it was repetitive and there was too much over-explaining. With some good editing, it could have been condensed.
The author, M. William Phelps, seems to have quite a following and is a well-known journalist and true crime writer, so don't let me put you off reading this. This is purely my personal reaction to this particular style of writing and the language used, and I know I'm a fussy reader when it comes to those two aspects.
Lastly, the cover doesn't do the book any favors either. In my opinion, it's more a fictional romance/romantic suspense cover.
Overall, I'm still inclined to read other true crime books, but this one just wasn't right for me.
I was invited to read this book by the publisher who provided me with an ARC.

Every now and then, I like a good crime novel, and this is one of the best I've read. It's so well written that the pages just fly by. Well researched and organized, it is entertaining from start to finish.
Take a narcissistic psychopath, and document the incredible damage she leaves in her wake, destroying the happiness of anyone who crosses paths with her. Add four husbands, and four children, each from a different husband, and read descriptions of the horrific abuse they endured for years. Watch as she changes abruptly from a seemingly decent woman into a manipulative monster. Watch as she explodes with uncontrollable violent anger whenever anyone disagrees with her or gets in her way. See this pathological liar again and again wriggle out of any accountability, until, at last, she commits the ultimate crime and is finally forced to pay for her cruelty. Follow the trial in which she finally faces justice, and cheer as you hear her victims testify about her true nature and continual abuse, and refuse to back her lies. Feel relieved that she will never hurt people again.
I find it fascinating to read about people like this. It's difficult to conceive of people so devoid of conscience, people willing to do anything without remorse to further their goals. These crime novels do a service as well as entertaining: they alert people to the danger of becoming involved with such psychopaths, and show them how to recognize the warning signs in order to avoid becoming their next victim
I highly recommend this book to people who are interested in understanding how psychopaths operate, and how the court system brings them to justice. Be warned that there are grisly details, as well as numerous accounts of cruelty, some of them toward children.
Note: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Mentally retarded 38 yr old Cherry Walker is found dead and burned on the side of a road. All things point back to Kim Cargill whose child Cherry used to babysit.

True crime journalism is not my most favorite genre but it is interesting. This book was comprehensive and read just like I was watching a crime drama on TV.

3☆

This one for me was too slow moving and repetitive. Cherry and her story were endearing but Kim was such a terrible person that I found reading about her depressing and it just made me angry. I feel so sorry for her children.

The writing is spellbinding and tugs at your heart in shock and horror.
The writing is like I'm looking through a window watching what is happening.
I found the court proceedings repeatedly repeating the same investigation story boring, but actual trials are often boring. I skipped quite a bit of that.
The court proceedings were not my favorite part, but it certainly had a satisfying ending.
The crime scene photos certainly helped make me visualize the horrors.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Let me start by saying it has been quite awhile since I have read a True Crime book, in fact I had forgotten this was a true crime and thought I was reading a work of fiction. Yes laugh because the whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking this reads like a True Crime... Well that's because it is.


My only mild complaint is the lack of pictures, and the cover makes it seem like another genre.

However, it is the compelling straight forward account of the murder of Cherry Walker. A black woman with a mental handicap that got involved with the wrong woman.



Cherry was a sweet woman who recently had begun living on her own with assistance, and she meets Kim through her neighbor. Being the kind of woman she is, she agrees to help babysit Kim's young son. Soon she is watching him all the time, and it becomes clear to Cherry's caseworker that Kim isn't picking her son up, often leaving him with Cherry for days.



As Pauline and the other caseworker get involved and report Kim to DCFS, and Kim's husband gets wind of it and drags her into court and goes so far as to subpoena Cherry. The cops know that everything is unraveling for Kim, and when she calls Cherry and asks her to dinner it ends up being the last time anyone sees Cherry alive.


The real reminder in reading True Crime is that the world is full of crazy, evil people who do things for the most basic of reasons or the worst reasons. Cherry by accounts was a wonderful caring woman, loved by all her friends and she was killed by someone she thought was her friend simply because she wouldn't lie or not show up for the court date.


I applaud the authors who write True Crime it has to be heartbreaking, and not very rewarding work. I am glad I took the time to read this book, it made me remember why I used to read so much of this genre, because the least we can to do is to share the stories of those so tragically taken from life.

While true crime is not usually my genre, this read more like fiction which I appreciated. When sweet but limited Cherry is brutally murdered, no one can believe anyone would have wanted to harm her as she was never cruel and always saw the best in others. Investigators dig deep into her past to uncover the shocking story behind her death. I devoured this in one sitting as I was drawn in immediately.

Devastating Crime Against a Mentally Challenged Young Woman

Cherry Walker was a lovely human being. Although mentally challenged, she was kind and loving and trying hard to make a life on her own. Kim Cargil, an abusive mother, left her young son, Timmy, with Cherry for days on end, often not calling in to tell her when to expect her. Cherry didn’t mind. She loved the boy, but then the courts became involved. Kim was about to lost custody of her son. Cherry was supported to testify. She was terrified and with good reason. Kim had no intention of allowing her to testify.

In this true crime novel, we meet a frightening killer. Kim abused her husbands, her children, and was ultimately convicted of killing Cherry. She is presently on death row in Texas.

If you enjoy this genre, this is a good book. The story is told in reporting style. The facts are prominent, but beneath we get a sense of the characters. If you want a more character driven novel, you may not enjoy the facts only style, but in a way it makes the horror that more apparent.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it if you enjoy true crime, or a detective novel that emphasizes facts above delving into the characters’ minds.

I received this book from Kensington Books for this review.

I received an e-ARC of this true crime book through NetGalley and Kensington Books, Pinnacle. Thank you.

This is a book which is simply crying out for an introduction to the material which will be covered before the reader begins to follow the crime, the investigation and the trial. The first portion of the book was confusing to some degree and it took me urging myself to continue reading which allowed me to get past that slightly disconnected feeling. Also, there is no objectivity in the telling of this story. I realize that Kim Cargill was convicted and sentenced for the murder, but the case is still going through the appeals system of the state of Texas. Reading the story as Mr. Phelps told it, it would seem unlikely that a court would overturn the guilty verdict, but anything is possible when you become involved in the criminal courts. Ms. Cargill hasn't been executed yet and if there was even the slightest chance that she might be allowed another trial, it seems to me a less biased presentation would have been a better idea.

Thirty-eight year old Cherry Walker was killed in June 2010, and forty-three year old Kim Cargill went on trial for her murder in May 2012. This book examines the lives of both those women as well as the murder investigation and highlights of the trial of Kim Cargill for murder. At the end of the book there are crime scene photographs released by the Smith County Sheriff's Office, Tyler, Texas. These photos will not be disturbing to anyone looking at them because the only close-up one from the scene where the body was found is of the soles of the shoes Cherry Walker was wearing. Following these photographs there is an excerpt from another book written by William Phelps, Dangerous Ground.

I often read books which explain how true crime events are investigated and tried. I did enjoy this book and would certainly recommend it to someone looking for reading material within this genre. I would feel compelled to tell anyone I recommend the book to that it contains copious amounts of examples of mental and physical child abuse. If you are especially sensitive to that issue, you need to be aware of the content before you begin reading. At one point I just could not stomach another example of Kim Cargill's abuse of her children and I had to begin skimming over those sections. Those examples were prolific and even the author stated he could have written even more about the abuse but decided not to. Also, Cherry Walker had learning disabilities with a maturity level generally equal to a nine year old. Throughout the book Cherry is often referred to as "MR" or "mentally retarded". If you might find that phrasing objectionable, reconsider your decision to read this book.

I would like to add, just as a purely personal opinion, that I don't think the cover of this book is representative of the material contained within the covers. The cover makes it look like a crime fiction novel which could certainly cause some readers to purchase it expecting one type of crime novel and getting another entirely if they don't do a thorough investigation of what type of book it actually is. The cover certainly doesn't do the book any favors. I've never read a book written by William Phelps before so this might be the way his books are usually marketed. I hope not.

Like I mentioned before, this is my first time reading a true crime novel. It made for an interesting experience! The author gave a great deal of factual information on the crime, the evidence, and the investigators' thought processes, all of which were quite valuable. In the beginning, I found the language to be abrupt but the story and the facts pulled me through and kept me going. The author goes into great detail about Kim Cargill's sociopathic tendencies, citing many examples of physical and mental abuse that she put her children through. This can be difficult subject matter to read so consider this a fair warning! One thing that I would like to point out is that I expected this novel to be a bit less biased. I know that Kim Cargill has been convicted of this crime, but the author also made it obvious what his own opinion on the matter was, and I would have preferred if the author had maintained a more objective stance on the crime. Overall, a really interesting read that gave good details on the investigative process and the mind of a sociopath!

Even with her mental disabilities, thirty-nine-year-old Cherry Walker had done an admirable job of living on her own. Cherry thrived on routine and had her days planned, keeping herself and her apartment spotless, and making regular trips to the salon to get her hair styled. Cherry’s good nature and warm heart made it much too easy for her to be taken advantage of by Kim Cargill, a nurse and mother of four who used Cherry for unpaid and nearly constant childcare for her young son Timmy.

Kim’s psychotic rages were legendary among her former husbands and her four sons. Physical, mental, and emotional abuse had been reported, and her former husbands had all tried desperately to gain custody of their boys and fight the criminal charges Kim leveled at them. When Cherry received a subpoena, ordering her to testify about Kim’s treatment of Timmy, Kim was furious.

I love true crime stories, and this was one of the best I’ve read. The amount of detail provided allowed the reader to get to know both Cherry and Kim. I appreciated the trial details and the background on Kim’s behaviors, and I felt so sorry for anyone who found themselves caught up in Kim’s horrific life. I was completely captivated by this story, and will be looking for more of M. William Phelps’ accounts of true crime.

Another great book by M. William Phelps. This one is about the murder of Cherry Walker by Kim Cargill. This book was well researched and well-written, with a lot of in-depth information on the case. It was compelling and intense, to say the least. I felt like I got to know both Cherry and Kim. I will say it now - Kim Cargill is a horrible, vile, evil person who is right where she belongs. I had heard of the case previously, but the book gave so much more information and perspective. And of course, the author did not forget the victim, Cherry Walker, such an innocent victim who did not deserve what happened to her, And she probably did not really understand what was happening to her until it was too late. To think of her fear in those moments really saddens me.

This is a great book and if you like true crime, read it!

This is a very factual account of the murder of a special needs woman in Texas. I felt that the story needed more of an introduction. The writing was not a style that I enjoy. It seemed like I was reading a report. I believe that true crime readers will enjoy the book.

Don’t Tell a Soul by M. William Phelps is a true crime read about the killing of thirty nine year old Cherry Walker. Cherry was considered mentally challenged but she had made a life for herself living on her own with only a bit of help. She’d also taken on babysitting for her neighbor Kim Cargill who was ultimately accused of murdering Cherry.

When Cherry didn’t show up one day where she normally would be her family tried contacting her with no luck. Later a body is found and the family just knew before the testing was done that it was going to be Cherry. As things unfold it’s found that Kim was an abusive mother and Cherry had been set to be a witness to her abuse.

Don’t Tell a Soul just turned out to not be a read for me simply based on the style the book is written in. It felt the entire time reading that it’s more of a run down of facts without feeling or emotion written in to make me love or hate the characters as I should when reading about a murder. This one really made me feel more like reading case files or newspapers stories than a book throughout a lot of the story. While it’s not a style of writing I enjoyed if anyone is a fan of true crime they may still like this one.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I used to read a lot of true crime when I was in my teens/early 20’s. I had books on Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, the Son of Sam and other lesser known killers. It was somewhat of an obsession of mine to read these types of books. I was obsessed with the psychological aspect. I wanted to know what made these killers do what they did and what was that breaking point where they resorted to killing. I stopped reading true crime when an ex boyfriend of mine made a flip comment about my collection one day….which resulted in my donating all of my books (awful, I know :() But, my fascination continued. I watch ID and Snapped all the time. BK has made the comment that I probably know more than the police when it comes to this stuff.

So, when Kensington approached me to review Don’t Tell a Soul, I jumped at the chance….even though it was not the usual genre that I review.

This book gave me chills because KC was such an evil person. I mean, you would have to be to kill someone and them light them on fire, trying to hide their identity. Even before that, she was just a bad person. She abused and terrorized her children, abused and terrorized her husband and basically anyone that came within her radar and didn’t give her what she wanted. She manipulated people into doing things (like her friend who tampered with evidence). She had no sense of remorse for anything she did….including Cherry’s murder.



Like I said above, the psychological aspect of this book was fascinating for me to read. Could KC have turned out to be a better person if she got the psychological help that she needed? I don’t know. There are arguments about people like her. Some people say they are born that way (genetic) and others say that environment creates these monsters. My opinion is that it is a combination of both.

I am going to end this post saying that Cherry’s murder was a senseless one and that I hope her parents get some sort of closure when KC is put to death. While these types of reviews are supposed to be impartial, I connected with Cherry through what the author wrote about her. She was one of those rare innocent people whose light got extinguished well before her time.

How many stars will I give Don’t Tell a Soul: 4

Why: I couldn’t put this book down, even though KC scared me. This isn’t a book for those who have weak stomach’s though. There are some pretty graphic descriptions of Cherry’s body and child/spousal abuse.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Late teen

Why: Violence and some pretty graphic scenes/pictures of dead bodies and child/spousal abuse (no pictures of that!!)

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I love reading true crime and Anne Rule is my go too author. M. William Phelps is a new author for me and I am definitely going to check out what other books he has written.

I never heard of the case so it probably never went national or had a made for TV movie on it. The book is about who is missing. Cherry babysits for a abusive mother by the name of Kim Cargill who has 4 children all by different fathers. Cargil has a court hearing coming up and Kim is suppose to testify but never makes it because the Saturday before the scheduled hearing Cherry’s body was found on the side of a road, after being doused with lighter fluid and set on fire.

M. William Phelps, tells the story through his eyes and pulls the reader along on a path of increasing horror as Kim’s behavior toward her children and their fathers is revealed.

Fans of the true crime genre in general and Phelps in particular will want to read this.

I really tried, but just didn't get into this book. I don't think it is the book. I think it is me and where my head is right now.