Secrets of A Marine's Wife by Shanna Hogan

I just found out the author/journalist who wrote this book died in September 2020. I am sad about that she wrote a good true crime story and had so much to write after this story. This story is about Erin Corwin who died way to early as well. She was married to John. John went into the marines and eventually they eloped and married. He was stationed in California at 29 palms. Anyways this is where the story starts.

Erin is murdered and this is where the story takes you through who murdered her and why. Who are the suspects. It was a well written true crime story about this young women's life. I was sad reading it that someone so young dying so early.

If you a true crime reader and like true crime stories then definitely read this one. Some of the things will take you aback by the behavior and lies told by the murderer. I truly feel for the family of Erin Corwin. My heart goes out to them and this story was deeply moving for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions express are my own.

Such an emotional and powerful read. I kept debating whether and when to read this and I am so glad I finally took the time to enjoy it. Riveting and thought provoking and sure to pull on heart strings.

Secrets of a Marine's Wife is an intriguing read. I have heard about the case before and it was good to get a better glimpse into who Erin was. Such a beautiful soul.
Five stars.

Although this book was uncomplicated and a quick read, it gave complete and absorbing details of the murder of 19 year old Erin Corwin, the wife of a Marine corporal, outside of Twentynine Palms, California.

Erin and her boyfriend Jon were very young when they fell in love and decided to get married. Although their parents worried about them jumping into the relationship so early, they gave their blessing, and the couple married in Las Vegas. They moved to Twentynine Palms, where Jon was stationed, and lived in base housing there. They grew to know the neighbors that lived close to them, including Chris and Nichole Lee. Before long, as their parents had feared, the young couple began having problems, and Erin eventually began an affair with Chris, a disastrous mistake that would prove fatal.

The author takes us on the journey of Erin's life as an adopted child in a loving, religious family, her passionate love of animals, and her teenage starry-eyed romance with Jon. The author also gives us information about her family and friends, as well as her neighbor, Chris, and the darkness that seemed to control him at times.

Necessarily graphic in some parts, the book tells of events leading up to the horrible death Erin encountered in an abandoned mine in the deserts of Twentynine Palms, and skillfully details the arrest and eventual conviction of her lover, Chris Lee.

This was a page-turner for me, and I thought it was very well-written. My one problem with the entire story was the title. It sounds like a corny Lifetime movie, and I actually expected the story to be the same. However, the writing was professional and skillful, and while I hesitate to say I enjoyed a true murder story, especially about a girl so young, it definitely kept me interested the whole way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an okay read, but lays out pretty much everything there is to know about the case and the people involved. My only peeve was the author's continuous mentioning the dead Mrs. Erin Heavilin Corwan as the 'teenager' when the guy who killed her wasn't that old either - he was just 25 and the whole group was full of young couples living immature, claustrophobic, bored, restless lives. It was a premeditated murder for sure, and maybe Chris Lee thought she'd disclose it all and his family and career would be ruined (even though he was scheduled to leave the Base in less than 2 weeks and Corwan's message-exchange with her friend does not show an angry, resentful woman, but rather a woman looking forward to a future with this guy) or maybe he wanted to taste killing a human being before his military career was done but I don't think anyone can believe the abuse theory realistically. And I don't think Corwan was such a nice person. Young, stupid, selfish and morally-challenged, yes. But all couples in that apartment complex were like that. Her bad luck is the guy she hooked up with had zero respect for life. I feel bad for the parents (Heavilin's, Corwan's, Lee's). What a mess to go through in your old age.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

This book was extremely touching and I feel like will sit well with a more conservative crowd. I enjoyed hearing the perspective of someone who isn't in the military but is in deep with it. I feel like we often hear the plight of the military spouse but I think her perspective was told in such a way that conveyed the message without sounding angry.

The author wrote a book that reads better than any fictional mystery. The thorough research and attention to detail make this a must read!

Secrets of a Marine's Wife is a well-written narrative of the 2014 disappearance and murder of Erin Corwin, a young Marine wife who was far from her home and family back in Tennessee.

Spoiler alert:
The book begins with the discovery of Erin's body, months after she vanished from her apartment on base in Twentynine Palms, California. The investigators already have a suspect in mind, and now with a confirmed body, they can begin seeking justice for Erin, a naive, newly pregnant 19-year-old girl who loved all animals and had a gift for training the most difficult horses.

The storyline seemed to really drag on and rambled on with no apparent direction. Then there are times when you get a little confused on who is who because everyone is being listed in the conversation.
I am not sure why there was not more attention placed on Nadine because she was definitely a true whack job. Also, isn't the husband always the first suspect?
I think that this case was a jumbled cluster junk from the very beginning. There are so many people who have so much to say and there are so many clues.
As a parent, I would be absolutely livid about so much of what is going on with the investigation. You read this and tell me if you don't agree with me.

This book is very well written and thought out. The murder of Erin Corbin will keep you reading until the last page. This book gives very detailed information on all that knew Erin and the type of young woman she was. The writing on the crime itself, the trial, but more importantly, the person who took Erin’s life, Chris Lee. Great book on a horrendous crime. Extremely good. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this way had no bearing on my review. Highly recommend.

I am a HUGE fan of true crime in general, but I honestly haven't read many true-crime books. I am so glad that I read this one. I should first say that I do not remember this case from the news, but apparently it has been covered in many venues including television shows like "48 Hours." That said, Shanna Hogan does an amazing job telling the story of a 19-year-old woman who is murdered and left to rot in a mine shaft in the Joshua Tree National Park area. The story has intrigue, sex, and lots of finger pointing. It is pretty clear from the start who the murderer was, but it was nice to see how all of the evidence added up. I also appreciated the efforts of the author to allow us to get to know the victim, including what she was like growing up and what her married life was like before her murder. I had a very hard time putting this book down, Even though I knew "who dun it," I wanted to see how it all turned out. I hope Erin's family and friends have found some peace in knowing the=at her murderer will never see the outside world again.

Secrets of a Marine's Wife is a page-turning true crime book that will stay with the reader long after it is finished.
The author expertly unravels a tragedy that will keep the reader eager to turn the next page. I was hooked after the first paragraph.

I had been listening to the podcast about this case before reading the book. This was a sad and interesting book to read and it gave me a lot of mixed emotions. I felt sad for Erin and very angry at her killer. I also can't understand why the killer's wife wasn't charged with conspiracy. If you're interested in this case, this was a good overview of it.

4 stars
Secrets of a Marine's Wife
A True Story of Marriage, Obsession, and Murder
Shanna Hogan has written an incredibly compelling and complex book regarding the brutal murder of Erin Corwin. Hogan does justice to the victim and her family without sensationalizing her death, as far too many true crime authors fail to do, She also does not downplay the troubles in Erin’s life. Hogan does a phenomenal job of revealing the twisted evil mind of the man Erin thought she loved and the bizarre relationship between her killer and his wife.
This is an extremely well-written book. Anyone who follows true crime will certainly be interested in this book. It doesn’t feel right to say I enjoyed a true crime book, but I was intrigued by it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own. #SecretsofaMarine'sWife #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

What a riveting story. One you won't easily forget. Sad for all involved.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I remember reading about the search for Erin’s body I live in California and this was all over the newspapers this young pregnant woman wife of a marine gone missing .Erin had gone out to scout places to take her mom who would soon be visiting places in Joshua Tree.and never returned.
Shanna Hogan has written an intimate behind the scenes expose the acts that led up to Erin’s murder her affair with Chris a next door neighbor their lives spouses involvement.I could not put this book down .Inwas drawn into Erin’s life her wonderful family her husband who she married in her teens his efforts to mend the marriage even after the affair.Erins desire to be withbChris her pregnancy .
We follow the heard working detectives as they never give up the search for Erin’s body.Then the trial which Erin’s momatended everyday.
The day Chris took the stand told his bizarre story the accusations against Erin that left the courtroom shocked unto the speedy guilty verdict.The sad aftermath Erin’s day has had on her family her mother and her widow.
This is true crime writing at its best investigative journalism that leaves nothing unrevealed.

Secrets of a Marine’s Wife: A True Story of Marriage, Obsession, and Murder

This book by Shanna Hogan was good for keeping my interest, but I kept thinking the story seemed familiar, a missing marine’s wife in the desert, very young, pregnant. But it seems like an older story somehow. Like I read a book like this, but before these events even happened. Erin Corwin followed her marine husband Jon to Twenty-nine Palms, California after he was stationed there. They build their new married life together there, make friends, and get used to the desert. Erin has bouts of homesickness and loneliness, and there are eventually distancing arguments about finances. I didn’t remember how the story ended, at least, so it was still new to me. There was a twist before she went missing. There are some surprises before the end for sure, this turned out to be quite a story. I know I’ve read this author, but it’s been quite a long time. I would read her work again. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Shanna Hogan, and the publisher for my fair review.

RATING: 3.75 of 5.0 Stars

Not necessarily a who done it, but more of a why and how. Hogan tells a pretty straightforward tale of the murder of a young woman caught up in an adulterous affair. She methodically layers the victim's background with that of all the players and then lays out the mounting evidence.The result is a true crime story that covers all of the bases.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Secrets Of A Soldier’s Wife by Shanna Hogan, true-crime author and journalist, tells the gripping story of Erin Corwin’s life as daughter, wife, and friend and the evil she encountered shortly after arriving to Twentynine Palms, California as a young Marine’s wife.

*****
Secrets of A Soldier’s Wife is Shanna Hogan’s fourth true-crime novel and her ability to capture the true essence of Erin Corwin and who she was while sharing her tragic story involving love, betrayal and deception leaves you with an impactful story you won’t soon forget.

*****
A journalistic account of Erin Corwin’s life from those who knew her well and the details of her murder are shocking. I devoured the content of this book and spent hours looking into the life of Erin Corwin and the case surrounding her death. Shanna Hogan shares Erin’s story beautifully and thoughtfully despite the evil that captured her innocence.

As I started reading Secrets of A Marine’s Wife by Shanna Hogan, I realized it was vaguely familiar, then remembered that I had read the story in a magazine (People?) which had featured a cover photo of a young Marine and his wife in formal dress, attending a formal Marines Ball shortly before the wife disappeared. Although I had a slight familiarity with the story, I was happy to read all the sordid tragic details, thanks to a review copy provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Eric and Jon Corwin, a VERY young couple, lived in the California desert town of Twentynine Palms, near the base where Jon served. Christoper Lee, a Marine who lived next door, struck up a friendship with the Corwins. His relationship with Erin grew as he used her as someone to whom he could vent about his depression. Their affair was no secret, so when Erin disappeared, the three main suspects were Jon, Chris, and Chris’s wife Nichole. All of them had a good reason to want Erin to disappear, particularly since Erin was pregnant, apparently with Chris’s child.

Chris was one of the dumbest criminals ever. He went into the desert a week prior to Erin’s disappearance, checking out abandoned mines with a friend who documented the sites, including the eventual dump site. He also explained his absence the day of Erin’s disappearance by saying he was going coyote hunting. Really? Hunting nocturnal animals in the middle of the day in 100-plus degree weather? Nearly two months after her disappearance, Erin’s body was found at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft (captured earlier by his friend with a photo that made it possible for searchers to locate). She had a homemade garrote wrapped around her neck– an exact duplicate of which was found in Chris’s truck. Oh, and he had searched on his computer for how to dispose of a body.

It’s an interesting story, with no surprises other than how stupid Chris was. People with a particular interest in this case or just domestic true crime in general will be interested in reading this. It could have used some editing, however. For example, we read about “the scandalous ten-day trial” and are told about the “third week of the trial.” Possibly this is due to calendar oddities (ten actual court days spread over three different weeks?), but it stood out. I’d give it two stars, but I’m still an easy grader even in retirement, so let’s call it three.