Great piece of true crime nonfiction about a truly mind-boggling case, messed-up investigation, and stranger than fiction facts. Russ Faria was at game night with some of his friends when his wife Betsy called to tell him he didn't need to pick her up from chemotherapy. It was the last time he would talk to her - upon arriving home that night, Russ found Betsy dead in their living room.

But soon enough, Russ realized that he had become police's prime suspect in Betsy's murder - although he had a basically ironclad alibi of not even being in the same town when it happened. Police and prosecutors zeroed in on Russ, piecing together any basic shred of evidence, character slander, and complete hearsay to paint him as the killer. Meanwhile, they ignored another person with a clear motive, means, and opportunity: Pam Hupp. Pam was one of Betsy's acquaintances and, just a week earlier, Betsy had changed her life insurance beneficiary to be Pam instead of Russ.

Pam's statements to the police were wild and suspicious, with Pam revealing she knew information that the police didn't share with her (e.g., she mentioned that Betsy was killed at night), she contradicted herself frequently, and she made strange offhand comments about how she was also the beneficiary to her mom's insurance policy, and it would have been easier to kill her frail elderly mother than Betsy. (Yes, she literally said that.) Pam's statements were the prosecution's primary "evidence" for going after Russ, when it was clear that she was trying to paint a picture of Russ as an abusive, vindictive husband with little to no other support. Police never bothered to follow up with Pam on most of these opportunities.

At Russ's trial, basically unethical prosecuting by Leah Askey and ridiculous decision-making by judge Christina Kunza Mennenmeyer gave Russ an extremely unfair trial, in which his defense attorneys couldn't even mention the fact that Pam Hupp was a reasonable and highly likely alternative suspect. But Russ's dogged defense team never gave up in the quest to prove that Russ was innocent.

The story gets even crazier - I won't mention what happened, but it threw the case into a completely different light.

Betsy Faria's case was one of Dateline's most popular specials, behind the OJ Simpson and Jon-Benet Ramsey episodes. It received constant coverage by local news, became a podcast, and is now about to become a limited series on Peacock starring Renee Zellweger as Pam Hupp. In fact, that show airs tonight! I'll definitely be watching. It's a fascinating story that dives into one woman's bafflingly evil mind and actions. Thank you to Tantor Audio for the ARC via Netgalley!

This is a challenging book. The main character, or actually, the subject of the book, is an innocent man who, if the reporting by the authors is to be believed, was railroaded by the police, prosecutors, and the judge. From the beginning, the “investigating” detective made me angry. It was the embodiment of fitting the facts to the theory. That anyone would be subject to such blatant prosecutorial misconduct, investigative incompetence, and judicial corruption is unthinkable, and yet this book proves we must think of it.

Bosworth and Schwartz do an excellent job of relating the facts from their perspective and that of their client. They left me desperately wishing it were not a true story. The Dateline tie-in served to give it more credibility and enjoyability.

Bone Deep caught my eye for several reasons: True Crime, takes place in Missouri, an audiobook, and there is a show later this month on NBC based on this story.

Russ Faria comes home after a Tuesday game night with friends to find his wife Betsy covered in blood and no longer breathing. He immediately calls 911 thinking she committed suicide. As soon as the police arrive they know immediately this was no suicide call.

The book takes you through Russ being interviewed by the police that evening well into the early morning hours, to being charged, to his defense team, and the trial. I was so frustrated just listening to how one detective questioned him, I had to stop several times. The injustice Russ Faria went through is extremely scary. Scary how the system can fail on multiple levels as it wasn't just the detective, but the prosecuting attorney and even the judge made poor calls.

The audiobook continues on to Russ and his lawyer's fight for another trial and then on to his release. It also continues on about Pam Hupp. The friend of Betsy was the last to see her alive but was in no way a suspect even though she was throwing up red flags right and left. (The NBC show is called The Thing About Pam).

I won't say I enjoyed every moment of this book as it isn't that kind of book. I definitely was invested in Russ's experience and as frustrated as I was, I can not imagine how Russ or his lawyer felt during the years they fought for his freedom. If you are a fan of true crime I highly recommend picking up this book or better yet the audio! Gary Bennett did a phenomenal job narrating this book!

Thank you #Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook.

“Untangling” is an understatement…

Absolutely unbelievable!

If I had read this not knowing that it was all 100% true, but as a fictionalization, I would’ve given it 2-stars for its sheer unbelievability. Russ Faria experienced the most severe example of miscarriage of justice that I have ever seen & this should never have been allowed to happen… yes, allowed! If not for the dedication and determination of Joel Schwartz Russ’s story would’ve had a very different ending.

The actually writing was good, however, the legal jargon did bog down the first half. I confess to skimming some of the first trial. That said, the second half was a whirlwind thanks to Pam Hupp and all her craziness.

I listened to this on audio and I think that this would’ve been better suited to the print version. The audio was for review through Netgalley and their app gives limited options for speed. I usually listen at 1.25, however, only 1/1.5 were options. I chose 1.5 which made the narration run together, but 1 was too slow. All that said, I think if it were listened to at my preferred 1.25 it wouldn’t worked a lot better.

A truly crazy journey that I can’t wait to see played out on screen. 4 stars.

***ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit that I had reservations about this book. My previous experiences with true crime books written (or co-written) by lawyers involved in the trial have left a bad taste in my mouth. I've generally found them to be pompous and full of self-adulation. However, I've always been fascinated by this case, so I decided to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did. I found it to be quite thorough and well-written, with only a tolerable amount of self-adulation and grandiosity.

A comprehensive and fascinating deep dive into the case of who killed Betsy Faria. I didn't know much about this case going in but feel I got a good background and understanding from the book. Despite attempts to make this a quick open-and-shut case by the police, the book delves deeper with detectives to come to the final conclusion. Definitely recommended for fans of true crime.

Narration was well done, no issues.

Genre: true crime
Pub date: 2/22/22 (out now!)
In one sentence: Russ arrives home from game night to find his wife Betsy dead and bloodied on the floor; despite his ironclad alibi, he's convicted of her murder.

True crime fans: you must read this book! The Betsy Faria story has been covered by Dateline, as well as in a new miniseries starring Renee Zellweger, and wow is this story a doozy, Betsy's death was a tragedy that was further compounded by the false imprisonment of her husband - which allowed the true killer to go free and kill again. Bosworth and Schwartz do a great job walking the reader through the case - you will be shocked at how the prosecution subverted justice in this case. Gary Bennett did a great job with the narration - I finished this one quickly over a few days, which is one sign of a good audiobook for me.

Thank you to Tantor Audio for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am somewhat familiar with this case and was eager to learn more. "Bone Deep" is a detailed outline of a crazy murder that even know I'm unsure if we know everything. However, this novel was informative for those of us crime junkies who enjoy listening to true crime podcasts and novels.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* wow, never heard of this case before so it was very interesting to read and a sad case. would buy this book.

I love true crime and will watch it, read it or listen to it. This book was almost to the point of fiction because it seems unreal of what happens to the husband, Russ. Russ wasn't even at home during the time period that it happened, but the detectives don't even look further into the suspect list.

It was a very in depth telling of what happened, the trial and the friend that had the opportunity to kill the Betsy. It was frustrating that the detectives refused to look into Pam. Did she have motive? Absolutely. Also, going into the life of Pam and the events that happen around her makes you want to call the police department and say how the hell did you miss any of this?

There were times that I wanted something light-hearted and had to switch to a lighter read. However, I always came back to it because I wanted to hear what happened.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The horrific murder of a woman dying of cancer leads to an arrest of her husband. An arrest that was just the start of multiple misteps by almost everyone in the case.

The story was captivating. Sometimes, true crime can be dry but that was not the case here. I was hooked inmediately and did a lot of internal eyerolling as it felt like everyone could see who did this, well everyone but the police officers it seems.

Narration was also great!

Well researched story. I am amazed that this happens, but it happens so often that I shouldn't be. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

4.5/5

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ You will be HIGHLY frustrated
~ True Crime deliciousness from the perspective of the defense attorney
~ Wrongfully accused / rightfully accused
~ The story is told in a detailed and well-laid out manner, you feel as though you’re in the courtroom
~ Truly fascinating case overall (a comedy of errors)

A husband comes home from playing DD with his friends and finds his wife dead on the floor. He panics, assumes she has committed suicide, does not touch her to preserve the evidence, and then proceeds to not request a lawyer IMMEDIATELY 😏. Because, the question is, did he kill his wife? Planned and executed… or, was it someone else? Someone who ensured to give Betsy a ride home, who ensured to get her name on her insurance policy and who was the last person to see her alive?

😌 Dearests, what follows the assumptions is PURE incompetence and questionable actions that had my jaw dropping and head spinning.

Betsy is dead… how many lies can now be brought to court?

✨Give it a read.

🌱THE MEH
~ 39.1% in - Osama bin Laden and his ‘country of terrorists’?! EXCUSE ME?! REALLY SIR?! WTF?!
~ 😔 There is a slightly tinged animosity and I could tell it was written by an old man, SIGH

♡🌱 But that’s just me ;)

Audiobook: Narrator - Gary Bennett
Mr. Bennett did an exceptional job with this narration. His voice was clear, precise and easy to follow while also enjoyable. This had the feeling of listening to a podcast but so much better as I’m not a fan of podcasts. Not sure how much was this narrator and how much was the story, but I was pulled into this story immediately and was reluctant to pause it when needed.


I enjoy true crime stories, mysteries where there’s a twist, a wrong turn by investigators, injustices corrected so the injured party is proven to be innocent not only in court but in the eyes of society. Unfortunately, living in an area so rural there is no cable, no internet, and even antenna reception is so spotty that I quit trying to watch tv years ago, my exposure to current events such as this is extremely limited. I wanted to listen to this book because of the title and the blurb. After listening for a short time, I was so intrigued, I googled Betsy Faria on my phone and was blasted with page after page regarding this case. I didn’t have a clue!!!

I quickly shut it all down, dove into this audiobook and found myself ranting and raving at investigators (should they really be called that?) and eventually prosecutors and judges. I wanted to remain unbiased towards Pam Hupp, but it was impossible. This was such a huge miscarriage of justice and I found myself furious as this story continued to unfold.

While this is co written by one of the defense lawyers, and I fought to remain skeptical regarding evidence, it was impossible to not see the errors, the total ignorance and the injustices that were let loose in this case. I was pulled into this every step of the way. This was totally addicting and a real struggle to stop when life demanded I do so. My mind refused to let it go until I was able to click that play button again. I was completely engulfed in this case due to the way it was written/narrated. I was able to follow along while keeping the clues, or lack thereof, straight in my mind as this lays it out in a style that made it easy to do so.

I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for all of those involved in this case.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Y'all.. This book was WILD. It reads like an episode of SVU or CSI. It's full of drama, missed leads, and wrongful convictions. I was completely along for the ride and absolutely invested in what was going to happen the whole time.

Ross Faria came home from game night one night and found his wife brutally murdered. He immediately called the police, distraught. Unfortunately it wasn't long before he was eyed as the major suspect. However, there was another suspect who didn't get any investigation despite her changing stories and complete lack of credibility-- Pam Hupp.

This is one of those cases where the police chose a suspect and then fit everything to that narrative. Despite having another suspect WAY more suspicious than Ross Faria. Hearing the whole story was just absolutely bananas and I definitely enjoyed my time listening to it.

My one complaint here is that I think it was a bit too long. It probably could have been shortened by at least an hour or so without losing the heart of the story or the smaller details that flesh out Ross' innocence and Pam's (obvious!!) guilt. I'm now SUPER looking forward to the upcoming limited series about this case, The Thing about Pam.

The narrator was good. Nothing special, nothing egregious.

This was an excellent book about the Betsy Faria murder case. If you've heard the podcast "The Thing About Pam", then you are already familiar with this case. Having listened to the podcast when it first came out, I had forgotten a lot of the details and was excited to read a book about it. I will admit thinking to myself "it's already a podcast AND there's a miniseries about it coming out, do we really need a book, too?". But after reading Bone Deep, I'd say yes, this book was needed.

Rather than just focus on Pam and the things she did, this book takes us through Russ Faria's experience and wrongful conviction. We get to essentially go inside the police interrogation room and courtroom with Russ and realize how poorly handled this case really was. It was mind-blowing to realize how much Pam got away with for so long, and how police were so focused on Russ Faria (despite his rock-solid alibi and not a shred of evidence against him) that they never really investigated Pam despite how obviously connected she was to this case.

I felt a range of emotions while reading this book - sadness and anger for Betsy, who lost her life, frustration for Russ, who should never have been arrested, and disbelief and anger at Pam who treated other's lives as expendable.

This book will be compelling to you if you have an interest in court proceedings, courtroom dramas, and/or true crime. Whether you know nothing or a whole lot about this case, I think you will learn a lot more from reading this book. It was very well-researched and written. I also enjoyed reading it before the miniseries comes out, because now I feel that I know so much more going into it and it will be fresh in my mind when I watch the television show.

As far as the audio, I thought it was well done. The narrator has a pleasant voice and does a good job with intonation. I also find that with many audiobooks, I have to speed them up significantly because of how slowly the narrator reads. That was not the case with this book - I only sped it up to 1.25 (which isn't really a big deal either way, but sometimes when speeding books up a lot, it ends up sounding somewhat unnatural. That was not the case with this book.). The only thing I did notice is that when I listened to it through my phone speaker, I found certain consonants to be a bit shrill and hard on the ears, though this went away when I switched to headphones.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the early copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

And what a case it is to untangle! As devout true crime podcast listener I first heard about the Betsy Faria case from the "The thing about Pam" Dateline NBC podcast. It is the classic "Alice in Wonderland" scenario where things are just getting curiouser and curiouser. "Bone Deep" provides you with a detailed account of this strange case, coming straight from Joel J. Schwartz, who is/was Russ Faria's defense attorney. I'm trying to give a 'spoiler free' review for a case that is actually in the public domain, so all I can say is that there are so many twists and turns - your head will spin! Although the audiobook is quite lengthy and detailed, it will keep anyone with an interest in this case, or in criminal trail procedures and investigations fascinated and engaged. The narrator of the audiobook, Gary Bennett, does a great job at keeping the listener intrigued and at the edge or your seat.
I'm giving this audiobook 4/5. Also, as added interest, look out for the upcoming mini-series "The Thing About Pam" starring Renee Zellweger as Pam Hupp and Josh Duhamel as Joel Schwartz.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book will become widely available on the 22nd of Feb 2022.
#BoneDeep #NetGalley

The phrase “truth is stranger than fiction” rings true in this instance. There was so much that was absolutely bizarre to this story, but it is a true crime that even made it to the show Dateline’s radar, a podcast, and this book and audiobook, which I devoured as fast as I possibly could because I could not believe what I was hearing was actually happening. It shocked me how the police dropped the ball and just assumed it was the husband without doing any investigation, a justice system that couldn’t be bothered, and an inexperienced prosecutor who was trying to make a name for herself whatever the cost, which led to an innocent man going to prison while the actual perpetrator walked free and killed again. If it weren’t for his family members who always believed in him, he would never have gotten a good attorney who was able to finally prove his innocence. One of the authors of the book is Joel Schwartz, the attorney that changed everything.
I am fascinated by true crime stories, and this one just renewed the depths of my love for them.
Thanks to Citadel Press, Tantor audio and NetGalley for this audio arc in exchange for my review.
Publication date: February 22, 2022

Bone Deep was one of the most detailed true crime books I’ve ever listened to. The narrator was Gary Bennett be he did a good job. This audiobook is 11 hours and 20 mins. And when I say detailed I mean detailed. I feel like nothing was skipped over. I felt like I was in court and stunned at what I was hearing.
I’m not going to give any spoilers but I will tell you that was a great retelling.
I chose to listen to this book on audio and I was hooked. This whole thing was a big mess and the book will walk you through it. And I can’t wait until Something About Pam airs on Peacock!
I highly recommend if you love true crime.
Thanks Tantor Audio via NetGalley.

A must read for murderinos and true crime fans. A woman with terminal cancer is found dead by her husband (did he do it?) A life insurance policy, a history of depression. An exhusband and a "best friend". What really happened?