This had a great build up as do all of Olsens novels however it becomes hard to follow. I really wanted to be able to follow along but too many people get thrown in and it becomes like a courtroom drama or circus. I couldn't follow very well despite wanting to. Some parts also read fairly choppy and text book like.

If you love true crime stories that unravel almost as if they were fiction, then you must read Gregg Olsen. After “If I Tell, “ a story of a toxic serial killer mother who almost included her three daughters as victims, Olsen has updated his 1993 “Bitter Almonds” narrative about another evil mother who also had a daughter who is key to mom’s downfall.

In this case, it’s Stella Nickell, a wannabe Tylenol poisoning copycat, who got away with killing her husband in 1986, was unhappy about the small “natural death” insurance payout, and then decided to tamper with Excedrin capsules, killing a total stranger. She then drew attention to herself by claiming her husband also consumed tainted product (which would increase her insurance claim) and sued Bristol-Myers for even more money.

Many people don’t remember the terror caused by product tampering. I had a friend who was a very young manager trainee at a drugstore in Chicago during the 1982 Tylenol killings. One of the only unopened bottles of poisoned Tylenol that was not purchased by a victim was found in her store and 40 years later she’s still traumatized by the fact that the unknown killer visited the aisles of her store. What did change after 1982 was a federal law that made product tampering a federal crime and better packaging. Stella Nickell’s mistake was not realizing that the FBI would be far more persistent than the local police. It was the FBI that determined the cyanide was mixed with an algae killer for fish tanks, and that Stella owned aquariums.

The story, however, is more than just Stella’s: the investigation around the second victim, Sue Snow, had police and family members wondering if her angry husband had actually killed her. The book explores what the victim’s family went through and how investigators followed up multiple leads unrelated to Stella before the truth was revealed.

Olsen reveals Stella’s complicated life and equally complicated relationship with her daughter Cindy — one that eventually convinced Cindy to contact the FBI. Real life is messier than fiction, yet this book distills all the events and becomes a true thriller. 4 stars! A great read for true crime fans and thriller lovers!