American Mother is a fascinating look into cyanide murders. Gregg Olsen does an outstanding job writing a riveting true crime book with gripping detail. A must read especially for true crime fans. Thank you to NetGalley.

Another engaging true crime book from this author.
He can always be counted on for a great read.
I was not familiar with this story.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Gregg Olsen has proven once again why he holds the title as a New York Times best selling investigative author. Full of intrigue, deception, and greed, "American Mother" is the true tale of the diabolical means one woman would go to in order to get what she wants. Gregg Olsen leaves no stone unturned as he takes the reader through the first conviction and sentencing to follow the product tampering laws in the U.S. Any reader who loved Ann Rule's "Bitter Harvest" would enjoy Olsen's "American Mother".
A huge thanks to Thread Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this book ahead of its November 8, 2022 release.

I read Gregg Olsen's If You Tell during lockdown and it was one of my favourite reads during that time. When I saw his new book was available on Netgalley, I requested it immediately!

I do think If You Tell was better than American Mother. I felt it was repetitive and dragged a bit, especially during the trial.

However, Gregg's writing style is very easy reading for a true crime book which I love! It's written like a story instead of an informative book telling you this happened, then this did, then thay did. Most events are chroniclogical order and we find out new information as the story goes on.

This story terrified me. The writing felt similar to watching a Dateline NBC story! I was completely invested and had to keep reading to figure out the killer! What a messed up story! I will be looking out for more true crime books by this author!

I really wanted to love this book. True crime is one of my favourite genres. Whilst it was clear to me as I was reading that the author had done a huge amount of research and really knew his stuff, I did feel that the story was dragged out more than it needed to be and I struggled to keep up with the timeline as it was continually jumping round.

Overall I enjoyed the story and the concept the author was putting across but it proved to be more of a difficult read to get to the end than I would have personally liked.

Loved this book! Truly suspenseful. I felt like I was guessing the whole time, and the ending was perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC.

As a fan of true crime I thought this would be right up my street. Author Gregg Olsen investigates the infamous cyanide murders that rocked America. Gregg goes into meticulous detail to document the case from crime to trial and everything in between. It is clear he has done his research and is very knowledgable in this area. That being said I did find the majority of the content unnecessary and somewhat stilted. While it was all relevant I struggled to maintain focus enough to read it in one sitting and often had to keep stopping and starting due to the sheer bull of information. If true crime and murder in particular is something you’re interesting then give this a read.

American Mother by Gregg Olsen is available November 8th.

I love this author and this time he tackles a real crime of medication tampering leading to murder. I loved this story it was just so fascinating and interesting to read it’s hard to believe this is a true story and not something he had conjured up in his head.

Such a brilliant read.

This was a case I was aware of but the writer manages to shine new light on it. With so much research done, the writer makes this awful situation a reality and it is sensitively done.

A good and heavy read, a must read for True Crime lovers.

I can't imagine how much time and research went into this book.
It's hard to say that this is really good because it really happened and that's heartbreaking. But this is definitely a read I would recommend.

Gregg Olson's book American Mother is about the 1986 murders of Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow when they unknowingly took cyanide-laced headache pain relievers. This well researched novel is the story of the investigation surrounding the victims and those accused of the murders.

As a true crime reader, I am well aware of the circumstances surrounding this case. Gregg Olsen previously wrote a book called Bitter Almonds that covered the story as it unfolded. As I began reading American Mother, I questioned why Olsen would release a brand-new book on the topic that is readily available online. However, since Olsen wrote Bitter Almonds fascinating brand-new information has come out to tie up the loose ends of the situation involving the accused Stella Nickell.

Whether or not you are familiar with this crime, Gregg Olsen offers a fresh perspective and answers questions with the latest shocking facts. This account includes the relationship between Stella Nickell and her daughter Cynthia. The in-depth look back at the psychological aspects and relationships of all those involved including the innocent bystanders is an interesting read for true crime fans. Gregg Olsen leaves no stone unturned in his intriguing account of the premeditated brutal murders.

American Mother by Gregg Olsen is available on November 8th

Thank you, NetGalley and Thread Books, for sharing this informative true crime book. I appreciate your kindness.

First and foremost WOW the research that was done for this book is astounding. I really felt like I had learned quite a bit by reading this book and it’s hard to believe that people like this actually exist. Though it was a bit long for my liking I thought it was very well written and I enjoyed reading it! Another great book by Gregg Olsen.

After reading a previous Gregg Olsen book i was really looking forward to this one and although it was an interesting story it fell short for me in a couple of ways. Firstly there is a lot of people talked about it was sometimes hard to keep track of all of them especially as some had changed their name so it got a little confusing. The other point i struggled with was the jumping around in the timeline so it felt hard to keep track that way too. I have heard tho that this is a reprint of one of his earliest books and maybe that is why it's a little more rusty than his previous one I've read.

Long but fascinating true crime. Love Gregg Olsen books.
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.

Like all Gregg Olsen books American Mother is painstakingly researched and very neutral in the opening stages so that you can try and decide how you feel about the accused and or those around her. Olsen’s style is incredibly readable and flows like a novel but this one just didn’t have the impact or immediacy of say.. ‘If you tell’ which I devoured at breakneck speed. I think the fact that the case lacked a smoking gun was probably the reason for this rather than Olsen’s skills as a writer but it did drag at times. Having said that, when it all turned a bit John Grisham’s Runaway Jury I was totally hooked. The afterword though was fantastic and I almost wish that Olsen had written the story of the crime alongside the story of writing the book about the crime.

Thanks to netgally and the published for this ARC

It`s obvious that the author has done a lot of research about the cyanid killings, the books is detailed and you feel like you`re there in the courtroom. It was built up logically, but you had to be very concentrated to not be confused by all the different people introduced. I also got a bit sleepy when the trials started. There was a lot of details, going back to previous interviews and information, and it got repetivite at some points. Especially when it came to the insurance claims. I must admit to skimming parts of it and I think the author could have skipped some parts of the trial to keep the readers interest. Others might love it, so this is just my personal experience.

It was interesting to read about Stella and her daughter. I also loved the afterword because it showed how involved and dedicated the author has been. I think it would have been better if this information came at the beginning because it’s exciting to know that the author has met some of the people he writes about. It brings life to the story and makes it more real.

The writing was a bit dry at times, with a lot of conversations. The author tried to describe the characters, but sometimes you had to guess what they were thinking.

Overall I learnt something new but felt I didn’t need all the details.

This was a very detailed and well-researched book. This is the second I've read by Gregg Olsen, and it's clear he really dives into his subject's lives, and tries to get as much information as possible from the people around them. Unfortunately, I found this confusing because there were so many acquaintances, family members, and witnesses that it was hard to keep track of. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but when it gets to the trial, a lot of the information is gone over again (in detail), and so I found it to be repetitive. Probably didn't need to be as long as it was.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was so happy to receive an advanced copy of this book, really enjoy true crime and the way the author writes Keeps you hooked. Would highly recommend.

American Mother
Gregg Olsen
4 stars
Greg Olsen weaves a compelling tale of greed and murder.
I've read nearly all of his true crime books, although I was unaware that this is an updated version. Olsen is one of the far better true crime writers out there. He delivers an exceptional story with background information on both the victims, their families and lives as well as background on the perpetrator. He does not glorify the crimes or sensationalize anything. Olsen just delivers straight, solid reporting. For those who were a fan of the late Ann Rule, Gregg Olsen writes in a very similar fashion as she did.
A few cons do exist, the book was a little long in the trial part and a little short on what actually was going on with the one juror who claimed to have been contacted and tried to hold out on a decision. I would have loved more information about her and her saying she thought she might have been poisoned.
There are still loose ends some 35 years after the crime. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the “beginning” of product tampering and what greed can and does to a family.



I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.