A fascinating account of a woman that was able to weave a deadly spell over the men in her life.
Occasionally I found some of the information in the book to be unnecessary and far too personal but other than that it was interesting to hear a community surrounding a dangerous misfit voice their thoughts and feelings.

Are you a true crime fan? Gregg Olsen is your guy! I feel like I’m watching a Netflix documentary when I read his work, and I love every moment of it. The details aren’t so overwhelming that I can’t keep up, but I feel like I get the full scope of the story. I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a true crime “how did the person get away with this?!” story.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ebook.

This wasn't for me. I was expecting more of true crime feel akin to the narrative from a YouTube video or a podcast but this was kind of told in story form but also kind of not! It just didn't flow and I really struggled to get into it. It was factual which was awesome but it just felt really dragged out and I couldnt get into it. Not for me

Giving 3.5 stars but rounding up to 4. I didn’t realize this was originally published 1998, but either way it was still intriguing to read, and somehow this was the first I’d heard about Sharon Nelson. Gregg has a way with words when it comes to true crime stories, especially describing characters. Two downfalls to this novel: 1. The timeline. And 2. It would’ve been nice to have an update that Sharon passed in prison in 2017. Overall, a good read!

This book really excited me but I honestly struggled with it. I found it a bit confusing and it didn’t flow well at all. I get that it was a true story so it was more factual but it wasn’t for me.

I love a good true crime story! I enjoyed If You Tell by this author, as much as anyone can enjoy the horrors that occurred to those poor girls, but this one I didn't love. The writing followed the storyline chronologically most of the time. There were chapters of the final murder and investigation mixed throughout, ending with the confession and incarceration of Sharon and her former beau. At times, I wasn't sure what time period the author was referencing, so it confused me a little. The story was extremely slow. I would have preferred the main focus to be on the murders, but the book just spotlighted Sharon and her obscene behavior. I would have also liked to hear more from Mike Fuller, her first husband, at the end of the novel after Sharon confessed. I'm guessing that he refused to talk with anyone regarding his former wife. It was interesting and disturbing to learn about what Sharon Fuller Nelson Harrelson did and how she lived her life. I had never heard of this story before so I jumped on the chance to read it. To all the true crime fans, I would definitely recommend this to you!

Thank you to the author, Thread Books and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

3.25 Stars. Thank you #Netgalley and Thread Books
This book was ok. I didn't realize it was based on a true story and this explains why it reads like a documentary. It also looks like this book was originally published in 1998.

If you like documentaries and suspenseful stories, this book would be good for you!

I have read both fiction and true crime by Gregg Olsen, and he does a good job of engaging the reader. This is true of The Confessions of an American Black Widow: A True Story of Greed, Lust and a Murderous Wife. It should be noted that this book was originally published in 1998 as Confessions of an American Black Widow and re-released several years later as Bitch on Wheels: The Sharon Nelson Double Murder Case. It will be out soon under its current title. Sharon Nelson was originally married to a minister who was forced out of town and transferred cross country to Colorado because of his wife’s blatant infidelity. She goes on to marry two more men, killed each time by her lover (Gary Adams) while simultaneously seeing more men on the side, having children and several more pregnancies. She is described repeatedly as beautiful and tempting to most men and not trusted by women. She treats all people as objects for her satisfaction and the depth of her deceptions are horrific. This true story is told by going back and forth in time. Olsen is very good at character descriptions and the book moves quickly. I will continue reading books by this author!

With thanks to Netgalley and Thread Books for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

For me, Gregg Olsen, as a contemporary true-crime author, is a lot like Ann Rule was in the 80s and 90s when she mastered the art of true crime non-fiction. Gregg didn’t make friends with a serial killer (like Ann did with Ted Bundy), but he did live in the shadow of Linda Hazzard, the serial killer doctor who starved people to death. I’ve always been the true crime junkie, but I’m impatient with podcasts — I want to devour a true-crime book in 2-3 days. Gregg’s books are always so thrilling and satisfying — as a critic noted, “When [true crime books] are done well, the books are less about the actual crimes and more about their context, about why they happened, not how.”

“American Black Widow: The Shocking True Story of a Preacher’s Wife Turned Killer” is an updated edition of “Confessions of an American Black Widow” (1998) and the retitled “Bitch on Wheels” (2010), the story of Sharon Lynn Nelson, a double widow and her “mountain man” lover. Olsen describes her as “an apex femme fatale of the Rocky Mountains. Brassy. Ballsy. Sexy. And, a little bit sad too”. Like his other non-fiction books, he tries to determine the motivations of the toxic women he’s become familiar with through their crimes. Sharon was a harder subject to describe — beyond her never-ending feelings for the lover who wouldn’t leave his wife, she just seemed caught up in getting the insurance money and moving on.

The book was, as always, well-researched. I was a bit annoyed by the non-linear timeline —something that works better in fiction than in non-fiction. Since this is the third edition of this narrative, it would have benefited from at least the update that Sharon died in prison in 2017. 4 stars.

Thank you to Thread Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Profanity is not necessary in the prologue and almost made me stop reading the book. As the term is quite offensive .
After the third use of this particular word, I deleted the book. I generally love Gregg Olsen's books.