This was a crazy true crime story about a completely narcissistic woman, Sharon Fuller Nelson Harrelson, who had two husbands murdered by her lover. It was well researched, and the author spoke to a lot of people who knew her. But I felt like the same information about Sharon was presented over and over again. I also felt like it ended very abruptly. But it was an interesting book if you like true crime. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Arc! I didn't realize that this was a reissue when I requested this Arc. I should have looked closer at the synopsis before requesting, because I don't read sensational true crime retellings. I know that true crime lovers will eat this up though!

Thank you to Thread Publishing and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of American Black Widow by Gregg Olsen.

Reverend Mike Fuller is a God-fearing minister who is trying to work his way up the ranks of his denomination, as well as shepherd his flock in small town North Carolina. His wife, Sharon, has other ideas about what it means to shepherd a flock and begins a torrid affair with one of the congregants. The Fullers are asked to leave their church because of Sharon's infidelity, which begins their journey into the mountains of Colorado where strange discoveries about Reverend Fuller's wife are about to be made.

Not long after settling in Colorado, Sharon seeks out another married, wealthy, high-ranking church member to pursue. Her illicit affair with local doctor Perry Nelson divides the small town of Rocky Ford, eventually leading to murder. What evil lurks within the heart of the beautiful minister's wife, and how many men will she trap in her web before she is finally caught?

I did not get this book finished before the pub date, but this story kept me turning pages until the end!! Gregg Olsen is a great writer of true crime, and really captured the humanity of each of these real-life characters. Sharon is an untreated narcissist who used multiple people in her life for selfish gain. However, the men who fell under her spell were also willing participants who abandoned their families in order to be with her. I feel so sorry for all of the children involved. I can't imagine having any of these people as parents. While there were parts of the book that felt a little jumbled, overall this was a good read about a very complex crime.

Written in a documentary style, lots of interviews and transcripts so its not always an easy read but it is interesting. It just doesn't flow very well. An interesting topic but a little hard to read in the style its written. But this is just my opinion, maybe others will like this style of writing better

I really enjoyed this book! I like that the author took a real story but told it almost as if it was fiction. the only I did not like about the book was that it seemed to abruptly end. it didn't feel like there was time to wind down and end the story, it was just done. I would have liked a little more to the ending.

I've read a few books by Gregg Olsen and typically enjoy his work. This book was not my favorite. The subject was interesting and a case I wasn't previously familiar with. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the timeline jumping.

I am a big true crime fan and Gregg Olsen is one of my favorite in this genre!

The amount of research Gregg Olsen does when he writes his books is mind blowing to me. I read If You Tell by Gregg in 2020 & was so blown away at how much he had to learn about these crimes before making the stories comes to life.

This book has a lot of characters and while we learn a lot about the crimes, this book is very detailed when it comes to characters as well! Make sure to pay attention because although there is a lot of detail, it all comes full circle and all that detail helps build the story and create insight into the people involved in these crimes.

4 ⭐️

True crime writer Greg Olsen delivers another fascinating tale about a "black widow" who uses her charms to get what she wants from the unsuspecting men in her life. While the format was not my favorite and it jumped around quite a bit, it was still an interesting read

I dont usual read this type of bbook, but I am sure glad I did. Its brilliant and I loved it. It is a must for true crime fans and is very well told. TBH I had not heard of Sharon Nelson, this bbook is really interesting and well written.

This is a fairly standard true crime book. It reminded me of the books I used to pick up in the drugstore or from the library in the 90s-00s. I think this type of book is not really for me anymore.

I have loved other titles from Gregg in the past but this one fell flat for me. It never did catch my interest and just felt sort of like reading a long news article. Unfortunately I can’t recommend this to others.

Very engaging true crime thriller. I listen to a lot of true crime, but haven't delved much into many true crime books yet so I excited to give it a go. I really enjoyed the way the author wrote this book. It felt like I was reading an episode of dateline with all the intrigue and drama. You could tell the author did his due diligence in his research.

Overall, an enjoyable read. I recommend Gregg Olsen's books if you are interested in true crime and plan to check out If You Tell by him soon.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Sharon has had three husbands. One divorced, one is dead, and one is missing… and this book explores her involvement. “American Black Widow” is based on real life events of Sharon Nelson and honestly had not heard of her before. I found it both fascinating and sickening how seemingly easy it was for her to manipulate those around her. Gregg Olsen is an amazing writer, and I can’t wait to read more of his work! Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

American Black Widow is the true crime story of Sharon Nelson, a master manipulator and murderer.

Generally, I love true crime, but the format of this book really left something to be desired. I really enjoy a story told in alternating timelines, but I found that this story jumped around so much, and included so many different people that I often felt lost. It's not the author's fault that there were so many people who were included in the story, but when the opening pages include a "cast of characters", I should have seen the red flag.

This book was actually first published in 1998 under the title "Bitch on Wheels", which makes sense given the misogynistic tone used to tell Sharon's story. To be fair, 1998 was a different time, but the hyperfocus on Sharon's sexuality was frankly infuriating. In so many ways her clothes, the way she moved, how she expressed herself were mentioned over and over again. Okay, she was sexy. What else? I would have loved to see some kind of psychological analysis completed. It could have offered a glimpse into Sharon as a master manipulator, rather than just painting her as Sharon the whore.

The author used accounts of many people who knew Sharon to tell her story, and I would have liked to see a more journalistic approach. Factual evidence gathered from police interviews, trial transcripts and the like would have brought a much needed neutrality to how the story should have been told.

A big miss for me, unfortunately, but I still have If You Tell on my TBR and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and Thread Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a gripping true crime drama that follows a woman using the gifts of her gender to woo men into her life and then have them killed off when she tires of them (and to collect insurance moola). Truth truly is stranger than fiction! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review

Gregg Olsen is a gifted writer. Although his books are true crime, they read like fiction and are fascinating. Sharon Nelson is an intriguing character and the definition of "black widow" i didn't know of her before the book and I enjoyed the telling of her story, life, many husbands, manipulation and murder. The book made me want to get even more info on the case that wasn't in the book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

American Black Widow by Gregg Olsen ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for my ARC. This book was republished in July.

This book’s main focus was on the bad acts of Sharon Lynn Douglas Fuller Nelson Harrelson. Seductress, adulterer, dine & dasher, manipulator, criminal. This book gave the reader all the salacious details about Sharon. I became a bit annoyed at all the descriptions of Sharon’s outfits (too tight/s*xy) and how she drew any man into her spell (married or not). It was clear - she used s*x to manipulate. It read a little judgmental and misogynistic most of the time.

I wanted more structure. The timeline jumped around and the actual crimes were hidden among all the ‘s*xy’ talk. I wanted more insight into Sharon’s psyche. Most of the book was observations from other people, not any big dive into Sharon’s thoughts. I wanted more investigation. The police aspect was a very small part of this read.

All in all, if you’re looking to read a true crime novel that reflects the viewpoint of society in its time, check this one out.

I had never heard of Sharon or this case prior to reading this. But the synopsis intrigued me.
I wondered how a woman managed to get away with so much.
Sharon was a master at manipulation. How easily she got men on her side. She seemingly had no care for anyone but herself. Including her kids or step kids.
Its a sad story where multiple people's lives were forever changed due to her.

Even if it tells a true story it's a mix of true crime and fiction as the tone and the style of writing are more crime thriller than non fiction.
I found it interesting and disturbing as the black widow is a disturbing characters.
I think it can be appreciated more by people who likes crime thriller than by true crime aficionados
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was good but not great for me…I thought I would really enjoy this as I love this type of genre typically but this was just ok for me.