I am so thankful to Atria/One Signal Press, Simon Audio, Mikita Brottman, and Netgalley for granting me advanced audio, digital, and physical access to this true crime piece before it hits shelves on July 23, 2024.

I always enjoy true crime retellings and depictions for you just can’t look away from the chaos that typically ensues in these collections. In this instance, we hear about how two devout Baptists, true to their faith, fall away from their virtues and jump into a world full of lust, infidelity, drugs, and murder – in the mother of all venues, Florida.

Readers will be addicted from page one as the truth slowly unveils itself, taking a few lives along the way. The swamps and bodies of water within Florida keep the secrets of many and in this narrative, those depths are never-ending.

Brottman’s investigations into a previous strange-but-true crimes have left me fascinated but this one was less absorbing. All of the elements are there but the ultimate solution (and resolution) are fairly benign. Of course, it’s true crime, and the author can’t be blamed for relaying what really happened, but the final third of the book is less gripping than the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to review this title

Guilty Creatures: A Descent into Darkness, by Mikita Brottman

Mikita Brottman's "Guilty Creatures" delves into the true-crime saga of a seemingly idyllic Tallahassee, Florida, community shattered by a shocking murder. This book transcends the genre of a simple "whodunit" by offering a chilling exploration of the human psyche and the complexities of long-held secrets.

Brottman's meticulous research brings the story to life. We meet Mike Williams, the beloved Baptist deacon, and his wife Denise. Their friends, Brian and Kathy Winchester, complete the seemingly perfect quartet. However, beneath the surface lurks a web of infidelity, disillusionment, and ultimately, deadly desire.

The book shines in its portrayal of the central characters. Brottman avoids clear-cut portrayals of good and evil. Instead, she paints a nuanced picture of how seemingly ordinary people can be driven to monstrous acts. We see how Denise and Brian, trapped in unhappy marriages, find solace and a twisted sense of liberation in their affair. The descent into murder is gradual, fueled by desperation and a chilling disregard for the sanctity of life.

"Guilty Creatures" is not for the faint of heart. The details of the crime are disturbing but handled with sensitivity. Brottman's prose is clear and engaging, drawing the reader deeper into the story with each turn of the page. The book is more than just a crime story; it's a cautionary tale about the destructive power of hidden desires and the lengths people can go to in the name of love, or perhaps, a twisted sense of entitlement.:

Strengths: Well-researched, nuanced characters, explores the psychology of the crime.
Possible drawbacks: Disturbing content.
Overall: A gripping and thought-provoking true-crime story that goes beyond the "whodunit" format.

I would recommend "Guilty Creatures" to readers who enjoy true crime with a deeper psychological exploration.

While I enjoy true crime and have heard of this case before on podcasts, I was excited to see a deep dive via this book. The book told the story well but there felt to be too much filler included to take up space and everything seemed to jump around a bit.

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am by no means a Nonfiction girly, but the minute I saw this cover and then the synopsis, I WAS READY, and it did not disappoint.

Although I grew up in Florida I had never heard about this case, so I went in blindly only having read the short synopsis. The author does a great job of explaining who everyone is, what their relationship was, and basically leads you through the timeline leading up to the death of Mike. Then the timeline switches and begins talking about what happened after Miles death; and fair warning this is where things get WILD.

I truly could not put this book down, and must of read most of it with my jaw gawking open. Such a crazy and farfetched story that it almost sounds made up. Murder, sex, lies, affairs, prostitutes, drugs, alligators, church, and all set in the swampy Florida sun… Grab this book and read it as soon as you can. I’m still in shock with how everything ended, but overall this was such an engaging and interesting read!

Interesting story & draws you in pretty quickly. Feels like more editing is needed to cut out parts that are not a requirement to the story. Parts repeat over & over just recorded making it to lengthy.

Guilty Creatures is a story of betrayal, lust, and murder. Guilty Creatures is not a whodunit, but a why they did. The pace was quick and it kept me turning the pages until the end. It is clear the author did her research and knows the facts of the case and the character of the accused. It was a great case file , 4 stars

This book covers a a very interesting true crime case, but I can't help but feel like it's one long review of the Murder of Mike Williams Wikipedia page. The author mentions that she had personal interviews with people close to the case, but the book is mostly facts with a lot of the emotion from family and friends taken out of it. I also wish there was more to be said about the "Sex" and "God" parts of the book's subheading, but the commentary on those topics felt fairly straightforward to me. Denise and Brian hid behind their religion as a way to justify murder in lieu of divorce, which is bizarre way to behave but not uncommon when you consider people will murder over anything if they are engaging with highly charged emotions.

*Thank you to the author for bringing awareness to this case, and thank you to NetGalley for exchanging an e-ARC of this book for an unbiased review!

For lovers of true-crime, this is a compelling book whose subject I knew a little about from the Dateline TV series. This book provides even more background on the people and what is really striking is not only did the perpetrators feel they were above the law, as Christians, they also felt that God would approve of them murdering Mike (husband and best friend). Absolutely unbelievable. My heart ached for Mike and his family (his mother and child) and the heartlessness and greed of his killers. A gripping read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

In Tallahassee, Florida, Mike and Denise & Brian and Kathy were all friends in high school and continued that friendship beyond once Mike and Denise were married, as well as Brian and Kathy. They were fairly religious Baptists. It was only on (or near) Mike and Denise’s 6th anniversary in 2000 when Mike disappeared while on a hunting trip. Not long after, Brian and Kathy divorced and Brian and Denise began seeing each other. It seemed pretty obvious – Brian and Denise likely had something to do with Mike’s disappearance (death? murder?). After years of Brian and Denise’s marriage, things started to crumble.

I knew nothing about this, but I found it quite interesting. And kind of crazy that Brian and Denise could do such a good job of convincing themselves they’d done nothing wrong. God-fearing and all… sure. I was focused when reading and was happy to just continue reading; it was unfortunate when I had to put the book down. But, life…

I’m not someone who reads a lot of true crime but this one caught my eye. It was a very engaging read and every time I picked it up I did not want to put it down. The discussion of religion and its part in this case was particularly interesting to me.

High School friends, marriage, betrayal and someone ends of dead. If you like real live crime this book is for you. The true story of Mike and Denise and their friends Brian and Kathy. The four did everything together in the state of Florida. Church going people who grew up together and built families together. Until things started to unravel.

Brian and Denise were tired of being stuck in boring marriages. Mike worked hard and watched his money and wanted to take care of his family. Many thought he was over doing it but Mike kept plugging along. Denise was getting restless especially after she had their daughter. She wanted more out of life. Enter Brian who came from a wealthy family and liked to do daring things. Plus he was falling in love with Denise.

What happens next is a he said she said version of events. Could Brian and Denise really plot to kill Mike who was Brian's best buddy? Does greed, lust and freedom play into it? You will read the story of these four people which transpires over twenty years.

This book was intense. To think things like this really happens makes you wonder. I would recommend this to anyone who is in to true crime stories. 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy. This was out of my comfort zone and I enjoyed it.

Compelling read; it kept my interest throughout. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by all the participants names and how they were related to each other... take 2 married couples, add in extended family and it was a lot to keep track of, but as I read further I was better able to keep each person sorted as to how they related to the others. The book is about a murder I had a slight recollection of hearing about and so I enjoyed immersing myself in the book to get greater detail on the story.
One element I appreciated is that each chapter begins with a quote from Shakespeare, the Bible, or my favorite film noir : Double Indemnity .
The book begins by orienting the reader to each person involved, and then adds in specifics as to how the story evolved all the way through the trials and the appeals process so its a thorough story and leaves nothing left to wonder about.

Guilty Creatures is the story of the death of Mike Williams. Initially ruled accidental, authorities surmised he was eaten by alligators while fishing in Florida. But, they never found anything-waders, bones, etc. Then, Mike's friend Brian divorces his wife and marries Mike's widow. Eyebrows raise, but there isn't any proof that Mike was eliminated by Brian or his wife Denise. As a true crime junkie, I was familiar with the case-but mostly only after it was solved.

This book is not about what happened to Mike. Its about how it all happened and how it came to be known by everyone. It's about about the why. Its about all the gossip and secrets. Honestly, if Mike's mother hadn't continued to push, and rallied others to do the same, the police might have just continued to accept the strange alligator theory. The book is a bit like a torrid tabloid magazine story with the actions of Denise and Brian, mostly shared by Brian when he confessed.

Overall, this was enjoyable and I learned more than I had about the case. I was drawn to the book because this case if fascinating. It is also so frustrating-get a divorce people! Murder instead of divorce isn't an option.

Guilty Creatures is a true crime story that proves real-life can be stranger than fiction. I had first heard of the murder of Mike Williams on an episode of Dateline. Whereas Dateline only scratches the surface of the whole story, Guilty Creatures spills all of the tea. The book explains how a close knit quartet of high school friends grew up to lead vastly different lives from those they portrait to the public. Guilty Creatures is a story of betrayal, lust, and murder. Guilty Creatures is not a whodunit, but a why they did. The pace was quick and it kept me turning the pages until the end. It is clear the author did her research and knows the facts of the case and the character of the accused.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for this ARC.

I love true crime and I'm surprised I never heard of this case. It was really good to read. Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Guilty Creatures is a true crime story that reads like fiction…the kind of fiction that keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can. Mike and Denise Williams have been friends with Brian and Kathy Winchester since childhood. They go to the same schools, attend church together and have children at about the same time. They are the kind of young people, cheerleader, homecoming court, football star, that everyone admires. Everyone, however does not see behind the curtain where much is hidden. Denise has fallen into passionate love with Brian, an insurance salesman, who has sold several impressive life insurance polices to Mike. Kathy does not know the reason why Brian has become so cold to her although she suspects an affair. Then, early one December morning in 2000, Mike goes duck hunting and never returns. After a lengthy search, he is presumed drowned, his body eaten by alligators. Denise cashes in the life insurance. Brian gets divorced. Denise and Brian start dating and soon marry. Mike’s tragic death seems a little too convenient.

While Guilty Creatures could be fiction, the real life drama of Denise and Brian is all too real. Bound to each other by guilt, both know that they can’t tell the truth to anyone. They face questions from Mike’s mother, from their families, from a newspaper reporter and from the police. They become active in their church and devote themselves to good deeds and family. They keep their secret for almost twenty years before one breaks under the strain. The ensuing trial will finally bring Mike justice.

Put Guilty Pleasures on the top of your to be read list. Prepare to feel sorry for Denise and Brian. Their love is poisoned by guilt and the memories of what they have done. This is true crime at its best. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Mikita Brottman for this ARC.

Wow! I was completely hooked on this book and I couldn’t put it down. I’d never heard of this case before and while I could have googled the outcome, I couldn’t wait to read how Denise Williams and Brian Winchester were finally caught in the murder of Denise’s husband, Mike.

In the beginning it seemed like Mike Williams had really drowned in a terrible duck hunting accident. These was no suspicion of a crime. Mike’s widow, Denise, filed the appropriate claims against Mike’s life insurance to assist in caring for their finances and daughter. A death certificate was requested in what seemed a reasonable time from the accident. She ended up receiving $1.8 million. Everything appeared fine until Denise married Mike’s best friend, Brian, and the whispers, rumors and newspaper articles wouldn’t let them forget about Mike. It took 17 years for the lovers to finally turn on each other.

Mikita Brottman’s writing style is similar to a newspaper article. It’s fact driven without fluff or personal opinion added in to make it more compelling. The crime is compelling without all the added fluff. Brottman has journal entries, interviews, articles, investigative files and the trial to pull from. Brottman divides the book into 4 parts beginning with Denise & Mike dating in high school alongside their best friends, Brian & Kathy. Brottman details each couple getting married and having children, juggling their futures alongside the expectations set within their families and religion. Brottman then discloses the affair Denise and Brian began having and how it lead to Mike’s death. From there Brottman writes about the unwavering determination of Mike’s mother as she fights for investigators to see Mike’s death as a murder rather than an accident. Brottman spans 20 years through the book, writing without judgement on any of the people described, writing with an ease that will suck the reader in. I would have liked pictures, but Brottman sources many newspaper articles and YouTube videos of the trial to seek out after finishing the book.

Thank you to Atria Books for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I am a true crime fanatic and was excited to get this early copy. I was familiar with the crime itself from a Dateline episode but this book went much deeper. It reads like a mystery. I would definitely recommend to any true crime fan.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. The author did a great job in telling the tragic story of this case. I feel sorry for his mom and daughter.