"Smoke, Mirrors and Murder" by Ann Rule

This is Ann Rule's latest paperback.

It is about unlikely murders.

It has a section in it about Mary Winkler Murder Case.

http://wkrn.com/nashville/news/wink...rint/135215.htm



quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Winkler Murder Case Available In Print"
There's a new book on store shelves featuring a mid-state murder plot.

The case of Convicted murderer Mary Winkler's is now in print.

It's called, "Smoke, Mirrors and Murder," by Ann Rule.

The 480 page book focuses on a series of seemingly unlikely killings, including the Winkler murder, a story that received national attention.

Mary Winkler shot her minister husband Matthew in the back while he was in bed.

A jury convicted Mary voluntary manslaughter.

Adam Blair, with Borders Books said, "With her case as popular as it is here in the south, we've gotten a few copies of it and sold a few copies...
**********************************************

Other links about ARs comments about the Winkler case are very interesting. In the end it seems even AR with over 30 years experience in researching murder cases doesn't really know what the real truth is in this case.

She commented that out of 30 years she has not seen another case quite like this one where it wasn't clear what the truth is or who was the victim in this case. She can only surmise "maybe they both were."

She also does a postscript about Mary's interview on Oprah, which AR found bizarre.

So glad you posted this the other day! I walked by it at my local convenience store and the name caught my eye because I had just read it on here. So far, I'm halfway through the Mary Winkler section -- skipped right to it. Haven't gotten to any place yet that justifies to me the outcome of the trial.

I picked up the book last Saturday, read it all the way through and I have to agree with Ann Rule. I still don't know! But, I wish I had been in the court room! I don't understand the verdict!

Sabego

I love Ann Rule! I'm glad she's got another book out. :woohoo: Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the good reviews, I bought Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder. Haven't started it quite yet.

Also, I bought earlier "Too Late To Say Goodbye". It's the story of Bart Corbin. He's the dentist who murdered his wife and they discovered he murdered Dolly Hearn, his dental school classmate years earlier. It's absolutely riveting. Extremely hard to put down. I recommend it highly. It's still out on the bookshelves in stores.

tezi said:

I read about Mary Winkler in this new Ann Rule book. Ann didn't change my opinion of Mary in the least. I think Mary got away with cold-blooded murder. For crying out loud, she shot the man in the back while he was asleep! Where I'm from that equals cold-blooded murder.

I did like it when Ann discussed the interview Mary did with Oprah. She said that Oprah appeared to not believe a lot of Mary's answers (my words, not hers). I remember watching the interview, and you could just about see Mary trying to remember the answers she gave while she was on the stand.

There are some good cases in this book. But, I basically borrowed it so I could read about the Winkler case.

Click to expand...

I saw the Oprah interview and noticed that Mary spoke in the passive voice a lot. (I think that's what it's called.) Meaning she'd say something like "and then it happened" or "the gun went off" and so on instead of "I shot him." She seemed to speak around her responsibility. The guy was probably a real jerk, but I felt that she was not being entirely truthful in her interview.

tezi said:

I read about Mary Winkler in this new Ann Rule book. Ann didn't change my opinion of Mary in the least. I think Mary got away with cold-blooded murder. For crying out loud, she shot the man in the back while he was asleep! Where I'm from that equals cold-blooded murder.

I did like it when Ann discussed the interview Mary did with Oprah. She said that Oprah appeared to not believe a lot of Mary's answers (my words, not hers). I remember watching the interview, and you could just about see Mary trying to remember the answers she gave while she was on the stand.

There are some good cases in this book. But, I basically borrowed it so I could read about the Winkler case.

Click to expand...

I totally agree. The evidence showed he hadn't gotten out of the bed yet when he was shot. My guess is he was still asleep, yet she testified that he got up, went to the babies room and held his hand over her mouth and nose to quiet her down, then went back to bed. What a load of BS. His bladder was quite full according to the autopsy. What man do you know who will get up and then go back to bed without going to the bathroom first? I can't imagine what the jurors were thinking. That "poor little me" stuff got me too. I think she killed him because she knew she was in big trouble over that bank stuff. Her scams had gotten their family into deep financial trouble and she didn't want to face the consequences.

That's interesting about the bladder. So true! I guess he could have gotten up, had something to drink and gone back to bed, but otherwise he would have peed first. Learn something new every day.