My take on: I'll Take Care of You

Every time I watch an episode of Snapped or 48 Hours I am stunned at the overwhelming stupidity and lack of humanity displayed by people who think they can get away with murder. Nanette Johnston Packard and Eric Naposki are prime examples. Both of them are responsible for the murder of millionaire Bill McLaughlin. It took 15 years before either of them saw the inside of the courtroom. Fortunately both of them are where they belong -- in prison. Caitlin Rother details the case in her latest book I'll Take Care You.

On December 15, 1994 Kevin McLaughlin made a call that no son should every have to make. He had to call 911 after finding his father's bloody body in their home. Bill McLaughlin had been shot multiple times. Who did it? Why? Early speculation centered on one of Bill's former business partners and.....his much younger live-in girlfriend Nanette. Soon the investigation would center on Nanette and Eric Naposki, one of her many boyfriends she had on the side. While police were certain of Nanette and Eric's guilt, the case stalled for more than a decade. Both of them got to move on. Both of them dated other people. Both of them had more children. Both of them got to enjoy their lives for more than a decade -- something they denied to Bill McLaughlin and his children Kim, Jenny, and Kevin.

The book is as detailed as possible when it comes to Nanette's background. Nanette was a bit of a mystery -- even to the people who knew her. She told lies on top of lies, on top of lies, on top of lies. Her educational background, career, and family life were nothing but a farce. Reading the book, she just sounds like a fictional character. She let people think she was a great mother, when in reality she let her ex-husband have custody of her older children. Her children seemed more like props. They served their purpose only when necessary. She let people think she was a great businesswoman, when in reality she helped herself to Bill's money before and after his death. I don't get the mystique of con artists like her. What do people see in people like her? I don't know that I got the answer from the book. I just felt sad and angry that a person like this can exert so much power over other people. She didn't people the trigger, but she got Eric Naposki to do it.

With fiction I can get over the evil deeds that people do. It's so different with non-fiction. This really happened. A man lost his life because of the greed of others. If not for some advances in ballistics technology, who knows if this case would have gone to trial. It was a cold case for more than a decade.

I really was drawn into this story. I read most of this book during my commute to work. I sacrificed my morning naps on the train because I was so engrossed in the story, and I think that's the mark of good writing!! If you're a fan of true-crime books, than this is one for you.

Rating: Superb

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher (Kensington Publishing Corp.) at the request of the author as part of a blog tour.