Poisoned Blood

A True Story of Murder, Passion, and an Astonishing Hoax

By: Philip E. Ginsburg

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 19 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Pretty, smart, and pampered, Audrey Marie Hilley grew up in a small Alabama town believing she was entitled to the best of everything. But marriage to her high school sweetheart, a cushy secretarial job, and motherhood were not enough to satisfy Marie, and she soon began to act out in troubling ways. Only when her husband, Frank, became sick with a mysterious illness, did it seem that she was ready to put someone else's needs ahead of her own. The truth was far more disturbing.

Four years after Frank died, Marie's daughter, Carol, began to experience debilitating stomach pains. The young woman was near death when the horrifying reality finally emerged: Marie had poisoned her husband with arsenic and was attempting to do the same to her daughter. It was the first in a series of shocking twists that exposed Marie Hilley as a cold-blooded chameleon capable of the most sinister of crimes. From Alabama to Florida to New Hampshire, her trail of death and deceit included multiple identities, a second marriage, a false kidnapping, a fake death, several dramatic escapes, and a final act of desperation that brought the whole sordid saga to an astonishing end.

©1987 Philip E. Ginsburg (P)2020 Tantor

Well told

Very detailed with value added background information. I feel for the family and friends whose lives were impacted by this sociopath.

The best book ever

Every minute of this book kept me at the edge of my seat, and when it finished I wanted 15 more hours of the story. What woman. BUY IT

Shocking and disturbing

Very good read, shocking and intriguing. Some parts ran on a bit long for my taste, giving more detail than I felt was necessary. But still worth listening

Wonderful at apeed x1. 5

fantastic true crime book. Organized well. Play at 1.5x speed. Kept me interested and engaged. Story moved forward at a good clip.

Interesting story, somewhat confusing write

The story was very interesting. I found myself wanting to know more right from the beginning. I however did find some parts rather confusing. Some of the names of the characters are the same and instead of distinguishing them during the read by saying a full name or an association, they are simply called by the same one named monitor through out, leaving the listener to determine who is being spoken about. There are also many parts that reiterated many times over in length making the listen much longer than needed. Overall, I’m glad I listened, I just feel the writer could have been more thorough with characters and shortened some areas that I found unnecessary to “re-listen” to.

You sure do get your money's worth

like a lot of other listeners, I was impressed with how the quality of this book sustained itself across many, many hours. it was impeccably researched and written. Very enjoyable. there was almost, but ultimately not, too much time devoted to her trial. overall, it's the kind of book you wish there were more of these days in the true crime genre. I can only imagine the immense amount of work that went into it. well done all around.

Diabolical

The narrator sounds a bit like the guy from the dry eyes commercial but the story makes up for it. There are some crazy twists and turns that kept me fascinated until the end. Very unique story and worth the listen.

Enjoyed

Fascinating life story of Audrey Marie Hilley and her “loved” ones that suffered at her hand.

What a mind-bending yarn!

This true story from the 70s-80s is unbelievable, but apparently it really happened. Very well researched and documented because many participants across many States were pulled into the intrigue by a manipulative wife. The story is so well written and narrated I listened almost continuously as my circumstances would allow - almost 20 hours but it does not "feel" that long because the listener is anxious to see if another shoe will drop. I am left feeling sympathy for her children and other family members that were affected by the devious and diabolical Mrs. Hilley. Great book.

Overly slow reader

The ghost of Miss Hilly slipped this man some sleeping pills before every recording session. There’s no real blood and gore in this thing so he should have kept the pace clipping along like a tight thriller.