Almost Paradise

The East Hampton Murder of Ted Ammon

By: Kieran Crowley

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

For the audience that read Maria Flook's New York Times bestseller, Invisible Eden, this is the extraordinary story of a high-stakes murder case set in the high society world of East Hampton - the playground of New York's superrich.

On October 22, 2001, handsome multimillionaire financier Ted Ammon was found bludgeoned to death in the magnificent East Hampton mansion he'd built with his beautiful - and volatile - wife, Generosa. She stood to make millions, but it wasn't the money that made Ted's friends suspicious: Generosa Ammon had a history of violent outbursts and bizarre obsessions.

A talented decorator, Generosa had fashioned a lavish lifestyle for her husband and their two children, divided between Fifth Avenue, the Long Island estate, and a manor house in England. But when Generosa discovered Ted had a mistress, her demons were unleashed.

She began a very public affair with Danny Pelosi, a strikingly handsome womanizer who was also her electrician. She called him her "tool belt guy." But he was also an ex-con with a mile-long rap sheet who was suspected of playing a pivotal role in Ted's murder and the final destruction of a once-perfect family.

In Almost Paradise, New York Times bestselling author Kieran Crowley, who has covered the Ammon case from the time it broke, recreates the three tumultuous lives that intersected fatally in East Hampton that fall. He tracks Generosa's lonely transformation from angry teenager - orphaned, unwanted, and abused - to temperamental Manhattan artist and Society Wife. He follows the rambunctious odyssey that transformed Danny Pelosi from banking executive's privileged son, to street fighter and down-on-his luck alcoholic, to unsuccessful contractor charged with murder. And he chronicles the charmed life and tragic death of Ted Ammon, whose money and status couldn't save him from the machinations of those around him and his ultimate brutal demise.

©2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved; 2005 Kieran Crowley

twists and turns a-plenty

This book had deep detail on the background of the characters and the journey from all is fine to things getting really bad. A true story, but read like fiction. Enjoyed it

Interesting Case

Interesting telling of this perhaps more well-known case...very detailed and well-researched...at times maybe too many details...not certain. But it is still very good book, good narration, and worth the time.

Enjoyed every minute

Great book! Excellent narration! If you like deep psychological dives and the drama of divorce in high society this is the book for you!

Hated the narration.

i couldnt get past the horrible narration. I stopped listening by 3rd chapter. I've tried to listen each time.. i stop after 5-6 mins. narrator is horrible n cheesy

Engaging

She is now one of my favorite true crime authors and the performance keeps me interested and not bored, like some others do.

Great read. Pathetic group of "adults".

As is too often the case, the true victims in this case are the children. Their very adoption was disingenuous and self-serving by the adopting parents, and nobody cared.
Surrounded by these types of people their entire childhood will certainly have devastating consequences. we can only pray for their success in life, despite all the odds.

Thrilling, but I could still hit Pause

Mr. Crowley must have been the New York Post reporter on this case! Some of the details “seen by a Post reporter” are very specific. It’s been superb, except for the more announcer-voice type narrator. He must have been a radio announcer or done sports play-by-play, as opposed to a trained actor, where his performance is more presentational rather than coming from internal emotion. The author does a phenomenal job, with even some poetic sections, keeping the tension moving without making it too exciting, so I wasn’t tempted to binge-listen.

Super true crime story, well done by all

Strong characters. Book drew me in from first paragraph to the very end.
I do remember when this happened, and thought back then "what a waste of a good man, and for what?

Superb Journalism of Obsessive Needs in Domination

This book was a recommended read by a relative who works for the Department of Defence, as a blueprint to write a dossier. It was so engrossing I failed to learn anything the first time through. I was charmed by the meticulous relay of events that kept me spellbound. I had to go through a second time with a hard copy to actually view it as a craft. The audacity that overcomes people who must dominate others around them second by second of every day, is a frightening glimpse into demonology. To understand crimes, you do have to visit the criminal mind.

Wow! This was a fascinating story!

I highly recommend this book, if you are interested in true crime that isn't very gory. I like crazy-but-true stories of family betrayal, greed and madness..and this has it all! This story has so much drama, but the author brought out the humanity of all the main players in this story (even terrible people can have surprisingly good qualities).
What I found unique about this author's storytelling is that, unlike many other writers of this genre, it doesn't rely heavily on court transcripts or easily found information as filler. I look forward to more titles by this author.