Evil Beside Her

The True Story of a Texas Woman's Marriage to a Dangerous Psychopath

By: Kathryn Casey

Narrated by: Debbie Andreen

At first, Linda Bergstrom's marriage to her husband James was idyllic. They were young and in love; he was about to enter the Navy and she was eager to start a family. But it wasn't long before the dream exploded. James became abusive and violent, prone to sudden bursts of anger, long silences, and unexplained disappearances. But Linda vowed to hold on, despite the pain and fear...and her disturbing suspicions about her husband's secret life.

Then, not long after their move to Houston, Texas, she made a terrifying discovery: James's hidden cache containing duct tape, a ski mask, and handcuffs. No longer could Linda Bergstrom deny the hideous truth.

The man she lived with, the man she married for love, was a dangerous psychopath. And there was no escape and nowhere to run. Because no one - not her friends, the Navy, or the police - would believe her.

©1995 Kathryn Casey (P)2013 Kathryn Casey

Mouth Noises Galore

Good gawd if you have misophonia dont listen to this book! The narrator's voice is not only annoying, it sounds like she has a mouth full of peanut butter!

Interesting listen that was time well spent.

What did you love best about Evil Beside Her?

I loved that he was finally convicted after a long time, both in actual time and during the audible story.

Would you be willing to try another book from Kathryn Casey? Why or why not?

Yes

Have you listened to any of Debbie Andreen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I thought that the narrator was good. I would listen to her again.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Nothing stands out but there were many little nuances that have come up since listening.

Any additional comments?

By the time that he was convicted, I was really fed up with the main character. I got very tired of hearing her justifications and how perfect and innocent she was. Her decision to stay and stay wore on me and her excuses seemed thin and pointless. I found her to be sniveling and whiny after many hours of listening.

the patience and perseverance of this guy's ex wife and daughter.

I like the chronological and thorough investigation and recounting of this story. I think it was just a matter of time before this guy would have committed murder. our criminal justice system needs some overhaul. God Bless all those souls who became the victims.

Evil in every sense

I truly find it amazing that someone has to live the life they do in fear of themselves and their child. And to think she called the police many times but no one believed her. I feel sorry for her and her daughter for the hell the monster put them through and wish them happiness in their future. May the man/monster who did this stay behind bars forever.
I made a promise many years ago to a friend that I would never talk about the horrible things her son did to people and spent over 17 years in prison for it so that promise and this book makes be believe I should not have made the promise.
I received this free for an honest review from the author or narrator.

This reader drove me a little crazy.

The story is from the POV of the wife Linda. For some reason the reader does a voice for her that basically sounds like Snow White. It like honestly turned me against this poor woman. Linda has the most dialogue since we are in her perspective all the time and the naive fairy princess voice is enraging.

For other people in the book the reader used voices that range from cartoonish to honestly kind of offensive accent work. Just like, don’t do voices! Trust your audience.

The books writing is kind of mid. Too many adverbs. Additionally this woman’s motivations are kind of baffling. I fully understand how hard it is to leave a bad relationship but this woman makes some awful choices that aren’t really addressed.