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

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.

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!

Don't judge an Audiobook by it's cover

Would you consider the audio edition of Evil Beside Her to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version, but I prefer audiobooks.

What did you like best about this story?

The dilemma Linda was faced with - she couldn't leave James, so she stayed with him hoping he was caught and put away for life.

What does Debbie Andreen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Overall, I thought she was very good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not an extreme reaction, but definitely felt anger towards James and could sympathize with Linda's plight.

Any additional comments?

The cover looks really cheesy but don't let that fool you, if your a true crime fan. This is a good book.

With class!

Narrator of Kathryn Casey’s books are excellent and bring class to the audible experience
This book/story was very well written and read

Cant fathom this marriage!

This woman lived through hell, but I have to put out my frustration: One quick judgment about my feelings listening to the book: Author makes a bit too many excuses for the wife staying in her marriage. I think she made a lot of bad excuses to stay in the marriage. I think she wanted to be cared for by a man. Nothing wrong with that except that he was a horrible person. Not that he was rich, but she loved it when she was a soldiers wife. Loved her experience as part of a community. Once she found out about first rapes and stalking, she should have left. Period. Having children with him was a horrible idea. Then her child turns out to be female. He should never be around a female child, given his background. This idea of staying to get evidence is a hard to a accept bc she knew she couldn’t be witness as his wife. She literally couldn’t catch him.
That aside, I feel horrible for this woman and all she went through. For all this guy’s victims. He’s typical Peeping Tom turn Rapist. The next elevation would have been to murdering the women he raped so there’s no witness. And the reality of “helping” a deviant like this to change his ways is nearly impossible.
Despite my rift on her staying in the marriage, this lady did a whole lot to help bring justice to him for his victims. Rape is difficult case to prove, and hard for victim’s to live thru. She did a great job and never stopped prodding police that her husband was a monster.

Unreal

If you could sum up Evil Beside Her in three words, what would they be?

This is one of the best books I have read! Kathryn Casey is a master at true stories! I was surprised at the end of the book telling how to keep this rapist in jail!

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The story

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When they finally caught the rapist

Any additional comments?

READ THIS BOOK!

Good read

I liked the story but I didn’t like the lady reading the book. I didn’t like her fake accents

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.

Great book!!

Enjoyed the book. Author did a great job telling story. Maintained my interest throughout. Never a dull moment.