Eye of the Beholder

The Almost Perfect Murder of Anchorwoman Diane Newton King

By: Lowell Cauffiel

Narrated by: Chris Abernathy

"A fascinating psychological study of an unrepentant murderer" from a New York Times best-selling author (Library Journal).

Battle Creek, Michigan, is famous as the birthplace of breakfast cereal, and the nearby suburb of Marshall is as wholesome as shredded wheat. Well-known for its colorful Victorian mansions, this stately slice of 19th-century Americana became infamous on a frigid night in February of 1991. Newscaster Diane Newton King was stepping out of her car, her children strapped into the backseat, when a sniper's bullet cut her down. The police assumed that the killer was her stalker - a crazed fan who had been terrorizing King for weeks. But as their investigation ground to a standstill, the police turned to another suspect - one much closer to home.

In this gripping retelling of the crime and its aftermath, journalist Lowell Cauffiel recreates the atmosphere of terror that marked King's last days, giving us a story of celebrity, obsession, and what it means to kill.

©1994 Lowell Cauffiel (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Maybe too detailed

I think the book is too detailed, too much of repetition, especially of the interviews, too much of narration trying to use local accents.

Exhaustive but not exhausting

This guy can (could?) write! The book manages to keep multiple narratives in the air without confusing this reader. It’s 20 years old but still fresh and compelling. True Crime written by the best.

Thoroughly Researched Book but UNNECESSARILY WORDY

Endless descriptive filler peppered this audiobook as heard in the following 2 excepts from the very first chapters…

“The King’s house was on the south side, it was the second home a half mile down the road. Deputy Guy Picketts was marking his 13th year of police work: 9 years with the county, 4 years with Marshall PD. He knew the home better than any officer in Calhoun County, he’d lived with his parents in that old 2 story farmhouse in the sixties. He knew the house, he knew the farm’s red and white Victorian barn, he knew the 510 acres that surrounded both … and the stream called Talmadge Creek that bisected the back property. Picketts turned left into the 200 foot driveway eyeing the yard as he drove up the slight incline past a stand of cedars and crooked oaks.”

“It was 7:08 pm (20 minutes from the first police dispatch; 14 minutes since the ambulance had arrived at 16240 Division) when the vehicle swayed and groaned as it made its way out the stone driveway, it turned right on Division Drive and sped away toward Marshall—its siren wailing, its light bleeding into the cold sweeping darkness of the country night.” //

This “Whodunit” regarding the shocking sniper murder of locally popular Diane Newton-King (news anchor of WUHQ-TV in Battle Creek, Michigan) is the focus of this true story. Was a recent threatening stalker the perpetrator? Or maybe a somewhat unhinged relative? The information is well delivered in 62 chapters but quite dryly: though if you want to know what actually occurred, it’s all in here.

A ++++

Lowell is so detailed.. definitely one of my faves..love the narrator ..I'm sure I'll reread it in the near future..

Solid writing spoiled by terrible narration

The true crime story is interesting, but the narrator is extremely distracting. He has a staccato speech pattern and the final word of every sense is clipped and emphasized hard. It's not a natural speaking pattern at all and putting the emphasis on the finally word in a sentence deemphasizes the actual subject of the sentences, making it confusing and difficult to listen to.

Think of a sketch comedy show making fun of William Shatner and his three word phrasing. It reminds me of that.

Can’t Take This guy’s voice!!

I keep getting distracted because he is so monotone!! Wanted to like this because I know this story, he sounds like a robot

The mistakes the police made.

I disliked the psychiatrist input but overall it was a good book.

I will listen to this author again.

Interesting

I have mixed feeling on this case, did he or didn't he do it, why, he had so much more to lose then if she lived. I thought the author did their best to show both sides of the story. I was shocked to find out how Diane was as a person, I don't think she deserved to die but wow the things she said to the one woman and how she put her down is just amazing. I am guessing she treated her family the same way. I think Brad did it but then I think maybe not. I thought this was well written, not over the top with facts, no repeating of the facts. I really enjoyed it.

I thought the narrator was great, loved the emotions he gave his characters, at times he broke my heart with the emotion he gave them. There are no repeating of words, no volume changes, no background noise, it was a very clear audio that I got lost in. The narrator has a pleasant normal voice, great character voices. I really enjoyed listening to him.

Review

I thought this book well written and very interesting. Kept me interested throughout. Thanks for writing it