Circle of Fire: Murder and Betrayal in the "Swiss Nanny" Case

This book was very interesting and grabbed my attention. I live in Valhalla, NY (about 1 mile from Thornwood, NY). I know Louis Alagno, and Greg Wind (police lieutenant and fire chief in the book). Louis Alagno is now my Boy Scout leader, and Chief of Police for Mount Pleasant, NY (Thornwood, Valhalla, and Hawthorne). After reading this book, I talked to them. They recall the incident clearly, and say that this book is not exaggurated at all.

I think that Ms. Egginton's book is far superior to Don Davis's book, "The Nanny Murder Trial." Ms. Egginton includes information about Olivia Riner which Mr. Davis either did not know or simply neglected to include in his book. Until I read this book, I did not know that Olivia had stolen a whole bag full of baby clothes from the Fischer family. (How do Olivia's supporters explain that?) The passage from Olivia's diary in which she wished that her previous employer, the German doctor, would die was also bizarre. Ms. Egginton builds a persuasive case against Olivia Riner. She explains why Olivia's alibi is not believable, and she rebuts the false charges that Olivia's defense team raised against John Gallagher and Leah Fischer. Ms. Egginton identifies the Fischer family member who made the infamous "barbecue" remark which was erroneously attributed to John Gallagher. Ms. Egginton explains that the remark was actually made by one of Kristie Fischer's paternal uncles, and Ms. Egginton makes it clear that the uncle was only joking and was not malicious. One of the most fascinating parts of this book was the final chapter. I thought that the similarities between Olivia's situation and the cases of the murderous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century nursemaids were both amazing and disturbing. By the time I finished this book, I was one hundred percent certain that Olivia Riner was guilty. I was also deeply moved by Ms. Egginton's account of the extended Fischer family's history and the other tragedies that they had already endured. My only complaint is that Ms. Egginton occasionally criticizes Olivia for alleged shortcomings which have nothing to do with the crime. What does it matter that Olivia didn't wear makeup when she went out to eat? I also do not agree with Ms. Egginton that Olivia's long hair "should have been either braided or cut short." I am a long-haired woman, and I resented Ms. Egginton's irrelevant beauty tips. Another portion of Ms. Egginton's book that annoyed me was a set of quotes by Linda Sawyer, an early defender of Olivia who eventually turned on her. According to Ms. Sawyer, Olivia was "screwed up about sex" because she was proud of being a virgin. Virgins are NOT "screwed up about sex," and virginity is NOT evil! I am a virgin, and I resented the connection that Ms. Egginton drew between virginity and criminality. I would have given this book five stars if Ms. Egginton had omitted the snide remarks about Olivia's hair, her failure to wear makeup, and her lack of sexual experience.