Lovers of Deceit

Mike Gallagher, you have a fan in me! This is one reader who thinks you are 1st rate! My only regret is that I cannot find other true crime books you have authored. Judging by this one, I would stay up all night reading them. I simply could not put this book down. The Warmus case was fascinating in the way that certain cases with nearly unbelievable twists and turns can be. The temptation for an author in a situation like this one is to use information from the myriad headlines--and in "The Fatal Attraction" case, there were many!--but Gallagher did not take the easy way out. Instead, he brilliantly researched the case, sharing details and behind the scene information that every true crime afficionado appreciates. We learn about the background, fascinating quirks, and bizarre previous infatuations of Carolyn Warmus. We get to savor the juicy details of her foray into the world of private investigation, and how it relates to the murder of Betty Jeanne Solomon. We learn of the complicated relationships within and relating to the Solomon family (some so off-the-wall that you feel as if you are reading scandalous fiction!). Yet at the same time, Gallagher manages to give each of the principals a voice, and you feel as if you know them somehow. After reading the book, it was crystal clear that Warmus is guilty, yet you find yourself wondering how it felt to be Paul Solomon, husband of the murder victim. He was never seriously implicated in the crime, and I personally do not believe he in any way assisted Warmus--for her, killing Betty Jeanne was simply an expedient way to remove the obstacle she believe was thwarting her plan to rush off to the altar with him. Yet, despite her efforts it was doubtful she could have ever realized this goal. A passage in the book regarding a bat mitzvah he attended with Betty Jeanne shortly before the murder made it obvious that despite their ups-and-downs, Paul did love her in his own way, and they enjoyed happy family times and loyal friendships as a couple. It must have been excruciatingly painful for him knowing that it was his adulterous relationship that deprived his wife of her very life, his daughter of her mother, and her friends and family of someone they loved. His is a sad tale of the tragedy that can result from an eye roving in the wrong direction. Would be good reading for any married man who asks himself "What harm could it possibly do?" Paul Solomon is one who could answer that question...Thanks again, Mr. Gallagher for your tour de force tale; truly "true crime" at its most fascinating.