The Count and the Confession: A True Mystery

I started this book two days ago and I find it hard to tear myself away from it...although I have not yet finished this book, I felt the need to write a review because no other reviews had yet been written and I wanted to share the wonderful news: this is a good one, folks! It is a well-laid-out and neutrally written true mystery. If this is the sort of book you enjoy, don't pass it up. I am fairly certain that you will find yourself totally engrossed after the first few pages.

It's not difficult to know who really killed the subject early on, but to quote a sentence in the book, "It also said the courts were a crapshoot." This true crime story is a good one. An individual who critiqued this story stated there was too much detail. I thought the detail was necessary as the story progressed; it was essential! Beverly Monroe, a PhD, an accused and convicted murderer, has a story of great interest. On the State's side you have the motivation to find the guilty person and the details of dastardly deeds, and on the Defense side, you have the myriad of motions and just plain work to try to prove innocence. What a spider's web this story becomes. A fine read worth 5 stars.

Murder mysteries, both fiction and non-fiction, are generally driven by one of three questions, or by some combination thereof : (1) Who done it?; (2) How'd they do it?; and/or (3) Why'd they do it? One of the things that makes John Taylor's The Count and the Confession so engaging is that the true-life crime at its core not only involves all three of these questions but, remarkably enough, a rarely asked fourth question : Was there even a murder? There's certainly a body. In 1992, Roger de la Burde--a thoroughgoing scoundrel, though he styled himself a Polish count--was found dead in his locked Powhatan County, Virginia house with a single gunshot wound to the head and the proverbial smoking gun in his hand. To all appearances it was a case of suicide, but eventually his lover of thirteen years, Beverly Monroe, would be convicted of his murder, a verdict aided greatly by Ms Monroe's own confession that she was present when the gun fired. Over the course of the book, as Mr. Taylor walks back the cat on this case, two elements emerge as the keys to what may well have been a miscarriage of justice. First he explores the deplorable character of Roger de la Burde, who in addition to not actually being a count was also a serial womanizer--having left his wife for Ms Monroe and having impregnated another woman at the time of his death, among his many sexual exploits--and a dealer in bogus artworks. He was also mired in a lawsuit with his former employer, Phillip Morris, which seems to have been a groundless attempt to extort money from them. He was also extraordinarily manipulative. One of the of the highlights of the book is his will, which is a model of self-absorption, judgmentalism, and how not to treat your daughters. All of this makes him pretty entertaining to read about but it's surpassing hard to mind that he's dead, whether by his own hand or at that of another. Meanwhile, Beverly Monroe captivates us because on the one hand she seems reasonably pulled together, well-educated, financially independent, seemingly a good mom. But on the other, she tolerated de la Burde's shenanigans, including knowing that he was trying to have a "male heir" by just about any woman who was willing, and she made that confession. And that's the second element that Mr. Taylor focuses on : why would beverly Monroe confess to being there when de la Burde died if she wasn't? It is here that a sort of villain emerges, David Riley, chief investigator for the county. Riley determined to his own satisfaction that the position in which de la Burde was lying and the way he was holding the gun indicated not suicide but murder and he settled upon Beverly Monroe as the culprit. He then used a variety of techniques, from a lie detector test that he informed her she'd failed to commiserating about how badly de la Burde had treated her to threats about how the prosecution might portray her to an oft repeated, nearly hypnotic suggestion that, even if she didn't kill

I just finished reading this book and am urging my friends to read it fast so I can discuss it with them without ruining it for them!This is a true crime mystery told with meticulous attention to detail. It is totally engrosssing, and even a little unsettling, as it presents a scenario in which one can see that it IS really possible for an innocent person to be suspected of a crime. (But then again....IS she innocent???!!!) In any case, this is a woman who, in most respects, is just like the nicest lady in any neighborhood.Throughout most of the book, I was torn between what I felt and how the evidence was stacking up in my mind. The strength of the book, I felt, was that it portrayed each character with such authenticity. From the victim to the overzealous investigator, from the children of the suspect to each attorney involved in the case...this is a mystery that hinges on personalities, and I thought the writer did a very thorough and even-handed job with his presentation of each one.Most of all, however, and of greatest concern is the irrefutable "story" that exists in records and transcripts of this case from the investigation through the most recent appeal. It is so disturbing to see what weighty consequences can hinge on the personal foibles of those in our justice system. This particularly struck me, as I am also a very nice lady, just like Beverly Monroe, who has a natural respect and trust in that system.I do have better taste in boyfriends, however!Great book...wonderful grist for the debate mill! I can't wait for my friends to read it!

i loved this book. from the first page i was literally drawn into the most compelling story...the writer's descriptions of thing make you feel as if you are right there.i read everything "true crime" that i can get my hands on and this is the best to come along in a LONG time...FABULOUS!