Murder So Cold: A Father's Deadly Rage, A Daughter's Tragic Legacy

By Patricia Springer

Book Overview

On Wednesday, September 28, 1994, in Portage, Michigan, seven-year-old Candace Smith's world crumbled when her father, Russ, told her that mommy had run away with another man. But he wouldn't say why the bathroom upstairs was a wreck, with blood in the sink. Or what was in the barrel loaded into the back of his pickup as he drove Candace to her grandparents' house miles out of state. Married for eight years, the Smiths seemed the perfect couple. Neighbours couldn't believe that doting mom Khris would ever have abandoned her daughter. After her disappearance, Russ Smith completely remodelled the upstairs bathroom. He also dramatically changed his lifestyle, sporting flashy clothes and dating strippers. Worse, his relationship with Candace was discovered to be dark and disturbing, culminating with the courts taking custody of the child. Through it all, Khris Smith remained among the missing, and the case ground to a halt. Four years passed before the Smith file was reopened, by an elite squad of cold case investigators.Painstaking interviews of those closest to the Smiths brought a crucial statement to light, and Russ Smith, now engaged and living happily in Florida, was picked up by the detectives. On an eight hour drive back to Michigan, he told a story- a story of narcissism, rage, and murder so cold...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0074D13AW
• ISBN13: 9780786015825
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

Great crime story, great read

Did not put this book down from start to finish, kept me up all, but well worth the sacrifice. This was just one of those great reads that tugged at the heartstrings, and kept me wanting more. True crime at it's finest.

great book

Patricia Springer does it again, with another very well written story of a man who nearly gets away with the murder of his young wife. He fabricates this fantastic story of how his wife just up and left one day, supposedly for another man, leaving him and his daughter behind. The neighbors immediatley are suspicious, and report their concerns. Everyone that knew her, said she would of never left her daugher, that they were extremely close! You will read how it took over the course of years, to try and find something to tie him to the murder. Investigators try so hard to get a confession, because they really didnt have much else. But a very clever detective uses his talents to come up with a way to close the case, even so, the body was never found.

Great book, but...

The Father, who killed his wife Christine, does not come off as so terrible. He does not seem like a monster ( as he should be seen). I guess this is the writer's way of telling us that he was not, and that due to circumstances that he could not handle in an appropriate way (leaving his wife) he killed his wife. A profile of this case is on the Doe network. They have still not found the body.

Chilling Depths

I've now enjoyed my third book by this author. Murder so cold is suspensful, a haunting tail. Springer manages to capture the reader with graphic detail and conveys emotions with each paragraph. it surprising how many victims this killer could've had. A truly twisted individual.

This Crazy Guy ALMOST Got Away With It!!!

hi,I FIND THIS BOOK WAS HARD TO PUT DOWN. THE STORY IS WELL WROTE BY THE AUTHOR AND I TELL YA WHAT A STORY. THIS GUY KILLED HIS WIFE IN HER OWN SHOWER, PLACED HER BODY IN A 55 GALLON DRUM HER GOT FROM HIS WORK PLACE ,(SEARS),,PLACED THE DRUM IN THE BACK OF HIS TRUCK AND RODE AROUND WITH IT FOR , 4 DAYS. HE THEN TOOK IT TO HIS FORMER NEIGHBORS FUNERAL HOME AND CREAMATED HER!!I WONT GIVE AWAY THE ENDING BUT HE PLAYED A GREAT CAT AND MOUSE GAME WITH THE POLICE FOR 4 YEARS.. A REMARKABLE STORY! HARD TO PUT DOWN!