Sleeping With the Devil

By Suzanne Finstad

Book Overview

An account of the murder of former beauty queen Barbara Piotrowski describes how her fitness junkie, Texas millionaire husband harassed his wife after she left him and then hired a gunman to kill her.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688083579
• ISBN13: 9780688083571
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Length: 382 Pages
• Weight: 1.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

one of the very best true crime books

This is not your average true crime book! The story of Barbra Piotrowski and Richard Minns is the quintessential narcissistic relationship. It is fascinating to see just how manipulative and successful a narcissist can become, using family, friends, strangers, hired thugs, the legal system, and law enforcement to seduce, posess, and nearly destroy the life of his victim. A self-made local celebrity, Minns lived the ultimate narcissistic existance, honing his body at the gym (which he owned), bleaching his hair at the beauty shop, keeping a wife and kids in one house while openly escorting his much younger, blonde, beautiful "fiance" around the same town, in front of his own kids and friends of his real family. As other reviewers pointed out, Barbra, though the victim of monstrous and unbelievable manipulation, was too much of a user to be a truly sympathetic character, as the author attempted to portray her. She was definitely an opportunist. I don't think this hurts the book, though. The reader obviously draws her own conclusions about the character of Barbra and will not be led by the author. And, ultimately, no one deserves the mind-bending gaslighting and physical abuse Barbra went through, let alone the horrible crime which finally ended the relationship. This book is truly riveting. The term page-turner could have been invented to describe this book. It stacks up to the best of Ann Rule, which from me is the ultimate accolade.

Gripping tale of murder and obsession

Heard the taped version of SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL by Suzanne Finstad, a true crime story about a Texas beauty queen and the self-made millionaire who loved her . . . or so it seemed . . . then his world fell apart and he blamed her . . . that is, before he attempted to kill her . . . I now see why I like these type books better than typical mysteries . . . I'm reading one now (the latest by Mary Higgins Clark), and there is just no comparison . . . this is so much better! . . . it makes you feel like you really know the characters, and you find yourself hoping--against all odds--that the ending is going to differ from what really happened . . . my only disappointment was in the ending, but that was not because of the author; rather, somebody seemed to get away with murder--or something very close to it . . . if you're in the mood for a gripping tale of obsession and murder, this is the book for you!

I couldn't put this book down!

Sleeping With the Devil is a totally engrossing true story of murder, passion, and betrayal. I never thought real life could be this interesting!