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 & Company
• Length: 382 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

good book but..

..As much as I'm sure Barbra is a nice girl,and while she definitely didn't deserve what happened to her,I can't say that she had no culpability in the matter.She had many chances to get away from what was once her dream guy,but she refused to do it.I think they both had dependent personalities;whether that was from a violent incident in Barbra's past,or rather if she saw Minns as a father figure of sorts and needed that,I have to wonder.But she definitely would have been better off leaving him and the material items to be, and fleeing the area.Why on earth she didn't,I don't know, as I can't beleive it was because,like she said, it would have been easier to link Minns to any violence brought against her.It seems she was still secretly hoping they would get back together. As far as Barbra saying she couldn't afford to travel back and forth for the theft hearings ..what's more important than your life??? While she was right that she did have the right to be in Tx (or anywhere she wanted to live),and even though she didn't want to let Minns get the best of her by feeling that he'd run her out of town,I can understand that, but-she was given a warning that things could get dangerous if she didn't get out of there.I think I would have left asap. I kept thinking Minns had a lot of signs of bipolar disorder,and when I got to the part where it stated a Dr. had been telling him for years he had manic depression,I thought ..BINGO ! It does sound like maybe his untreated illness played a part in what happened to Barbra.(paranoia from it).It's a shame he wasn't committed and treated for it,but I'm guessing his money and connections would have bought him a way out of it anyway.I don't know if Barbra,having some health care knowledge and background,realized what was wrong with him,but I can't help but think she did, and was hoping he would pull out of his latest mood swing.Unfortunately,untreated BPD only tends to get worse over time.I'm not making excuses for Minns and for what he did(it also sounds like he lacks a conscience,termed antisocial personality disorder),but it's a shame Barbra didn't realize how serious the situation was and get out of there.I don't understand why she moved back to that same city either,and stayed awhile,even after another scary incident occurred that indicated Minns was behind it. This is definitely a book with lots of things to ponder.In the end,Barbra sounds like a strong woman who made great strides to overcome her disability,in spite of all that happened to her.That's much to be proud of,and I hope she is. :) *I want to add one thing here,Barbra testified in a court of law,under oath,that she knew Minns was married when she arrived in Tx,and that the townhouse he bought,and it's contents, belonged to him.I can't help but wonder how her lawyer thought that could be changed.It would mean Barbra would have to admit she lied.Also,the impromptu wedding Minns performed was done while he was still married.Would that have held

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.

Sleeping With The Devil

As a professor of Women's Health, I want to be sure to remind all women to read "Sleeping With The Devil" by Suzanne Finstad. It is one of the best texts out there that describe in mind-shattering detail the intricacies and hidden subtleties of toxic relationships. I have found Ms. Finstad's meticulously researched story of Barbara Piotrowski to be one of the best educational and life-saving assignments that I can give to my students. Thank you, Suzanne. Your insight and biographical genius continue to amaze me.

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!