The Bone Garden: The Chilling True Story of a Female Serial Killer

By William P. Wood

Book Overview

She looked like everyone's grandmother: white-haired, plump, bespectacled, and kindly. Only Dorothea Montalvo Puente's eyes, black and hard behind her glasses, hinted at the evil that lurked within. She was the rarest of murderers, a female serial killer-probably the most cold-blooded ever recorded in the annals of crime.

This shocking story of the gruesome murder of seven men for profit comes from bestselling author William P. Wood, the Deputy D.A. who had earlier prosecuted Puente for drugging and robbing elderly people. He knew intimately the malice that coursed through her veins, and thought he had seen the last of this callous and calculating woman. But her chameleon-like deviousness helped her reappear as a sweet, benevolent landlord--and later allowed her to escape police custody as they stood in her yard surrounded by the gaping graves. The Bone Garden chronicles the discoveries that ignited a media firestorm and transfixed a nation, putting an entirely new face on evil in this country.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1620455226
• ISBN13: 9781620455227
• Release Date: May 2014
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

educational & frightening

My favorite question is “how could someone be so terrible?” I love reading books about various true stories and events and asking that question. From start to finish my question was answered, all the way to the bone-chilling last words of the epilogue. All 38 chapters, each one a perfect length and packed with info, will haunt me.

How many bones were left unturned?

Author William P. Wood successfully prosecuted Dorothea Montalvo Puente, a serial killer, for lesser crimes years before the murders occurred. In his book, Mr. Woods openly second guesses himself and others as he chronicles the life and misdeeds of Mrs. Puente. The story is well written in an almost conversational fashion. Refreshingly for this reader, few pages are devoted to the trial itself. The most poignant lesson of the life of gracious and grandmotherly Dorothea Puente is that looks can be deceiving. If you are intrigued by serial killers or true crime stories, this is an excellent book.

Xcellent Page Turning From Start To Finish!

being a true crime fanatic, I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down and often comical how this old lady could manage to doop even well trained law enforcement into believeing her crazy lies of self pity and even her cold blooded murder sprees went undetected by so many for years until 1 family finally got a great District attorney (whom came back to his job just for this case)to help them and someone finally listened to this crazy story! this book was wrote by the D.A. who has so much depth and insight in this story that that makes it even better! i wish we only had more dedicated D.A'S like the writer WILLIAM WOOD. he can definately give anne rule a run for the money! this is a shocking true crime of greed,and money that is to me still unbelievable! its a page turner and at times you will even laugh at how smart this diabolic old woman really is!SHES BRAZEN and its beyond me how she got away with so MUCH before she was finally stopped!again I look forward to any books "william wood (true crime only)puts out in the future months.good job and I more then welcome a note from Mr. Wood.. thanx for the great read. xcellent story I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!felinechar@aol.com