The Preacher's Son: A True Story of Murder in North Carolina

By Lynn Chandler Willis

Book Overview

Patricia Blakley's vow to love, honor, and obey... Pleasant Garden, North Carolina seemed like a God-fearing community where simple dreams came true. For Patricia Blakley it was church on Sundays and a loving family. Her prayers were answered in Ted Kimble, a fellow Christian and son of a local preacher. Then one afternoon, Patricia's charred body was found among the remains of her burned-out home. But it wasn't an out-of-control fire that killed sweet Patricia Kimble. It was a bullet to the back of the skull. Soon Ted Kimble's wall of lies came tumbling down... ...became a pact with the devil... The investigation not only revealed the cold-blooded motive behind the crime, but the startling revelation that Ted Kimble's own flesh and blood helped him. How could a woman of such purity and innocence fall in love with such irredeemable evil? Through Patricia's heartbreaking diary entries and interviews with friends and family, Preacher's Son answers the question in a stunning tale of blind love, deadly secrets, and murder that would forever shatter the security and calm of Pleasant Garden.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312978073
• ISBN13: 9780312978075
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent True Crime

I really enjoyed this book, especially considering that I live close to where this took place. The author did a good job of developing the characters and the story moved at a good pace.Great book.

Patricia was so special.

Patricia Blakely fell in love with her husband- to- be a long time before Ted Kimble, a fellow Christian, began to return her affection.What Patricia did not know was that Ted was desperate to marry in order to obtain a store he had been promised. He had previously proposed to Patricia's cousin, Janet and when she wanted to wait, Ted began to court Patricia instead, even giving her the same ring he had intended for Janet!This is the best true crime book I have read this year. It is written with warmth and empathy and I hope to read more from Lynn Chandler-Willis in time to come.

You'll Know Them As If You Grew UP With Them

I don't usually read this type of book, but when I saw that Lynn was going to be at the Greensboro Public Library, I thought why not go and meet her. As a reciently published author myself, I was trying to learn a bit about my new trade and perhaps make a few connections, but I bought a copy anyway.After reading Unholy Covenant, I felt as if I had known every character in the book all my life. Lynn was very close to this story as she covered it for the local newspaper there in Plesant Garden, NC. where the murder took place, and this allowed her to have a perspective that is seldom available to an author. If you like reading murder mysteries then you'll love Unholy Covenant. It's the type of book you can't put down. I'd rate it ten stars. Billy Jones author, Carrot On A Stick

A Captivating Book!

This book is 294 pages of captivation! Your interest stays with you throughout the book. I found myself unable to lay the book down! Lynn Chandler-Willis does a great job in telling this unfortuante story. Her chapters are descriptive enough so that it's easy to invision what you read. For anyone looking for a true crime story to read, I highly recommend this book! Also included are 8 pages of black and white photos. It was such a good book that I hated to see it come to an end.

Once you start reading, you can't put it down!

Having lived in the community where this true tragedy takes place, I was reliving every moment of the gory details of this insane murder while reading "Unholy Covenant". Lynn Chandler-Willis has recreated the incidents with spellbinding details and incite into the minds and hearts of everyone concerned with this murder case. It was a senseless murder of a beautiful young woman concocted by her husband for his own selfish, monetary gain. Chandler-Willis has definitely come across with a writing style in this book that is intended to keep the reader hooked from the first page to the last! I wish her much success with "Unholy Covenant", her first published book, and look forward to any other books she may write in the future.