Elizabeth Parker (8)

"Poison Candy" provides an in-depth look at the Dippolito murder-for-hire case where Dalia conspired to have her husband Mike murdered. The story is something out of a Hollywood movie: boiler room scams, felons, prostitution, drugs, a less than year-long marriage, and an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to both Dalia and Mike's downfalls. Dalia, painted to be a woman to whom no man could say no, had affairs, one of her "friends with benefits", Mohammed, being the one to turn her into the police in an attempt at escaping prosecution. Dalia caught him in her web of lies and Mohammed knew if he didn't do something, he would be implicated when Mike turned up dead.

Police hatched a plan to videotape the murder-for-hire meetings and went so far as to stage a murder scene to test Dalia's reaction, enlisting the help of the reality television series COPS (who happened to have been riding along) to make it look all the more authentic. Under the guise of being a news crew, COPS films Dalia's reaction to the news that her husband has been murdered (something she knows because she financed the hit). When she later finds out Mike (who she had been stealing money and property from, had turned into the police to have his probation violated on several occasions, and has planted drugs on in an attempt at sending him back to jail) is alive, she looks to downplay what she had attempted to do, saying it was an elaborate plot to get a reality television show.

The book starts fast, with several chapters offering an inside look at Mike and Dalia's lurid meeting, their whirlwind romance, and the long list of terrible ways Dalia was trying to ruin her new husband. This is the meat of the book. The story is complicated and there are a lot of players, double-dealings, and deceptions. The author does a good job helping keep these things straight, if not too good a job. The repetition did slow down the pace. About a third of the way in, we get into the rambling transcripts that become an annoyance. These aren't well-spoken people, there's a lot of round about conversation, more double-talk, and the sense that we're going to be beat over the head with the same handful of "facts." My least favorite part of the book is that soggy middle, but the unfiltered look at what was say, where, how, and by whom does lend context and character. The closing arguments wrap everything up, connecting all of the dots, and leading to what seems an inevitable (and inevitably overturned) sentencing. There's no feeling of justice, only the sense that if one sticks to their story well enough, clings to the absolute fabricated truth, that commitment will bear fruit. I feel terrible for Mike, but you know, every story has two sides. This book is in no way written from Dalia's. A good true crime read. Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.… (mehr)

I received an ARC through Goodreads.
---
I would give it 3.75 stars.

The authors of the book did a very thorough job at explaining all the legalities and walking through everything that led up to and following the infamous plot. It certainly gave a detailed insight into how the legal system works, unlike what we are led to believe through TV shows (which I agree are widely exaggerated to a certain extent).

The case is certainly an interesting one. Prior to this, I must admit, I have not heard of this case. But wow, I can certainly see why it is a widely followed case thanks to the media. Evidence, transcripts and every other detail in relation to the case was provided to us as readers. This helped in understanding the whole situation and attempted murder a little better. Given everything that has happened with this case, it is still unbelievable that this is reality and not some movie or work of fiction.

I did some follow up on this case as I found that the ending to the book was a little abrupt and open ended, which is fine given how recent this case still is, as are Dalia's appeals.

… (mehr)