Final Vows by Karen Kingsbury

 

Carol Montecalvo only saw the best in people.  She met Dan through a prison outreach program.  She wrote weekly to him and then went to visit him.  Soon the two were in love and despite the objections of friends and family, Carol married Dan.  Dan had joined self improvement programs in prison, was now sober and had found religion.  

But once Dan was out, things weren't as rosy.  He found employment challenging as most employers weren't as forgiving as Carol and soon was back to gambling, drinking and seeing other women.  Carol never complained either to Dan or about him to others.  Instead she tried to make things work as best she could.

The two were about to go on a Hawaiian vacation Carol had won at work.  They went on a neighborhood walk and when they got home, Carol went in first.  Soon, Dan was calling 911, reporting Carol had surprised a burglar and that both of them had been shot.  Dan survived, Carol did not.  But when the police discovered Dan's background and that he had insured Carol's life for more than half a million dollars, he was suspected and arrested.

Karen Kingsbury has written the true crime story of the Montecalvos.  Most readers will find Carol a bit naïve and wonder what she ever saw in Dan and why she believed that he could change and that they could have a successful marriage.  She paid for those beliefs with her life.  The book follows the case through the trial.  This book is recommended for true crime readers.