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nuuamuikkunen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Fatphobia, and Child abuse
unfranchisablereadr's review against another edition
4.75
Really interesting to learn about the beginnings of MSBP cases through the Reid family. Gregg Olsen’s storytelling never fails to be a great experience. I’ve now made it a goal to read all of his nonfiction work.
byashleylamar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
book_reader_lover's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Tanya Reid is a nurse and a mother. When her baby son, Michael, is taken to the hospital one to many times in a matter of months, the doctors and nurses start suspecting Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP). It's the late 1980's and this is a new term in the medical field. Soon, Melodee Hanes gets her Trauma Team in the DA's office to start an investigation.
Tanya, known as Tonto by family, says she's innocent. She would never harm her child. She swears it's seizures that Michael is having. Tanya tells her husband and family that Hanes is doing this for Hanes career, that she's innocent.
The Trauma Team and Hanes during their investigation learn that Tanya had a baby that died years before. The medical information on her is very similar to Michael. Then Hanes comes across even more shocking news.
A hard read for me bc I couldn't have children, nor adopt bc of health problems. To think that someone would hurt an innocent child upset me greatly. Of course, I cry when they talk about child abuse on the news. If you are like me, have the tissue handy.
Who knows if Tanya really abused her children they MSbP? Only she and her children do. Was Hanes out for her career? Didn't seem that way to me.
If you like True Crime and have never read a Gregg Olsen book, pick any of the dozen he has written and you are going to find: 1) A nonfiction book written like a story. Olsen is a storyteller and takes a different approach than most True Crime writers. Usually, True Crime books are written from a journalist POV, not his. 2) A well researched book. Olsen gets both sides of the story. He talks to everyone involved, or at least tries to, not all want to talk. 3) An interesting book. Everyone of Olsen's books as kept my attention through the whole book. I never once have gotten bored.
😊 Happy Reading 😊
#libbbyapp #carlislepubliclibrary #lonokecountylibrarysystem #greggolsen #crueldeception #truecrime #readaway2024
Tanya, known as Tonto by family, says she's innocent. She would never harm her child. She swears it's seizures that Michael is having. Tanya tells her husband and family that Hanes is doing this for Hanes career, that she's innocent.
The Trauma Team and Hanes during their investigation learn that Tanya had a baby that died years before. The medical information on her is very similar to Michael. Then Hanes comes across even more shocking news.
A hard read for me bc I couldn't have children, nor adopt bc of health problems. To think that someone would hurt an innocent child upset me greatly. Of course, I cry when they talk about child abuse on the news. If you are like me, have the tissue handy.
Who knows if Tanya really abused her children they MSbP? Only she and her children do. Was Hanes out for her career? Didn't seem that way to me.
If you like True Crime and have never read a Gregg Olsen book, pick any of the dozen he has written and you are going to find: 1) A nonfiction book written like a story. Olsen is a storyteller and takes a different approach than most True Crime writers. Usually, True Crime books are written from a journalist POV, not his. 2) A well researched book. Olsen gets both sides of the story. He talks to everyone involved, or at least tries to, not all want to talk. 3) An interesting book. Everyone of Olsen's books as kept my attention through the whole book. I never once have gotten bored.
😊 Happy Reading 😊
#libbbyapp #carlislepubliclibrary #lonokecountylibrarysystem #greggolsen #crueldeception #truecrime #readaway2024
csimonsensays's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Chronic illness, Murder, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Grief, and Physical abuse
theboldbookworm's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up
This is the case of Tanya Reid who was convicted of murdering one of her children and abusing the other. This is an interesting case, but the book is rather repetitive. It is well-researched and reads kind of like fiction.
If you're interested in Munchausen by Proxy, you will probably like this one.
This is the case of Tanya Reid who was convicted of murdering one of her children and abusing the other. This is an interesting case, but the book is rather repetitive. It is well-researched and reads kind of like fiction.
If you're interested in Munchausen by Proxy, you will probably like this one.
anskutiti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
_erica_reads_'s review against another edition
3.0
Cruel Deception was an informative book which offered a glimpse into MBP for one family. The details were useful and interesting, but I found the arrangement or the story somewhat confusing. Well written but less impact full than some of his other work in the method and language used to tell this one. I'd still recommend it to fans of Olsen, but think he has other books which have a greater impact on the reader's experience.