A review by duckoffimreading
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen

4.0

The writing is pretty simplistic but the story is jaw dropping. Torture inflicted by a mother to her kids, nephew and family friends - resulting in several deaths. How Shelly was able to control and manipulate those around her is astounding. Her stepmother, Lara, saw the warning signs when Shelly was just a kid yet she was handed off to other people to deal with instead of a mental ward with heavy duty medicine. I found it interesting with not only how long she got away with it but that there was no focus on Shelly's mental condition. She sounds like a WWII concentration camp Nazi commandant, taking pure pleasure in the suffering and torture of others. Her husband Dave was such a broken man, it is amazing all three daughters got out despite their utterly dysfunctional upbringing. Shelly is out, a free woman, these days but she has NO BUSINESS being around others. If you are into true crime, this is one that will stick with me for a long time.