16 pages of color photos
In trade paperback, ebook, and audio
Would you kill for love? ALICE & GERALD tells the grisly story of a loving couple who killed at least four people, and lived happily ever after—while cops desperately tried for decades to piece together a petrifying tale of murder and secrets. The appalling details are made even more vivid by Ron Franscell’s familiarity with the Wyoming times and places that formed the backdrop of his national bestseller The Darkest Night.
After Alice, a desperate young mother in a gritty Wyoming boomtown, kills her husband in 1974 and dumps his body where it will never be found, she slips away and starts a new life with a new love. But when her new love’s ex-wife and two kids start demanding more of him, Alice delivers an ultimatum: Fix the problem or lose her forever. With Alice’s help, he “fixes” the problem in an extraordinarily ghastly way … and they live happily ever after. That is, until 2013, almost forty years later, when somebody finds a dead man’s skeleton in that place where Alice thought he’d never be found.
Featuring a femme fatale whose manipulative, cold-blooded character rivals Lady Macbeth, this page-turner by bestselling true-crime author Ron Franscell revisits a shocking cold case that was finally solved just when the murderers thought they’d never be caught.
Advance praise for ALICE & GERALD
“Compulsively readable. Imminently astonishing. Only Ron Franscell, one of America’s most talented and thoughtful crime writers, could render this story of a deadly and monstrous relationship with both lightning-paced prose and a keen awareness of the psychopathology of his subjects. Bound to be a bestseller.” —GREGG OLSEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Starvation Heights and The Last Thing She Ever Did
“Alice & Gerald: A Homicidal Love Story” is going to be the best true crime book you’ll read this year, or in just about any other year. Author Ron Franscell combines exhaustive research and plenty of literary talent to deliver the classic saga of four brutal murders and the decades-long efforts of dogged investigators to bring the married perpetrators to justice. In the process, he reminds the rest of us who write in this genre how it ought to be done.” —JEFF GUINN, New York Times bestselling author of Manson and The Road to Jonestown
“An impressive feat, and one that solidifies [Franscell’s] status among the upper echelon of true crime’s contemporary chroniclers. … It is often said that the truth is stranger than fiction, and ‘Alice & Gerald’ is proof positive. … While the crimes themselves are deeply disturbing (and the unresolved questions infuriating), this book surpasses this sordidness, and ultimately serves as a reminder that justice delayed is not justice denied.” —CRIMINAL ELEMENT
“The good news is that Ron Franscell is one of the finest true crime writers I’ve ever read. At once horrific and stupefying, ‘Alice & Gerald: A Homicidal Love Story’ will catapult you into a world of narcissistic impulse and terrifying consequence.”—CRAIG JOHNSON, New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries
“Ron Franscell is among the elite in true crime writing. In addition to a gripping story with many bizarre twists, ‘Alice & Gerald’ is a story of place, of lonesome highways and long-gone memories.”—KIDNAPPING, MURDER & MAYHEM crime blog
“If you appreciate carefully crafted writing, there’s metaphorical mastery here. … This is the best kind of true crime, ghastly yet verbally fine-tuned.” —PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
“When you read about the dark, murderous secrets of Gerald and Alice Uden, you will think you are reading something Shakespearean. You will also think the story has got to be made up. But it’s all true. Ron Franscell has pulled off an amazing job of research and writing.” —SKIP HOLLANDSWORTH, author of The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer
“Ron Franscell never disappoints. A disturbing yet mesmerizing read, ‘Alice & Gerald’ kept me turning pages, not wanting to close the book. Meticulously researched and skillfully written, this gripping true crime account of two twisted killers weaves together four cold-blooded murders committed in the name of depraved love.”—KATHRYN CASEY, author of In Plain Sight”
“Chilling . .. For true-crime fans, this book’s a no-brainer. ‘Alice & Gerald’ will knock you off your feet.”—BOOKWORM SEZ syndicated column
“There are many reasons to read the book … he has walked the landscapes described in the book.”—CASPER (WY) STAR-TRIBUNE
“The research is extensive … you get the chills all over.” —FRAN LEWIS at MJ Network
