Synopses & Reviews
In the tradition of
In Cold Blood, The Executioner's Song, and
A Civil Action, Suzanne O'Malley exposes the human mystery of the most horrifying crime in recent history and the legal dramasurrounding it.
As a journalist, Suzanne O'Malley began covering the murders of Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary Yates hours after their mother, AndreaYates, drowned them in their suburban Houston home in June 2001. Over twenty-four months, O'Malley interviewed or witnessed the sworn testimony of more than a hundred participants in this drama, including Yates herself; her husband, Rusty Yates; their families; attorneys; the personnel of the Harris County district attorney's and sheriff's offices; medical staff; friends; acquaintances; and expert witnesses.
O'Malley argues persuasively that under less extraordinary circumstances, a mentally ill woman would have been quietly offered a plea bargain and sent to an institution under court supervision. But on March 12, 2002, Andrea Yates was found guilty of the murders of three of her five children. She is currently serving a life sentence and will not be eligible for parole until 2041.
O'Malley's exclusive personal communications with Andrea Yates and her interviews with Rusty Yates allow her to offer fully realized portrayals of people at the center of this horrifying case.
In "Are You There Alone?" O'Malley makes a critical contribution to our understanding of mental health issues within the criminal justice system.
Review
"Well-turned portrait of a ghastly situation in which everyone lost, and of the complex questions that arise when the law must deal with mental illness." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Without pathos or overwrought prose, O'Malley details Yates' serious mental illnesses....This riveting book puts a human face on a larger social issue." USA Today
About the Author
Suzanne O'Malley's investigative reports on the Yates trial appeared in the
New York Times Magazine; O, the Oprah Magazine; and on
Dateline NBC. She has written for the
New York Times Book Review, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, Salon.com, and
Texas Monthly and has been a producer and consultant for NBC and MSNBC. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in New York City and Houston.
Table of Contents
ContentsForeword
Timeline
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Prophecy
Chapter 2: Rocket Fuel
Chapter 3: The Apocalypse
Chapter 4: Thursday
Chapter 5: The Catchers and the Keepers
Chapter 6: Five Small Coffins
Chapter 7: Jailed
Chapter 8: The Death of a Butterfly
Chapter 9: The Full Extent
Chapter 10: Four Days to Sanity
Chapter 11: Other Voices
Chapter 12: The Killer Rooms
Chapter 13: Trial by Error
Chapter 14: Slow Guilty
Chapter 15: Heartbreakers
Chapter 16: A Sinister Stew
Chapter 17: Eternity
Acknowledgments
Interview List
Testimony List
Index