Love Me or Else: The True Story of a Devoted Pastor, a Fatal Jealousy, and the Murder that Rocked a Small Town

Written by Colin McEvoy and Lynn Olanoff

Narrated by Pam Ward

On the outside, Mary Jane Fonder seemed like a kindly sixty-six-year-old congregant of the Lutheran church in Springfield Township, PA. But inside, she longed for the church's handsome Pastor Gregory Shreaves, a former golf pro who sparked her most sinful thoughts.

When Mary Jane let her feelings be known, the Pastor gently pushed her away. But her obsession only grew stronger when she became convinced that he was romantically involved with a younger church member, a woman named Rhonda Smith.

Rhonda was doing volunteer work in the church office one day when she was shot to death in cold blood. The trail of evidence led police to Mary Jane, and soon other suspicions were raised: Was she also involved in the mysterious death of her own father fifteen years earlier? This is the shocking true story of love, worship, and murder in one American small town.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977385406

Colin McEvoy

Colin McEvoy and Lynn Olanoff are reporters for The Express-Times, a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. They covered the Rhonda Smith murder case extensively and it was during a jailhouse interview with them that Mary Jane Fonder first acknowledged responsibility for her crime. They wrote about the Fonder case in the St. Martin’s True Crime book, Love Me or Else. Colin and Lynn have been married since 2008. Lynn is a graduate of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and Colin graduated from East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. They currently reside in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Reviews for Love Me or Else

[Crabbypatty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The narrator is exceptional in the way she creates the various voices and phrasings. She really made the material better. The book itself was well-written and organized and presented the case fully. A great listen!

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The authors of this book are local journalists for an Easton, PA newspaper. Because my local library is hosting a book discussion next week with the authors in attendance, in anticipation of attending the session, I read this fascinating true crime story based on a local murder.A debut novel for the journalists, it is exceedingly well written and engrossing. Rhonda Smith, a 42 year old attractive woman was murdered in cold blood, point blank with two gunshots to the head in a rural Springtown, PA church. The body was discovered by a friend, long-time member and cleaning person of the church. Her frantic 911 call alerted the police that something was wrong...very, very unusually wrong for an area known for its beautiful countryside and wholesome life style.Saddened, terrified and concerned, the church members grew suspicious as they grieved the loss of a beloved parishioner. As the web of intrigue centered primarily on a 66, unattractive, socially inept choir member, the church and the community were increasingly in shock.Stalked by Mary Jean Fonder, Rev. Gregory Shreaves previously alerted the church council that Mary Jean's behavior was frighteningly obsessive. Numerous rambling messages left on the pastor's answering machine were an indication that she needed to be told to cease. Acting as "Christians" the council did nothing.Increasingly paranoiac and spinning out of control, Mary Jean held fast to the unfounded notion that her target was infatuated with Rhonda.Using a gun previously purchased when she was fired from a local restaurant, Mary Jean Fonder slipped into the rural church when Rhonda was working in the office and eliminated what she believed to be her competition.Sadly, Mary Jean's reality was not grounded in any reality.When overwhelming evidence confirmed both the motive and the method, Mary Jean steadfastly claimed innocence.A jury felt otherwise and today she serves a life sentence. As a side note, years prior to her murder of Rhonda, Mary Jean's father went missing. Facing severe health problems, it was highly unlikely that her father walked away from the property by himself. This case has never been solved.Recommended!