Cruel Death

Written by M. William Phelps

Narrated by J. Charles

The true-crime story of a homicidal husband and wife and a double murder in a Maryland resort town, by the bestselling author of Deadly Secrets.

It was Memorial Day weekend, the start of the summer season. Thousands headed to Ocean City, Maryland, to enjoy its scenic beaches, lively boardwalk, and trendy nightclubs. Among the bright-spirited vacationers was a couple with a much darker idea of fun. Erica Sifrit, a former honor student, was packing a gun in her Coach bag. Her husband, B.J., an ex-Navy SEAL, was trained in violence. What started as a chance encounter with another couple ended with two dismembered victims buried in a Delaware landfill. M. William Phelps updates this modern-day “Bonnie and Clyde” saga to create a haunting account of money, madness, sex, and murder . . .

Praise for New York Times bestselling author M. William Phelps

“One of America's finest true-crime writers.” —Vincent Bugliosi, New York Times bestselling author of Helter Skelter

“Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.” —Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Tell No Lies

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 7, 2009
• ISBN: 9781423383369

M. William Phelps

Crime writer and investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the author of twenty-four nonfiction books and the novel The Dead Soul. He consulted on the first season of the Showtime series Dexter, has been profiled in Writer’s Digest, Connecticut Magazine, NY Daily News, NY Post, Newsday, Suspense Magazine, and the Hartford Courant, and has written for Connecticut Magazine. Winner of the New England Book Festival Award for I’ll Be Watching You and the Editor’s Choice Award from True Crime Book Reviews for Death Trap, Phelps has appeared on nearly 100 television shows, including CBS’s Early Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show, The View, TLC, BIO Channel, and History Channel. Phelps created, produces and stars in the hit Investigation Discovery series Dark Minds, now in its third season; and is one of the stars of ID’s Deadly Women. Radio America called him “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer.” Touched by tragedy himself, due to the unsolved murder of his pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps is able to enter the hearts and minds of his subjects like no one else. He lives in a small Connecticut farming community and can be reached at his website, www.mwilliamphelps.com.

Reviews for Cruel Death

[bibber_jane_1982 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't know what it is about this case, but it completely fascinates me. I'm not a huge true-crime reader; however, this book is a fast chilling read.

[bellafoxx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This case has been featured on TruTV, it has either been on more than one show or I have watched the same show multiple times, which is possible. This is a case where the details were hard to discover, one where you are left shaking your head.Erika and B.J. seemed to have it all together, she a beloved daughter, he was a navy seal, somewhere it all went wrong. There is no way to know exactly what happened, or why Erika and B.J. started killing, what was behind the little game they played, but Phelps does his normal excellent job of bringing out the facts of this case in an engaging and interesting way.I recommend this book to true crime fans.