Till Murder Do Us Part (ID True Crime, 6) (2024)

Two separate, distinct, true crime stories featured on the Investigation Discovery Channel. Written in the classic Patterson short chapter, fast paced style, they're a quick read. I can't help thinking what a waste of life choices by the perpetrators. They do teach something though. Protect yourself at all times.

Two interesting true crime stories. Quick read and interesting cases.

Returning for another two short non-fiction pieces of true crime, I place my trust in James Patterson, Aaron Bourelle, and Max DiLallo. These three have crafted great pieces that keep the reader engaged and entertained from start to finish. Short pieces depict great character backstory, events leading up to the crime, and the fallout thereafter. Told with stunning clarity and chilly honesty, the authors keep the reader on the edge of their seat before all comes together with ease.

Til Murder Do Us Part (with Aaron Bourelle):

Love is a very mysterious thing, according to Kathi Spiars. When it finds her, Kathi does not think twice, even when she admits to not knowing a great deal about Stephen Marcum. As they spend time together, Kathi learns that the man is highly secretive and shares some outlandish stories with her, but who is Kathi to doubt him? They marry and have a number of wonderful years together, but she soon begins to feel that Stephen is not the man he purports to be. Kathi confronts him and all hell breaks loose, leading to a divorce and Stephen’s mental breakdown. When the police become involved, they determine that Stephen is a pseudonym and that he has been involved in a number of crimes and schemes. However, even with her ex-husband in custody, Kathi is not free of fear, worried that he could appear at any moment to seek revenge for her spilling all those secrets!

Ramp Up to Murder (with Max DiLallo):

In the late 1980s, the skateboarding community takes off and professional skaters begin popping up all over the place. Brandi McClain is a young teenager who admires these boys and is in awe of their ability to make it. After connecting with one who seems destined for success, Brandi makes the move from Arizona to California. However, things are not perfect and when the skating no longer pays the bills, Brandi is prepared to make it on her own. In a twist of fate, her one-time boyfriend sees the light and takes up a born-again venture to ensure the world knows the Message of Christ, further alienating Brandi from him. After Brandi goes missing, Sand Diego PD begin an investigation, which soon finds some traction after an odd visitor appears at the police station with a message of his own. What follows is a stunning and sobering set of facts that lead to a floodway of clues to help with the case.

I have always enjoyed Patterson’s shorter non-fiction pieces, especially when they deal with true crime. Both the stories in this collection develop well with strong narratives, offering the reader a great deal without spilling too much. Short chapters push things forward and force the reader to want more with each page turn. The characters serve a purpose and hep add depth. While these are non-fiction pieces, the element of surprise and the means by which the stories are told keep me wanting to read more. I have read a few of these between larger projects and feel they are wonderfully refreshing and chilling in equal measure.

Kudos, Messrs. Patterson, DiLallo, and Bourelle, for entertaining me so effectively with these pieces..

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I am a huge true crime fan and was in between books when this one popped up on Libby. I didn’t realize there were two books in this one book - which felt like abridged true crime. I prefer much deeper in depth and as others have noted, this is compact like an episode of a tv show.

And is it just me or is James Patterson now co authoring every book????

Till Murder Do Us Part
Imagine kissing your husband goodbye as he leaves for work, only to never see him again. Hours later, detectives show up with questions. His car was found with a bullet hole in the door and animal blood smeared on the seat. In his desk drawer, there is a book detailing how to fake your death......

Eric, now Steve begins a new life in Colorado.

Steve is new to the area, living in a hotel, has no family, and is on the run from the CIA. At least that's what he told Kathi when they started dating. She drank in the mysterious aura that surrounded him. She believed his stories, even when he said he was a hitman for the CIA. But there was some truth to his stories. He was on the run, not from the CIA, but from his wife and three children. But he also may have been trying to escape a murder charge as well.

Kathi started asking questions near their 12th wedding anniversary. She wanted to get him something sentimental as a gift and thought a high school year book would be perfect. Steve claimed everything he owned from his past life burned up in a house fire. So when she called his old high school, she was put in contact with one of his classmates who had never heard of Steve Marcum. She bought the yearbook anyway, and found a picture of young Steve....only his name was Eric Wright. Who on earth was she married to?!

I think the best thing to come from this crazy case, was that Kathi actually solved a 20+ year cold case based on small details Steve had given her over the years. She believed he had actually killed someone. When he described taking a man's life, she could see the truth in his lies.

Ramp Up to Murder
I honestly was not expecting this story to be about a professional skateboarder turned murder.

Mark Rogowski meets his future girlfriend Brandi and her best friend, Jessica at a warehouse party. The two immediately hit it off and quickly become the hottest couple on the scene. Mark is killing it in the vert competitions and Brandi is creating a name for herself in the modeling world. It's the perfect combination of kids with money who have no idea how to spend it.

Mark hits a rough patch when street-skating takes over. There's no money coming in, but hopefully a trip to Germany will help Mark become relevant once again. Instead, a near death experience leads him to Jesus and quickly sours his relationship with Brandi. What no one expected was the threatening calls and stalking that soon followed their break up. Mark was obsessive, possessive, and manipulative. He even managed to sneak into Brandi's gated community and take back all the gifts he gave her.

I know what you're thinking, he really murdered his ex? No, but he did rape and murder her one time bestie, Jessica. In a fraction of a second, Jessica was a stand in for Brandi, and he took out all of his anger on her. He eventually confessed and at this time has been behind bars for 27 years.

This review and reviews for the rest of the Murder is Forever Series can be found at A Reader's Diary!

Another well written book involving two real-life cases. I was sucked in and listened to it in one day. I'm still amazed at the way people think. I will never understand murderers and their theories for what they do and I'm not sad about it!

I've really been enjoying these novelized true crime books from James Patterson; which feature two cases per volume. This one includes "Til Murder Do Us Part," a truly fascinating story, and "Ramp Up to Murder," a truly disturbing one.

More true crime, but this first story took too much “poetic license “. It’s never mentioned that Kathi was married twice before and had a daughter. That seems rather pertinent info to omit.

Thank you Gavin Newsom for keeping the creepy “Gator” where he belongs, in prison.

This is the end of the series, I finally can read faster than James Patterson can write?? Enjoyed everyone of these pseudo true crimes fictionalized by Bourelle and DiLallo.

Two very easy to read short stories. I like that they are based on true stories. The first one appeals more to the type of books I like them the second story but I think it’s beneficial that they are each a bit different. Patterson never fails to tell a good story.

Poor reflection of former worth

I feel that Mr. Patterson has subbed his name out to others to trade upon his once earned reputation. This book was a disappointment and not much else can be said. I will no longer read his work.

Well that was exciting. I enjoy these books because they are easy to read and give me some knowledge of unknown creepy crimes. I liked the first one about the guy faking his death quite a bit.

Terrible

Every man will experience the highs and lows in life along with love and hatred. Gabe was star struck by himself and felt entitled to remain on top forever...but life gets in the way. His love life was more about his position of control and the picture of perfection than any real feelings of love. The same scenario was true when he turned his love to Jesus...all about his image. He was saved but didn’t give This book was very good. As all James Patterson's books. I love them all. Some I have read twice. I can't see the books very good to light and to small. So. I can only read on my IPAD. The ones I read Publisher Description

From the world's #1 bestselling author comes a collection of Discovery ID true crime stories where the bonds of matrimony and love can tear you brutally apart. Til Murder Do Us Part: Kathi Spiars can't believe she's found such a good man to marry as Stephen Marcum. Twelve years later, she starts to suspect that he isn't who he says he is. As she digs into his past, she doesn't realize that learning the truth will lead to a lifetime of fear and hiding. (with Andrew Bourelle)

Ramp Up to Murder: Brandi McClain, a young beautiful teenager, moves to California from Arizona, to model and live with her new boyfriend, a professional skateboarder. But her perfect life is about to turn on its head. In San Diego, investigators hunt for a missing girl. It’s a case that seems to plagued by dead ends. But once the truth emerges, it’s more haunting than they could have imagined. twice are the audible. The same gift to the woman he killed.

Was between books on my reserve list at library and found this at a used book store months ago so thought what the heck give it a try. My reading friends know I gave up on Patterson long ago so I wasn’t expecting much from this novel and that proved to be true. I love true crime scene stories and thought if based on facts how could Patterson mess up the stories. Much to my surprise the first story wasn’t a horrible read…the second one was terrible. The writing was so bad and amateurish that all 3 authors involved in this novel should be embarrassed; however, that will not happen and Patterson will continue to put out novels one after the other and somehow…they all end up on bests seller lists. Very weak 2 stars.

Things you learn from this book, the latest in J-Pat and Company's true crime series:

1. Like in the previous book Murder Thy Neighbor, bad things happen when you trust men who say they are associated with the CIA.

2. A skateboarding guy from the Tom Petty " Free Fallin' " video after converting to Christianity ends up commiting a brutal assault and murder.

On to the last one in this batch....

Another true crime collection, really enjoyed this one although in the first story I was surprised she didn't see through the lies fairly quickly and never really pushed the issue of not knowing his past/backstory before marrying him this is why you ask questions.

As for the second story I felt so sorry for Brandi she did everything right and left him the moment things turned physical and super weird but then he went full psycho.
The last page was what really got me was how can someone who did the things he did ever even be considered for parole, that is disgusting.

It's hard to review a book when the real stories in the book are mind blowingly disgusting, horrific, and just over all tragic. I guess that's what Patterson does best is give it to you straight. This book did give me insight on 2 cases I wasn't aware of and had to really talk to someone about it because it really sickened me to the core. Brandi McClain case will be in the closet of "cases I can't handle." Every true crime fan has one.

I wasn't expecting too much with this book and I wasn't disappointed. The book was a gift so thought I would give it a go. Two stories, both written with co-writers. Both a fair read but nothing out-standing. True crime or not the stories were not terribly gripping or even remotely shocking, but easy enough to read and filled in a few hours of down time. Probably a good Young Adult read.

A quick read and based on 2 real life crimes. I didn't focus on chapter lengths or writing style, because I was really so intrigued by the crimes. I'm on a bit of a true crime binge at the moment, so this book came a good time. I usually watch documentaries, so I was keen to see what the reading experience would be like.

The second crime really shocked me. What a waste....why are women constantly subjected to such horrific crimes :(

This book is actually two short stories that have nothing to do with each other. I liked the first story significantly more than the second. I’d give the first 5 stars and the second story 2, so we’re going a 3 star review 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ The first story is about a psycho husband and the wife making sure he gets what he deserves.

Y'all, I did what I thought I would never do.

I read a James Patterson book.

Well, I listened to it. And he cowrote it with others (which isn't that all Patterson is anymore anyway). Still, I can say I did a book with his name in the author line....and you know what, it wasn't half bad.

Scott and I listened to this true crime saga (two different stories) on our way to the Oregon Coast. We stayed VERY engaged the entire time. Like DANG! One case was about false identity, stolen gold, and a wife determined to bring a killer to justice. Another was about a skateboarder turned radical religious nut who raped someone......yeah that tale was intense......

The person reading did a decent job with voice inflections and was concise. That is super important with an audiobook. So again, success. Will I go for another Patterson? If like this sure, but that's all.....

Quick true crime read

Patterson takes a look inside two murder cases as presented on Investigative Discovery. Quick and engrossing read. Part two involves Gator, former pro skater that was up and coming and got his start along side Tony Hawk.

2 books in one.

Til murder do us apart:
Wonderful domestic thriller. What you see is not always what you get.

Ramp up to murder:
This was a hard one to listen to. Check trigger warnings. This made me very uncomfortable.

The first story 😱 it is hard to accept some of the things people can get tricked into believing. Despite the mc of the first story being young, she should have seen some red flags. 🚩
It is a very interesting case about a true psychopath.

The second one was more disturbing. Can you believe knowing someone got murdered simply because they looked like you? Knowing the murderer truly wanted to hurt you…. I can not even begin to imagine what that would feel like. 😭

Love this series and I only have one left so I hope he puts out some more soon.

Not my normal genre but I enjoyed this a lot!

Not bad,I liked the first story more.

Well written tellings of true stories that paint a full picture without being too hard to digest. I read it in less than 2 days.

Two short murder cases that were interesting. The book reads quickly with short chapters.

Two stories in one book. Straight out of a true crime show.

Not bad. I liked getting two stories in this book. Though both were sad and did make you think the worst out of everyone.