"Evil can walk among us while wearing a mask of piousness and we don't know until it's too late."
Reviewed by Lynn Cunningham
Posted May 29, 2013
Non-Fiction | Thriller True Crime
Texas has a reputation for all things larger than life. That
may also apply to the murder cases that happen there. In
DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS, Kathryn Casey has once again outdone
herself in showing just how liars and murderers can be as
"Texas sized" as you can get.
Pastor Matt Baker and his wife, Kari, are seen as the
perfect little family. They've had some tragedy in their
past but now they've got two beautiful little girls and
plans for the future. Suddenly, horror strikes the family
again in the form of Kari's suicide that no one saw coming.
As it turns out, though, Kari just may not have committed
suicide after all.
There's plenty of evidence that points to this but no one
wants to look any closer. This includes the local police
department. In fact, the officers that came out the night of
Kari's death did little more than a cursory look around
before declaring it a suicide and hauling off her body.
Everyone seemed to be ready to just move on, including her
husband.
On the other hand, Kari's destroyed parents and other family
members couldn't let go and move on. They found it
preposterous that Kari took her own life so when the police
wouldn't help them; they started their own investigation
into her death. After collecting enough evidence by
themselves, the family was directed to some professionals
that would prove invaluable to helping them find even more
to work with.
Heartbreakingly, the evidence they found all seemed to point
in one direction: Matt Baker had murdered his wife. All of
the evidence was ignored by the police department and a
possible murderer continued to walk free. This wasn't
acceptable to Kari's family or to the legal professionals
assisting them, so they found another way around it. Matt
would be made to answer in a civil court for wrongful death.
Before the civil case could be handled, however, Matt would
finally be charged with Kari's murder.
Matt Baker is a real person but you'll be hard pressed to
find a more evil villain in any work of fiction. It becomes
clear early on that Matt is a sexual predator, but he
manages to keep that part of his life hidden as he moves
about from church to church. Kari is his staunchest
defender, a fact that ultimately leads to her demise.
Kathryn Casey is an expert on murders in Texas and that's
clear from the first page of DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS. Her
storytelling makes you feel as if you're right there in the
middle of everything. This is an engrossing, frightening and
sad tale of what aberrance in a human being can cause. I
found that I was angry a lot of the time while reading the
story of Kari's murder. Ms. Casey points fingers and makes
it obvious where the blame lies for things moving so slowly.
I had to wonder just how stupid some of the people in Texas
law enforcement really are.
In the end, DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS is a very satisfying read
and if you love true crime; don't miss this one!
SUMMARY
Ann Rule says, “Kathryn Casey is one of the best true crime
writers today”—high praise indeed from the author of a host
of nonfiction New York Times bestsellers including Green
River and The Stranger Beside Me, the story of serial killer
Ted Bundy. With Deadly Little Secrets, Casey once again
explores the dark side of the Lone Star State, offering a
riveting true story of a murderous Texas preacher
responsible for the cold-blooded slaying of the mother of
his children. Meticulously researched and spellbindingly
told, Deadly Little Secrets pulls back the curtain on the
horrific crimes of a supposed man of God who was more
devoted to the Devil, and it demonstrates why such true
crime luminaries as Edgar® Award winner Carleton Stowers and
Gregg Olsen are confirmed Kathryn Casey fans.
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