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Title: Twisted Triangle: A Famous Crime Writer, a Lesbian Love Affair, and the FBI Husband's Violent Revenge
ISBN: 0787995851
Author:
Caitlin Rother
Publicate Date: 2008-04-18
Publish: 2008-04-18
List Price: $26.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $13.20
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $5.38
Amazon Merchant Price: $19.67
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Interesting setting, story a little dull
Anyone who is familiar with Patricia Cornwell and likes true crime will find the setting and characters intriguing. The book does have real FBI agents, a few walk-on mentions of A-list movie starts, and Patricia Cornwell as part of the story. The problem is, the story is depressingly ordinary. Other than the fact that it has brushes with fame and the FBI, it's really just a story a woman who marries an abusive small-time con man. And, like some others, I didn't think there was much insight into the people or why they did the things they did. The writing is workmanlike, and occasionally there is a recitation of detail without much to tie it all together. Ultimately, I think the book would've been better if Cornwell had written it...or Ann Rule. :)
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2: Twisted Triangle
Caitlin Rother is an investigative journalist who pays close attention to details and weaves them into her non-fiction novel, Twisted Triangle. this is a well written page turner. This book is also provides some lessons in behavioral psychology on two fronts -- the slick and dangerous behaviors of the sociopath and the wrenching hidden needs for acceptance and love for some of those who are born lesbian .
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3: Twisted Triangle is a One Sided Line!
The book is ironically called "Twisted Triangle," and is supposedly about the famous "love triangle" between crime novelist Patricia Cornwell, FBI agent Margo Bennett and Margo's FBI agent husband Gene. Yet, just a few pages into the book, the author states that neither Gene Bennett or Patricia Cornwell wanted anything to do with the book, therefore leaving only ONE of the key players in the triangle to tell the story. And this is precisely why the book fails miserably.
Anyone interested enough in the story to have followed the news when it happened and/or buy the book already knows the story simply by following the news. This book offers nothing new or profound for the reader. The writing is choppy and hard to follow. And, the actual love affair between Patricia Cornwell and Margo Bennett is mentioned at every possible opportunity and therefore bores the reader. The actual "sexy" lesbian love affair is such a small part of the book. This author emphasized it only because it involved a celebrity writer, Patricia Cornwell, and helps the author market the book. It is so obvious that the author's writing does not stand on its own.
A triangle consists of 3 lines, or "sides" to a story. Yet, Margo's voice is the only one the reader hears. Twisted Triangle could more accurately be named "One-sided line."
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4: The Price of Loyalty
I'm always pleased to see thoughtful True Crime in hardback and Caitlin Rother's previous effort, Poisoned Love, proved she can deliver the goods when it comes to the genre. Then there's the case at hand: the famous (infamous) "love triangle" between crime novelist Patricia Cornwell, FBI agent Margo Bennett and Margo's FBI agent husband Gene. Better true crime fodder can't be found.
Except that there wasn't much of a "triangle". No, the real story here is the abusive marriage between Margo and Gene. Both were successful FBI agents but Gene's willingness (or need) to employ larceny to augment the family income hardly fit with the traditional G-Man image. Insurance scams, side businesses and padded expense reports were all business as usual for Gene. So was emotional abuse and, ultimately, physical abuse triggered by Margo's determination to free herself from a miserable marriage.
This is Margo's story, told from her vantage point in terms of emotions and facts. The reader learns things about Gene as Margo learns them. We also see her relationship with Cornwell unfold through Margo's eyes. Even without sour grapes, Cornwell still comes across as a needy woman enchanted by her own sudden fame. Gene, however, remains something of a cipher. Aside from speculation that he became hooked on the high of undercover work, Rother doesn't do much to help the reader understand what makes Gene tick. He's a repellant character but what created him?
We get to see the long term impact on the entire family of Gene's deceit and violence, along with his continued attempts to manipulate his children. It's hard not to agree with Margo Bennett that Gene will come after he once parolled. It's also hard not to revel a bit in the novelty of an abused spouse who's had the police training necessary to save herself. Her cool thinking clearly saved two lives.
The exploitive sub-title is unfortunate because the book itself doesn't exploit the characters or the situation. All in all this is an enjoyable true crime story in which the victim not only survives but emerges empowered.
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5: Decadantly Delicious Read
Twisted Triangle: A Famous Crime Writer, a Lesbian Love Affair, and the FBI Husband's Violent Revenge
Caitlin Rother's Twisted Triangle has supplied a great read that appeals to readers who need to see what is going on in peoples minds, readers who need to see what is going on underneath the surface of everyday life; specifically marriage. Also, it is obvious that Caitlin was keen to be extremely emotionally sensitive to Margo's life story. Margo's life was so very intense.
This book is a fascinating read as the obsessed, criminal, defrauding, lying, psycho husband Gene Bennett hacks through the forest of control surrounding himself with a silent chainsaw, delicately providing a stream of jaw-dropping calculated and manipulative lies. He plotted out his wife's execution with the precision of a very detailed professional hit man.
Margo's husband Gene, in half-shadow, disguised the emptiness of his warped life embarked on a wanton dance of destruction in his place of employ (which just so happened to be the FBI, oh by the way) and his home life.
Gene Bennett was having such a good time with the antics of his monsters and inner demons that one has to wonder how the FBI did not see what a huge RED FLAG he was. How did he get away with it all? He was a fabulous liar.
What an extraordinarily courageous and brave woman Margo Bennett is to dig into her life and share it with us all thru this book. Thank you Margo. Your emotionally raw honest read was a tremendous help to me. Unless you have been involved with a manipulative sociopath, you could never imagine the psychological cleverness they have in getting into the essence of your psyche; being a puppet master pulling the strings of your mind. It was obvious that Gene Bennett was an extremely sadistic sociopath, and one can only hope that going forward Margo is given all of life's BEST blessings.
It is a tale about a shady tale-telling FBI agent named Gene Bennett; a clever seductive sociopathic vampire drawn to suck the energy and life out of his beloved FBI agent wife Margo Bennett. Truth really is stranger than fiction. Because it's true, it is easily one of the most incredible and undeniably horrifying stories of our time.
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