Kill For Me

October 11, 2010
True crime maven Phelps (I'll Be Watching You) makes the 2003 murder of 37-year-old bartender Sandee Rozzo the focus of his latest nonfiction thriller. Though Phelps infuses his investigative journalism with plenty of energized descriptions, his writing nonetheless suffers from a lack of suspense: readers know from the beginning who's behind the cold-blooded crime. Rozzo was shot eight times outside her Florida townhouse, and all clues pointed to her friend Timothy "Tracey" Humphrey, a personal trainer full of "roid rage" who had a history of violence against women. Humphrey manipulated his young wife into carrying out his vendetta against Rozzo, who was preparing to testify that he kidnapped and raped her. True crime fans will appreciate Phelps's insight into detective work—even the tedium of checking phone records and examining autopsy reports is interesting—and the enormous effort that goes into building a case that will hold up before a jury.