Let's Talk About Books

Finished it and just in time 'cause it was due back yesterday. Also, forgive the eating metaphors. Not doing it because of the subject matter but just how I describe reading. 

My Sweet Angel is the true crime account of Lacey Spears, one of those Mommy Bloggers that goes on and on about their kid. You know the type. I happen to be related to one. But unlike your typical overbearing Mommy Blogger, Lacey was up to something a lot more insidious. In January 2014, Lacey delivered a fatal dose of salt into her son's stomach via his G-Tube, causing the 5 year old Garnett to suffer a horrible, painful death. She was brought to trial and convicted in 2015 but the question remains, why? Going back to the beginning of Lacey's life and following her actions until that faithful January day, John Glatt paints an incredible yet horrifying picture of a woman considered by some to be a textbook case of Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy. 

This book is an incredible read but so incredibly gut-wrenching. True crime is often rough by this one shook me in a way the genre hasn't shook me before. Glatt spares no detail in his depiction of all the medical procedures Garnett was forced to endure and his mother's bizarre behavior. At the same time, it was all necessary to help us understand what exactly happened and why the jury found Lacey guilty in the end.

My favorite part of this book was the third part, which detailed the description of the investigation and the trial. It was incredible to see just how the detectives worked in compiling evidence and just how much evidence they really had. I read a lot but didn't feel like I was swallowing a lot. I understood it all for the most part and was impressed with their diligence. For example, the detective's work in reading all of Lacey's texts, internet history and social media posts. It totaled about 1800 pages and they went through all of it. Really, just astounding police work and what I consider to be a great example of why True Crime is such an awesome genre. 

In my opinion, the biggest weakness in the book is it starts out with you knowing she was found guilty or had Munchausen's, which took away the ability to be unbiased. The writing itself also seemed to indicate that Glatt is convinced of her guilt and I wish it wasn't quite so heavy handed to make the reader able to form a more impartial opinion. That said, Lacey didn't exactly help portray herself as innocent in the actions described in the book. There's a lot of evidence against her and I was shocked to see her defense team didn't seem to think there was any. I actually think her attorneys kinda failed her but that's a discussion for another time I think. 

Final rating: 4.5 out of 5. Incredible but difficult read. Read for the police work for sure. It's incredible. 

Final thought: Glatt has a book on the three women who were abducted in Cleaveland. I think I'm gonna have to read that one too.