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Nutcracker: Money, Madness, Murder - A Family Album
Nutcracker begins at the ballet, but tells the story of a seemingly wholesome all-American family, whose tranquil life's surface erupted in shocking acts of avarice, theft, and murder. The victim was Franklin Bradshaw, Mormon self-made millionaire, workaholic. The killer was Bradshaw's grandson, prep school student. The architect of the crime was said to be Frances Schreuder, Bradshaw's daughter, devoted patron of the ballet, who used her father's money to buy a prestigious place in New York's cultural elite, and who came to view George Balanchine as her true 'father'.
Making extensive use of her exclusive access to certain materials and sources, Shana Alexander traces the intricate history of this crime from its genesis among the luxury high-rises of Manhattan, to a bloody culmination in a dusty Salt Lake City warehouse. She follows the winding four-year police hunt, which began in procedural confusion, and was carried out ultimately by smart, devoted - and lucky - detective work. She takes us behind the scenes of trials, their startling defenses and verdicts, and into the minds of a few people who carried family games too far.
Making extensive use of her exclusive access to certain materials and sources, Shana Alexander traces the intricate history of this crime from its genesis among the luxury high-rises of Manhattan, to a bloody culmination in a dusty Salt Lake City warehouse. She follows the winding four-year police hunt, which began in procedural confusion, and was carried out ultimately by smart, devoted - and lucky - detective work. She takes us behind the scenes of trials, their startling defenses and verdicts, and into the minds of a few people who carried family games too far.
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First published January 1, 1985
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February 16, 2015
Some years ago, I recall reading another true crime book by Shane Alexander, “Very Much a Lady.” It was one of the few books that survived the purge of my bookshelves a few years ago, when I decided that I would only keep those not on kindle and which I would want to re-read at some time. So, I was delighted to have the opportunity to read, and review, this book by Alexander, “Nutcracker,” first published in 1985. Sadly, the author is no longer with us, but I do hope this means that her other books will eventually be republished too. Sadly, the rather flippant title of this book masks the fact that this is a really well researched and written true crime account of a family who were truly dysfunctional.
The author came across this story when her friend and mentor, Tommy Thompson, died and she was given the notes he was working on before his death. However, this is very much her work and, although she is eager to give credit and thanks, it is obvious that this crime – and this family – intrigued her. The crime involved the murder, in 1978, when Franklin Bradshaw, aged 76, was shot and killed in the warehouse of his auto parts company. We then discover the background of this shooting. Bradshaw was an incredibly wealthy man, a workaholic who retreated from his family problems by re-creating a new family in his company. His wife, Berenice, was resentful and lonely. The mother of four felt isolated and depressed. Her only son was dead, her husband was a Mormon, but she was not and never really felt accepted in the devout Mormon State of Utah, and her three daughters were grown and married. The sisters had their own issues with each other, of resentment and jealousy and all the members of the family seem to have been having various arguments and disagreements. There are factions and fissures between various members of the family and this seems to have spilled over into the way the youngest daughter, Frances, treated her own children.
It is not a spoiler to say, because we find this out virtually immediately, that one of Frances sons has murdered their grandfather. The real issue of the book is whether or not Frances herself was involved in the murder and this book is built around her trial in 1983. Berenice is a caring woman, but she was often depressed when the children were little, and it soon obvious that she clung to her youngest daughter, Frances, for companionship and favoured her children – Larry, Marc and Ariadne. Frances is also guilty of favouritism and seems to swing between using her sons as her closest friends to entirely shutting them out, loving one and hating the other. Both Berenice and Frances adore Ariadne and she is their real reason for living and creates a link between them. Twice divorced, unsettled, reliant on her mother for money and unstable, Frances has a precarious life. She decides that her daughter will be a ballet dancer and begins to throw money towards achieving her dream. The question is, whether she used her sons to help her achieve the money and influence she needed. Neglectful, over emotional, needy and, often cruel, reading about Frances is both shocking and saddening. There are many victims in this book and many people who helped create the situation which ended in murder, but this is certainly a fascinating read and will appeal to all those who enjoy true crime books. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
The author came across this story when her friend and mentor, Tommy Thompson, died and she was given the notes he was working on before his death. However, this is very much her work and, although she is eager to give credit and thanks, it is obvious that this crime – and this family – intrigued her. The crime involved the murder, in 1978, when Franklin Bradshaw, aged 76, was shot and killed in the warehouse of his auto parts company. We then discover the background of this shooting. Bradshaw was an incredibly wealthy man, a workaholic who retreated from his family problems by re-creating a new family in his company. His wife, Berenice, was resentful and lonely. The mother of four felt isolated and depressed. Her only son was dead, her husband was a Mormon, but she was not and never really felt accepted in the devout Mormon State of Utah, and her three daughters were grown and married. The sisters had their own issues with each other, of resentment and jealousy and all the members of the family seem to have been having various arguments and disagreements. There are factions and fissures between various members of the family and this seems to have spilled over into the way the youngest daughter, Frances, treated her own children.
It is not a spoiler to say, because we find this out virtually immediately, that one of Frances sons has murdered their grandfather. The real issue of the book is whether or not Frances herself was involved in the murder and this book is built around her trial in 1983. Berenice is a caring woman, but she was often depressed when the children were little, and it soon obvious that she clung to her youngest daughter, Frances, for companionship and favoured her children – Larry, Marc and Ariadne. Frances is also guilty of favouritism and seems to swing between using her sons as her closest friends to entirely shutting them out, loving one and hating the other. Both Berenice and Frances adore Ariadne and she is their real reason for living and creates a link between them. Twice divorced, unsettled, reliant on her mother for money and unstable, Frances has a precarious life. She decides that her daughter will be a ballet dancer and begins to throw money towards achieving her dream. The question is, whether she used her sons to help her achieve the money and influence she needed. Neglectful, over emotional, needy and, often cruel, reading about Frances is both shocking and saddening. There are many victims in this book and many people who helped create the situation which ended in murder, but this is certainly a fascinating read and will appeal to all those who enjoy true crime books. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
March 4, 2015
The Nutcracker by Shana Alexander is a 2015 Open Road Media publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the true crime story of the murder of Franklin Bradshaw whose youngest daughter, Frances plotted and planned his murder and coerced her son, Marc to do the deed.
While this case spawned numerous accounts of the crime, which primarily focused on the investigation and trial, none of the books, or TV movies delved as deeply into the family's psyche as this one.
Originally published in the mid 1980's Open Road Integrated Media has re-issued the book in digital format.
So much time has passed since the crime occurred, I had forgotten many of the details. Revisiting it now, I found myself once more riveted by this incredible case and it is as shocking now as it was then. What kind of person commits patricide? What kind of person lures their own child to kill his grandfather? That is the question that haunts many of us, so a good hard look at the inner workings of Frances' upbringing, her parents background, and the general dynamic of the Bradshaw family might shed a little light on the subject. Certainly it does raise some interesting questions. Mental illness, Franklin's demeanor and Berenice's issues, against the Utah scenery and the Mormon faith made an interesting atmosphere for the Bradshaw children to grow up in.
The family was certainly a little strange. Franklin was a self made millionaire, but you would never know by the way he and his family lived. He and his wife, Berenice had four children, two of which were riddled with serious health problems. Frances was born a with a fair distance of time between herself and her older siblings. By all accounts she was a difficult child, but had the full attention of her mother , a woman who was given to bouts of deep depression, perhaps even experiencing more than one breakdown. Berenice was always into dance and her daughters were given lessons which may have been where Francis acquired her interest in ballet and could explain her generous contributions to the New York Ballet. ( which is where the apt title comes from)
Franklin was a cold man who worked more than he slept, rarely spent time at home, leaving Berenice to raise four children alone, was frugal to a fault, and was not too sensitive to his wife's mental illness, shrugging it off as having a nervous personality.
Naturally there was a will, one Frances was afraid she could be written out of, thus disrupting her lavish lifestyle.
As the story progresses, we get a chilling in depth look at the diabolical and cold blooded mother and son team of Frances and Marc. Certainly Berenice is also an enigma as she continues to disbelief her daughter capable of such a thing and she watches helplessly as her entire family crumbles around her. This family was mired in mental illness that went back several generations, but was never diagnosed or treated. One does have to wonder if Franklin had not had such a disdain for doctors, if he had not dismissed Berenice's symptoms, if perhaps they had seen the signs of mental instability in Frances, that maybe there was a chance none of these things would have happened. However, I am not totally convinced of that. I believed wholeheartedly that Berenice suffered from a form of mental illness, I also believe Frances was mentally unstable, however, this crime and all the others that went with it, such as Frances and Marc stealing family jewelry and Marc's lack of pride or ambition, refusing to work for his money like his grandfather did, leads me believe this murder was committed in cold blood with greed and money as the motive.
This case was debated over and over in the 1980's and 1990's as various books were published on the crime as well as made for TV movies one of which starred Lee Remick that was aired in 1987 and shares the same title as this book. ( there were two made for TV movies, the other starring Stephanie Powers)
When all is said and done the author did a fantastic job of telling the story, not from the perspective of the investigators, or the lawyers, but from the family itself. The book was well organized and told a very disturbing, but sad story that is still perplexing after all this time. Frances' children, besides Marc were victims as well, and I do wonder what became of them. Marc served his time and I believe still resides in Utah, Frances as since passed away. If you remember the case, I still recommend reading this book if you enjoy true crime because of it's unique perspective. If you are not familiar with this case, then you certainly want give this book a look. I know you will find it a very absorbing and thought provoking read. 4 stars
This is the true crime story of the murder of Franklin Bradshaw whose youngest daughter, Frances plotted and planned his murder and coerced her son, Marc to do the deed.
While this case spawned numerous accounts of the crime, which primarily focused on the investigation and trial, none of the books, or TV movies delved as deeply into the family's psyche as this one.
Originally published in the mid 1980's Open Road Integrated Media has re-issued the book in digital format.
So much time has passed since the crime occurred, I had forgotten many of the details. Revisiting it now, I found myself once more riveted by this incredible case and it is as shocking now as it was then. What kind of person commits patricide? What kind of person lures their own child to kill his grandfather? That is the question that haunts many of us, so a good hard look at the inner workings of Frances' upbringing, her parents background, and the general dynamic of the Bradshaw family might shed a little light on the subject. Certainly it does raise some interesting questions. Mental illness, Franklin's demeanor and Berenice's issues, against the Utah scenery and the Mormon faith made an interesting atmosphere for the Bradshaw children to grow up in.
The family was certainly a little strange. Franklin was a self made millionaire, but you would never know by the way he and his family lived. He and his wife, Berenice had four children, two of which were riddled with serious health problems. Frances was born a with a fair distance of time between herself and her older siblings. By all accounts she was a difficult child, but had the full attention of her mother , a woman who was given to bouts of deep depression, perhaps even experiencing more than one breakdown. Berenice was always into dance and her daughters were given lessons which may have been where Francis acquired her interest in ballet and could explain her generous contributions to the New York Ballet. ( which is where the apt title comes from)
Franklin was a cold man who worked more than he slept, rarely spent time at home, leaving Berenice to raise four children alone, was frugal to a fault, and was not too sensitive to his wife's mental illness, shrugging it off as having a nervous personality.
Naturally there was a will, one Frances was afraid she could be written out of, thus disrupting her lavish lifestyle.
As the story progresses, we get a chilling in depth look at the diabolical and cold blooded mother and son team of Frances and Marc. Certainly Berenice is also an enigma as she continues to disbelief her daughter capable of such a thing and she watches helplessly as her entire family crumbles around her. This family was mired in mental illness that went back several generations, but was never diagnosed or treated. One does have to wonder if Franklin had not had such a disdain for doctors, if he had not dismissed Berenice's symptoms, if perhaps they had seen the signs of mental instability in Frances, that maybe there was a chance none of these things would have happened. However, I am not totally convinced of that. I believed wholeheartedly that Berenice suffered from a form of mental illness, I also believe Frances was mentally unstable, however, this crime and all the others that went with it, such as Frances and Marc stealing family jewelry and Marc's lack of pride or ambition, refusing to work for his money like his grandfather did, leads me believe this murder was committed in cold blood with greed and money as the motive.
This case was debated over and over in the 1980's and 1990's as various books were published on the crime as well as made for TV movies one of which starred Lee Remick that was aired in 1987 and shares the same title as this book. ( there were two made for TV movies, the other starring Stephanie Powers)
When all is said and done the author did a fantastic job of telling the story, not from the perspective of the investigators, or the lawyers, but from the family itself. The book was well organized and told a very disturbing, but sad story that is still perplexing after all this time. Frances' children, besides Marc were victims as well, and I do wonder what became of them. Marc served his time and I believe still resides in Utah, Frances as since passed away. If you remember the case, I still recommend reading this book if you enjoy true crime because of it's unique perspective. If you are not familiar with this case, then you certainly want give this book a look. I know you will find it a very absorbing and thought provoking read. 4 stars
February 1, 2020
True crime is always a riveting read because, in the back of your head, you know it really happened. The events surrounding the killing of Franklin Bradshaw with his youngest daughter and her two sons being accused of the murder was a sensational event in the media at the time. The author does her best to provide as many details as she can regarding the history of the the characters and what she was able to glean as the interaction between them, but in this case, she carried things a little too far. What she would do is follow the trail of one character, then retell the same series of events from a different character resulting in me, as the reader, seeing the same thing reported to me not just once, but two, three or even four times becoming an irritant. Not only that, but this practice of hers played havoc with the time line. Rather than things occurring in a linear way, the narration jumped back and forth from one date to another.
If you want to know in detail this horrible sordid crime, then this is worth reading. If wanting something simply for the entertainment value, I'd give this a pass.
If you want to know in detail this horrible sordid crime, then this is worth reading. If wanting something simply for the entertainment value, I'd give this a pass.
May 20, 2019
Very interesting, but exhausting. Originally researched by Thomas Thompson (RICHIE, BLOOD & MONEY) who died before being able to write the book. Alexander does an okay job with his notes, but she's often long-winded and tends to take people at their word instead of checking information against other, more objective sources. My point is: everyone in this family seems really awful, and I wouldn't necessarily believe what any of them had to say.
February 25, 2017
Really good book! I enjoyed her writing style and at various points thought she could've edited the book a bit better. But overall she did a great job and I was riveted by the story.
January 5, 2010
The title says it all! Excellent true crime nonsense that proves the tired old adage that truth is stranger than fiction. Pulpy true crime drama about a high profile murder in 1978.
Frances Schreuder is a one woman made for lifetime tv movie. She is a deranged, status seeking, paranoid schizophrenic, racist, drug addict, alcoholic, sadistic psychopath. She physically and emotionally tortures her 3 kids, alternately bestowing on them over the top affection and then heartlessly tormenting them with either neglect or full on abuse. The kids become so crazed that she succeeds in manipulating one of her sons into murdering her father in order to get her grubby paws on his vast fortune.
Frances' father, Papa Schreuder is a parodic miserly coot who uses an empty beer carton as a briefcase and drives around in a rusty pickup even though he's worth millions from oil and auto parts. Frances' mother is a nervous woman stifled by her cold, penny pinching husband and by conservative life. She dotes on her needy and emotional youngest child, Frances and seems to live vicariously through her exciting and lavish lifestyle. Frances easily manipulates her mother into forging checks for her to cover her lavish purchases , like $40,000 earringa and a luxury upper east side apartment (Apparently Frances had been thrown out of Bryn Mawr college for forging checks as a co ed).
Frances becomes a Manhattan socialite jet setter. A frustrated "dancer", she writes huge checks to the New York City Ballet who in turn are obligated to elect her to the board despite her reputation for being a lunatic. Some of the most entertaining parts of the book are the descriptions of Frances flitting around at the ballet events, often in inappropriate outfits with hundred dollar bills flying out of her handbag and rambling on about her (imaginary) relationship with "Mr. Balanchine". She abuses her influence as a board member by trying to strong arm the company into giving her daughter the title role in their production of the "Nutcracker".
Frances literally drives her one son insane and he ends up in a mental hospital after smashing his college roommate's skull with a hammer. The other she mind warps into planning the murder of her father.
Frances Schreuder is a one woman made for lifetime tv movie. She is a deranged, status seeking, paranoid schizophrenic, racist, drug addict, alcoholic, sadistic psychopath. She physically and emotionally tortures her 3 kids, alternately bestowing on them over the top affection and then heartlessly tormenting them with either neglect or full on abuse. The kids become so crazed that she succeeds in manipulating one of her sons into murdering her father in order to get her grubby paws on his vast fortune.
Frances' father, Papa Schreuder is a parodic miserly coot who uses an empty beer carton as a briefcase and drives around in a rusty pickup even though he's worth millions from oil and auto parts. Frances' mother is a nervous woman stifled by her cold, penny pinching husband and by conservative life. She dotes on her needy and emotional youngest child, Frances and seems to live vicariously through her exciting and lavish lifestyle. Frances easily manipulates her mother into forging checks for her to cover her lavish purchases , like $40,000 earringa and a luxury upper east side apartment (Apparently Frances had been thrown out of Bryn Mawr college for forging checks as a co ed).
Frances becomes a Manhattan socialite jet setter. A frustrated "dancer", she writes huge checks to the New York City Ballet who in turn are obligated to elect her to the board despite her reputation for being a lunatic. Some of the most entertaining parts of the book are the descriptions of Frances flitting around at the ballet events, often in inappropriate outfits with hundred dollar bills flying out of her handbag and rambling on about her (imaginary) relationship with "Mr. Balanchine". She abuses her influence as a board member by trying to strong arm the company into giving her daughter the title role in their production of the "Nutcracker".
Frances literally drives her one son insane and he ends up in a mental hospital after smashing his college roommate's skull with a hammer. The other she mind warps into planning the murder of her father.
March 23, 2015
This is the true story of excessive entitlement, abusive parenting and murder for money. As a child Frances Bradshaw was a terror to her parents and siblings. They would have sing to her for hours to keep her from crying. She became a very demanding child, she wanted dancing and piano lessons and always had to be the center of attention. Her father, a Mormon, and an auto parts store owner, left her upbringing to her mother who would do anything for her youngest child.
But Salt Lake City was too small for this woman with big dreams. She moves to New York City where she marries and Italian and has two sons (Marc and Larry). She sues for divorce after accusing her husband of abuse. She marries a second time and the boys take the name of their step-father (Schreuder). She mostly ignores the boys then has a daughter whom she grooms to be a prima ballerina. Everyone loves the little girl, Audrey.
To assure her daughter will do well, she pours large amounts of money into the New York City Ballet. The money is given to her by her mother Berenice who secretly takes the money from the family business. She becomes a doyen of the cultural elite and refers to George Balanchine as her “true father”, subsidizing the creation of some of his best known ballets. But for Frances, there is never enough money.
Meanwhile her sons have been sent off to prop school where both have behavioral problems, and both are expelled and end up in jail. Larry ended up serving time in prison for trying to kill his college roommate. Marc suffered all the symptoms of schizophrenia and was in and out of institutions. At the age of 17 he went to SLC and shot his 76 year old grandfather in the back of the head.
From here the story really gets strange! Three years after the murder Marc is convicted and turns States evidence on his mother. They both end up serving thirteen years. But, Berenice Bradshaw made sure that Frances received her ‘fair’ share of her father’s legacy, reported to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. After getting out of jail, Frances was known to be seen walking down Madison Avenue wearing her mother’s mink coat and jewels.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com
But Salt Lake City was too small for this woman with big dreams. She moves to New York City where she marries and Italian and has two sons (Marc and Larry). She sues for divorce after accusing her husband of abuse. She marries a second time and the boys take the name of their step-father (Schreuder). She mostly ignores the boys then has a daughter whom she grooms to be a prima ballerina. Everyone loves the little girl, Audrey.
To assure her daughter will do well, she pours large amounts of money into the New York City Ballet. The money is given to her by her mother Berenice who secretly takes the money from the family business. She becomes a doyen of the cultural elite and refers to George Balanchine as her “true father”, subsidizing the creation of some of his best known ballets. But for Frances, there is never enough money.
Meanwhile her sons have been sent off to prop school where both have behavioral problems, and both are expelled and end up in jail. Larry ended up serving time in prison for trying to kill his college roommate. Marc suffered all the symptoms of schizophrenia and was in and out of institutions. At the age of 17 he went to SLC and shot his 76 year old grandfather in the back of the head.
From here the story really gets strange! Three years after the murder Marc is convicted and turns States evidence on his mother. They both end up serving thirteen years. But, Berenice Bradshaw made sure that Frances received her ‘fair’ share of her father’s legacy, reported to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. After getting out of jail, Frances was known to be seen walking down Madison Avenue wearing her mother’s mink coat and jewels.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com
August 12, 2011
Wow, What a book and what a family. I always say my family is crazy a a joke but my family is very sane compared to this family.
Very intriguing book. I thought a lot of it was well written and some parts were not. (the end) Once I had finished it I had to know what had happened to this family and to my dismay i discovered Frances had only been in jail for 13 years or so. She died in 2004 and I am sure her mom managed to get her more money.
The person i got most angry about was the mother Berenice. It appeared to me she hated her husband and did not really care for her other 2 daughters. only the youngest counted. The 2 oldest were smart to make sure she could not give everything to Frances but in a way she managed to do that anyways cause where did Frances get all that money from to pay for the ballet? That was not very clear to me in this book cause it said that Berenice "Only" ha! got 10.000 a month.
Frances was sick so to me her mother is the one to blame most of it all. I googled this family and discovered a tribute page for Frances. (Yes i kid you not) but it was interesting cause I got to know a bit what had happen to Marc and Larry. They say the youngest child is doing very well but I can't imagine she can have such a childhood and not be scarred by that. Hope it is true though.
I am glad I had a copy of this book and would like to read the other book about this case At Mother's Request one day.
Very intriguing book. I thought a lot of it was well written and some parts were not. (the end) Once I had finished it I had to know what had happened to this family and to my dismay i discovered Frances had only been in jail for 13 years or so. She died in 2004 and I am sure her mom managed to get her more money.
The person i got most angry about was the mother Berenice. It appeared to me she hated her husband and did not really care for her other 2 daughters. only the youngest counted. The 2 oldest were smart to make sure she could not give everything to Frances but in a way she managed to do that anyways cause where did Frances get all that money from to pay for the ballet? That was not very clear to me in this book cause it said that Berenice "Only" ha! got 10.000 a month.
Frances was sick so to me her mother is the one to blame most of it all. I googled this family and discovered a tribute page for Frances. (Yes i kid you not) but it was interesting cause I got to know a bit what had happen to Marc and Larry. They say the youngest child is doing very well but I can't imagine she can have such a childhood and not be scarred by that. Hope it is true though.
I am glad I had a copy of this book and would like to read the other book about this case At Mother's Request one day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2015
ARC for review - looks like a new edition of a book originally published in the mid-1980s.
A seemingly endless true crime where the youngest daughter of a prominent Utah family has one of her sons kill her father. Basically about 85% percent of this family would be given some sort of DSM diagnosis, and a least a few of them are pathological. There's an innocent child, and that's unfortunate, but nearly every other character has some sort of culpability and that makes it hard to empathize with anyone at all (even thought Alexander seems to have had a soft spot for Berenice, the widow, but I thought she caused a lot of her own problems.)
The book is about three times as long as it needs to be, but if you enjoy true crime, remember the story of the death of Franklin Bradshaw or the trial of Frances Schreuder, and/or have a great interest in the inner workings of the Board of the New York City Ballet during the waning days of George Balanchine, it might be worthwhile. Otherwise, it's simply too long, and too rambling, and that makes what might have worked as a better story fail.
A seemingly endless true crime where the youngest daughter of a prominent Utah family has one of her sons kill her father. Basically about 85% percent of this family would be given some sort of DSM diagnosis, and a least a few of them are pathological. There's an innocent child, and that's unfortunate, but nearly every other character has some sort of culpability and that makes it hard to empathize with anyone at all (even thought Alexander seems to have had a soft spot for Berenice, the widow, but I thought she caused a lot of her own problems.)
The book is about three times as long as it needs to be, but if you enjoy true crime, remember the story of the death of Franklin Bradshaw or the trial of Frances Schreuder, and/or have a great interest in the inner workings of the Board of the New York City Ballet during the waning days of George Balanchine, it might be worthwhile. Otherwise, it's simply too long, and too rambling, and that makes what might have worked as a better story fail.
April 30, 2015
There’s no doubt that Shana Alexander tells a fascinating story in this true-crime tale of Frances Bradshaw Schreuder who managed to persuade her teenage son to kill her multi-millionaire father. A dysfunctional family par excellence, the Bradshaws were a strange lot, and Alexander left no stone unturned in finding out all about them. Her research can’t be faulted, but her desire to put every bit of it in this book can. I found it all just too detailed and with just too much background information. This slows the narrative and detracts from any tension. I would have preferred a more pithy account, and I would also have preferred many more photographs to make the people involved come alive. However, if you want to know more about this bizarre crime, this is a meticulously researched account of a complex woman and a complex crime.
December 7, 2018
I have actually not read this book yet. However, in reading the comments, I see that, as in many accounts of this incident, Frank Bradshaw is portrayed as a skinflint who was a greedy and mean husband. Let me tell you, my grandparents were VERY good friends with Frank Bradshaw. He was a warm and loving man. His wife was the crazy, greedy one. Since Frank was the one murdered, Frank's reputation has been severely soiled. But I guess since he is not here to defend himself it is okay, right? People that grew up in that time and place (the depression era Utah) held on to their money and lived frugally because they grew up in uncertain times when you never knew where your next meal was going to come from. I just get tired of seeing Frank portrayed in such a terrible light when my grandparents loved him so much.
December 21, 2019
Judging from all the other comments and ratings, I must be wrong.
However, I started on this several times but found it boringly written. So boringly, I just couldn't finish it.
Perhaps I should. Maybe I would have found the point eventually.
But so far, what I see is a lot of the author's opinion's about other people's psychology, about other people's thoughts and, yes, opinions.
As a former journalist, and as a reader, I really object to a writer's projecting, to a writer's guessing -- and it is guesswork -- about a subject's motives.
Perhaps too it's a matter of my never having heard of this subject family, which Alexander treats as if the whole world was familiar with them.
I won't say "don't read this" or "don't waste your time." You might like it. I didn't.
However, I started on this several times but found it boringly written. So boringly, I just couldn't finish it.
Perhaps I should. Maybe I would have found the point eventually.
But so far, what I see is a lot of the author's opinion's about other people's psychology, about other people's thoughts and, yes, opinions.
As a former journalist, and as a reader, I really object to a writer's projecting, to a writer's guessing -- and it is guesswork -- about a subject's motives.
Perhaps too it's a matter of my never having heard of this subject family, which Alexander treats as if the whole world was familiar with them.
I won't say "don't read this" or "don't waste your time." You might like it. I didn't.
June 4, 2015
Really fascinating story, but so incredibly overwritten. The story drowns in details. I got the feeling that the author was so afraid of missing something, that she put absolutely every fact she learned in the book. This really distracts from the case.
The case is so interesting and the family so bizarre that my interest overcame all the details. I would recommend this book, with the warning that you will be swamped with details.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The case is so interesting and the family so bizarre that my interest overcame all the details. I would recommend this book, with the warning that you will be swamped with details.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2015
This was a stay-up-late page-turner for me. Great reading.
May 24, 2025
A book in serious need of an editor.
OK, true crime isn't my genre of choice, but a good book is a good book and a lousy book is a lousy one. I read this author's autobiography and enjoyed it and was looking forward to this one. The sad thing is that there's a good book in here, but it's buried in WAY too much detail and repetition. The story could have been well told in 300 pages. At almost 600 pages, I began to think I might die before I finished it.
It's grim, as any story about murder by family members must be and it's worse because it's hard to find anyone to root for. The exceptions would be Frances Bradshaw Schreuder's children, especially her sons.
It's a story of greed and grueling hardship and the tragedy of those who can't enjoy the success they've worked so hard for. Franklin Bradshaw was a man determined to be a success and to make as much money as possible. He never seemed to stop to ask himself WHY he wanted the money. Starting pre-WWII, he recognized that Americans are car-crazy and that keeping those cars running required car parts. Practically all car owners were "shade tree mechanics" then, cars being much simpler than they are now.
He opened a car parts store in Utah and kept adding stores. Then he moved into renting oil rights on public land, a shamefully profitable business. At his death, his worth was estimated at between $30 million and $400 million. The wide gap was because Bradshaw played his cards close to his vest. He didn't trust his family and didn't want them to get his money, but he also hated the idea of the IRS collecting taxes on his income.
Putting property in the names of his wife and kids shielded him from paying taxes, but it left him vulnerable from attacks from within. Because his wife and kids wanted that money and some weren't willing to wait until the old man died to inherit it. Who knew what kind of will he would leave?
Bradshaw was from a Mormon family, but he left the fold early on. His wife Berenice wasn't Mormon and was angry about the descrimination she and her children faced living in Mormon-dominated Utah. She gave birth to a son, but he developed schitzophrenia at an early age and died in a mental hospital. Their three daughters all went to college and married, but they all left Utah as soon as possible.
Marilyn married, but had no children. She became an accountant and hoped to convince her father to leave her in charge of the family fortune. Elaine caused a stir by marrying a Jew. The had two sons, were active in liberal politics and stayed away from the family as much as possible. If they were worried about Marilyn taking over or how their father left his money, they showed no signs of it.
Youngest daughter Frances was headstrong and determined to move into high society. She talked her father into sending her to a pricey East Coast women's school. There she met an Italian pearl dealer, married, and had two sons. Their marriage was violent and when it ended, she married a European businessman and gave birth to a daughter.
Berenice was an unhappy wife, resenting her husband's obsession with work and his reluctance to part with any money. Frances was her darling, especially after the birth of the only granddaughter. Frances lived large without having the means to do so. She managed by getting her mother to steal money from her father. Her sisters were unhappy about it and her father was furious, but Berenice Bradshaw couldn't say no to Frances.
Neither could either of her neglected, abused sons. She kept them emotionally dependent on her, playing one against the other to prevent them from forming an alliance. Frances was mentally ill, but she managed to hide it well and neither her mother or either of her husbands was strong enough to force her to get the help she needed. Probably it wouldn't have made any difference anyway.
When her father showed signs of cutting her off and disowning her, Frances decided that he had to die. And she had at least two people who were willing to do anything to please her.
It's a sickening story and nothing could make it less so, but a good editor would have cut out much of the underbrush and made it a better book. If you can get it cheap and are willing to skim some, it might be worth it to you. Alexander is a far better writer than many of those who write true crime books. If you like true crime stories, you should try it. If not, skip it.
OK, true crime isn't my genre of choice, but a good book is a good book and a lousy book is a lousy one. I read this author's autobiography and enjoyed it and was looking forward to this one. The sad thing is that there's a good book in here, but it's buried in WAY too much detail and repetition. The story could have been well told in 300 pages. At almost 600 pages, I began to think I might die before I finished it.
It's grim, as any story about murder by family members must be and it's worse because it's hard to find anyone to root for. The exceptions would be Frances Bradshaw Schreuder's children, especially her sons.
It's a story of greed and grueling hardship and the tragedy of those who can't enjoy the success they've worked so hard for. Franklin Bradshaw was a man determined to be a success and to make as much money as possible. He never seemed to stop to ask himself WHY he wanted the money. Starting pre-WWII, he recognized that Americans are car-crazy and that keeping those cars running required car parts. Practically all car owners were "shade tree mechanics" then, cars being much simpler than they are now.
He opened a car parts store in Utah and kept adding stores. Then he moved into renting oil rights on public land, a shamefully profitable business. At his death, his worth was estimated at between $30 million and $400 million. The wide gap was because Bradshaw played his cards close to his vest. He didn't trust his family and didn't want them to get his money, but he also hated the idea of the IRS collecting taxes on his income.
Putting property in the names of his wife and kids shielded him from paying taxes, but it left him vulnerable from attacks from within. Because his wife and kids wanted that money and some weren't willing to wait until the old man died to inherit it. Who knew what kind of will he would leave?
Bradshaw was from a Mormon family, but he left the fold early on. His wife Berenice wasn't Mormon and was angry about the descrimination she and her children faced living in Mormon-dominated Utah. She gave birth to a son, but he developed schitzophrenia at an early age and died in a mental hospital. Their three daughters all went to college and married, but they all left Utah as soon as possible.
Marilyn married, but had no children. She became an accountant and hoped to convince her father to leave her in charge of the family fortune. Elaine caused a stir by marrying a Jew. The had two sons, were active in liberal politics and stayed away from the family as much as possible. If they were worried about Marilyn taking over or how their father left his money, they showed no signs of it.
Youngest daughter Frances was headstrong and determined to move into high society. She talked her father into sending her to a pricey East Coast women's school. There she met an Italian pearl dealer, married, and had two sons. Their marriage was violent and when it ended, she married a European businessman and gave birth to a daughter.
Berenice was an unhappy wife, resenting her husband's obsession with work and his reluctance to part with any money. Frances was her darling, especially after the birth of the only granddaughter. Frances lived large without having the means to do so. She managed by getting her mother to steal money from her father. Her sisters were unhappy about it and her father was furious, but Berenice Bradshaw couldn't say no to Frances.
Neither could either of her neglected, abused sons. She kept them emotionally dependent on her, playing one against the other to prevent them from forming an alliance. Frances was mentally ill, but she managed to hide it well and neither her mother or either of her husbands was strong enough to force her to get the help she needed. Probably it wouldn't have made any difference anyway.
When her father showed signs of cutting her off and disowning her, Frances decided that he had to die. And she had at least two people who were willing to do anything to please her.
It's a sickening story and nothing could make it less so, but a good editor would have cut out much of the underbrush and made it a better book. If you can get it cheap and are willing to skim some, it might be worth it to you. Alexander is a far better writer than many of those who write true crime books. If you like true crime stories, you should try it. If not, skip it.
April 8, 2019
This book gave me a deepened sense of LOATHING for narcissistic, self-absorbed rich people with too much time on their hands. It had its interesting moments but most of the people in it were, like the book, loathsome. Having more than enough money to be comfortable and free of worry might make you a relatively nice, easy-going likeable guy or girl but at least as far as this family is concerned, it did quite the opposite.
The truest thing I took away from this sorry tale was provided by a psychiatrist. What he said is, basically, that GREEN STUFF (money) can make it possible for you, despite a heavy load of unwholesome personality traits, to get away with just about anything. And it can help keep people like this witch of a mother avoid the critical eye of child protective services and the law in general. Unlikable people getting away, at least for awhile, with murder.
The truest thing I took away from this sorry tale was provided by a psychiatrist. What he said is, basically, that GREEN STUFF (money) can make it possible for you, despite a heavy load of unwholesome personality traits, to get away with just about anything. And it can help keep people like this witch of a mother avoid the critical eye of child protective services and the law in general. Unlikable people getting away, at least for awhile, with murder.
February 21, 2022
This is an excellent read and s very well researched book and is the tale of murder and betrayal
The family in this story is one of the most dysfunctional families I have ever heard of. The whole family are defective battered and broken from the mother to her 3 children but especially her youngest daughter Francine who is a real piece of work. From her birth she is spoiled and had to have everything her way and desired the best of everything. Francine is accused of unlawfully causing the death of her father, Franklin Bradshaw, Francine involved The family in this murder and the story is all about money and how much money can corrupt and change the lives of so many people in one family. I highly recommend this book. I am part of the ARC group for Wildblue Press and BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The family in this story is one of the most dysfunctional families I have ever heard of. The whole family are defective battered and broken from the mother to her 3 children but especially her youngest daughter Francine who is a real piece of work. From her birth she is spoiled and had to have everything her way and desired the best of everything. Francine is accused of unlawfully causing the death of her father, Franklin Bradshaw, Francine involved The family in this murder and the story is all about money and how much money can corrupt and change the lives of so many people in one family. I highly recommend this book. I am part of the ARC group for Wildblue Press and BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 21, 2017
This book was the second one on the list of books my mother read in 1986. It was quite a tome that would have benefitted greatly from stringent editing. I can appreciate the amount of research Alexander did, and the Herculean task of putting it all in order. The style is very much crime reportage. There are no fanciful images or philosophical musings. I frequently feel the same about meticulously researched nonfiction. That is, that it's way more information than I need or want. I Persevered with this one in part because it's a connection to my mother, and because it truly is a remarkable story.
December 10, 2019
Unbelievable!
This book was very dense with so much information and it was written very well, in my opinion. Don't know why but I'm so drawn to true crime. Though I've read many T C, this one was near the top with being so disturbing. But Shana A. wrote a very good book about this story, in my humble opinion.
This book was very dense with so much information and it was written very well, in my opinion. Don't know why but I'm so drawn to true crime. Though I've read many T C, this one was near the top with being so disturbing. But Shana A. wrote a very good book about this story, in my humble opinion.
November 21, 2022
Interesting Read
Bought this book because these people are distant cousins and was absolutely floored while reading about this case. The book droned on in some places but not enough to make me put it down. Dysfunctional does not begin to describe this family. Did further research for updated info, helped understand it better. Recommend for true crime junkies.
Bought this book because these people are distant cousins and was absolutely floored while reading about this case. The book droned on in some places but not enough to make me put it down. Dysfunctional does not begin to describe this family. Did further research for updated info, helped understand it better. Recommend for true crime junkies.
October 15, 2019
Unfathomable
The quintessential dysfunction of this family is unreal. Hard to believe that none of this is made up. I had to keep reading, hoping Frances would get what was coming to her. And couldn't help feeling sorry for the kids, either. . Well worth the read.
The quintessential dysfunction of this family is unreal. Hard to believe that none of this is made up. I had to keep reading, hoping Frances would get what was coming to her. And couldn't help feeling sorry for the kids, either. . Well worth the read.
November 26, 2017
A fascinating true crime with a completely unlikable family of characters. Good crime reporting. (But it took me forever to read due to the knee replacement.)
June 20, 2021
The writing is about hard to parse at times as it's written more like a New York gossip column rather than a novel. But it's an interesting story overall.
May 13, 2023
Good Book
An interesting book I read about this case many years ago. Although interesting I think the author was a little bit long-winded in some parts, but overall did a good job.
An interesting book I read about this case many years ago. Although interesting I think the author was a little bit long-winded in some parts, but overall did a good job.
April 28, 2010
Alexander, Shana. Nutcracker: Money, Madness, Murder: A Family Album (1985) *****
Charming
Oh boy. Just how much intense, stupid madness can one family harbor? The story reads like a parody of human behavior. Alexander's narrative, chuck full of detail and precise diction and some wonderful turns of phrase, often spirals into something like a long-running slapstick comedy too bizarre for television. The horror of neglect and greed, hatred, prejudice and violence are all here, but the form they take in this tale is so absurd sometimes that you have to laugh aloud at the sick antics.
The three most important characters are: Franklin Bradshaw, the miserly patriarch, apparently murdered by his grandsons at the insistence of his youngest daughter, Frances, an incredibly depraved creature nobody could have invented, and Berenice, mother of Frances and husband of Franklin, a slavish practitioner of "smotherly love." They hail from Utah where Franklin is a non-practicing Mormon. He has spent a lifetime of working sixteen hours a day and has, through his auto parts business and oil and land leases, amassed a fortune estimated in the hundreds of millions of (1981) dollars. Frances and everybody else in the family would like to get their hands on the money, and each of them is deathly afraid that the others are scheming to cheat them out of their fair share, and they are. But Frances, the youngest of the four Bradshaw children, is particularly evil. She is the pretty baby of the family that no one could ever say no to, who always got away with everything as a child and expects that to continue. When the world says, "Whoa, child, no!" she fights back with every scheme and wile she can muster, committing nearly any and all crimes imaginable. She usually gets away with them because she has a quality about her that prevents anyone from saying no to her, at least anyone in her family. She is perhaps as neglectful a mother as one can imagine, physically beating and mentally torturing her children, using them as pawns in her wars with her two ex-husbands and her parents and sisters. She is an alcoholic, a drug addict, a paranoid schizophrenic, a bigot, a class-conscious low life, who hates blacks, Jews and poor white trash; a woman who is as trashy as one can get, yet a woman who manages to manipulate her mother and father and others so that she always has time to drink and whore around and send her children to private schools (even as she pushes them out the door in the morning in their underwear without breakfast or bath).
But enough. It's a good read, and I have to admire Alexander's writing ability. She makes it all very vivid and she does it with style and grace and without taking up some phony political position or presenting some shallow psychology. She sparkles the narrative with insight and bon mots and never slows down or bores.
--a review by Dennis Littrell
Charming
Oh boy. Just how much intense, stupid madness can one family harbor? The story reads like a parody of human behavior. Alexander's narrative, chuck full of detail and precise diction and some wonderful turns of phrase, often spirals into something like a long-running slapstick comedy too bizarre for television. The horror of neglect and greed, hatred, prejudice and violence are all here, but the form they take in this tale is so absurd sometimes that you have to laugh aloud at the sick antics.
The three most important characters are: Franklin Bradshaw, the miserly patriarch, apparently murdered by his grandsons at the insistence of his youngest daughter, Frances, an incredibly depraved creature nobody could have invented, and Berenice, mother of Frances and husband of Franklin, a slavish practitioner of "smotherly love." They hail from Utah where Franklin is a non-practicing Mormon. He has spent a lifetime of working sixteen hours a day and has, through his auto parts business and oil and land leases, amassed a fortune estimated in the hundreds of millions of (1981) dollars. Frances and everybody else in the family would like to get their hands on the money, and each of them is deathly afraid that the others are scheming to cheat them out of their fair share, and they are. But Frances, the youngest of the four Bradshaw children, is particularly evil. She is the pretty baby of the family that no one could ever say no to, who always got away with everything as a child and expects that to continue. When the world says, "Whoa, child, no!" she fights back with every scheme and wile she can muster, committing nearly any and all crimes imaginable. She usually gets away with them because she has a quality about her that prevents anyone from saying no to her, at least anyone in her family. She is perhaps as neglectful a mother as one can imagine, physically beating and mentally torturing her children, using them as pawns in her wars with her two ex-husbands and her parents and sisters. She is an alcoholic, a drug addict, a paranoid schizophrenic, a bigot, a class-conscious low life, who hates blacks, Jews and poor white trash; a woman who is as trashy as one can get, yet a woman who manages to manipulate her mother and father and others so that she always has time to drink and whore around and send her children to private schools (even as she pushes them out the door in the morning in their underwear without breakfast or bath).
But enough. It's a good read, and I have to admire Alexander's writing ability. She makes it all very vivid and she does it with style and grace and without taking up some phony political position or presenting some shallow psychology. She sparkles the narrative with insight and bon mots and never slows down or bores.
--a review by Dennis Littrell
June 20, 2015
This book was published in 1985, and has to do with an extremely dysfunctional family from Utah. Franklin and Berneice Bradshaw had four children, three girls and a boy. The boy died at a young age. The youngest girl is the focus of this book; her name was Frances. She married twice, and two children from her first marriage, Lorenzo or Larry, and Marco, or Marc; and also a daughter, Ariadne from her second marriage. Frances was an extremely troubled person; no doubt mentally ill, and she could never get enough attention. Her narcissism caused her to emotionally abuse all of her children to the point that she coerced her son Marc to kill her father, his own grandfather. Why? Because of her greed and love of a lavish lifestyle. The whole family, Francis and her two boys, stole money from her parents, and forged checks all the time. Berneice seemed to go along with the whole sick game, although she was not involved in the murder of her husband, Franklin. At the time of the 1978 murder, Frances was divorced from her second husband F. Schreuder, and she and her children went by that name, although the boys were born during her first marriage. Francis became enamored of the ballet in New York City, and donated thousands and thousands of dollars to the ballet company, and to the famous choreographer, George Balanchine. Her son Larry is also mentally ill and was in a mental hospital for quite some time. Marc was tried for the murder of his grandfather, and eventually Frances was also. I found the book quite an interesting story; apparently a TV mini series was made from it several years ago. I simply could not believe that when Berneice died, she still left Frances a healthy portion of her estate. This family was obviously extremely sick. Frances herself died in 2004 (she served 13 years in prison) due to chronic lung disease (she was a very heavy smoker).
The book reads more like a literary tale than most of the true crime books available these days. I was extremely shocked that someone could manipulate other people to such a degree that they would even go so far as to murder someone else. And all over the issue of money.......
The book reads more like a literary tale than most of the true crime books available these days. I was extremely shocked that someone could manipulate other people to such a degree that they would even go so far as to murder someone else. And all over the issue of money.......
October 29, 2012
There are actually dueling books of this murder of a self-made millionaire by his grandson at the urging of his mother, the daughter of the victim. Jonathan Coleman's At Mother's Request from what I've read focuses more on the investigation and prosecution. Alexander's is more on the family dynamic, which practically from birth became centered on Frances Schroeder, a sociopath who goaded her son to become a murderer so she could continue to live the life of a wealthy socialite based on the wealth her father had earned, and which Frances felt entitled to spend. Among other things--and this is the genesis of the title taken from the Tchaikovsky ballet, it gained her entry into the exalted circles of New York City's cultural elite: Frances claimed to see George Balanchine as her "real father." And given her background in such circles and experience as a journalist this is a world and dynamic Alexander is very qualified to vividly render--one of those books from which you remember scenes decades after reading.
April 3, 2015
Good book
This book is very poorly written. Author skipped around so much that its difficult to follow . If he/she had written it in a time line fashion (as most books are) ,it would be a much better book. That said, I am rivited by the story. I'm only about 20% of the way through it, and I know every little detail of each character, but can't keep up with who is described by the author at any given time.Who edited this book anyway?
After completing the book I have the same opinion. It was a good story but stuffed throughout with so much unnecessary detail as to make it cluttered and disjointed. Hard to follow the timeline of the story. Think ill read the other one now.
This book is very poorly written. Author skipped around so much that its difficult to follow . If he/she had written it in a time line fashion (as most books are) ,it would be a much better book. That said, I am rivited by the story. I'm only about 20% of the way through it, and I know every little detail of each character, but can't keep up with who is described by the author at any given time.Who edited this book anyway?
After completing the book I have the same opinion. It was a good story but stuffed throughout with so much unnecessary detail as to make it cluttered and disjointed. Hard to follow the timeline of the story. Think ill read the other one now.
April 18, 2015
If you have ever thought that your family is dysfunctional, you should read this book about a Mormon family, the Bradshaws. A grandson, following his mother's orders, kills his grandfather. There are over 450 pages telling the story of the three daughters, the youngest in particular, who seems possessed by Satan. These women only care for the wealth amassed by their father. In the end (spoiler--the mother is put in prison, as is the son who did the deed.) This is quite compelling--hard to put down.
April 20, 2011
This was a book I couldn't put down. Not because it was exciting, because I couldn't believe someone could be so evil, not only to her children but also to her parents. So much so to have her children kill her father. She was definitely a sociopath. Not only was she diabolically evil but I also put some blame on her mother. Her siblings also left a lot to be desired. This is one of the books I put first ahead of Ann Rule.
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