The Meaning of Malice: On the Trail of the Black Widow of Highland Park

by John Leake

Sandra Bridewell was a beautiful socialite in the affluent Dallas suburb of Highland Park in 1978-82, when DALLAS was the world's most popular TV show and the Dallas Cowboys were America's favorite team. Her husband, Bobby Bridewell, was a top hotel developer and the most popular man in Dallas society. When Bobby died of lymphoma in 1982, Sandra quickly fell from grace in her tight-knit society. Four years later, she left Dallas and moved to the Bay Area under a cloud of suspicion that she had committed multiple murders. In 1987 she was the subject of a sensational D Magazine feature titled "The Black Widow" that suggested she had indeed murdered two of her husbands and the wife of the prominent cancer doctor who had treated Bobby Bridewell.

True crime author John Leake has followed the story since the D Magazine feature was published. He grew up in Highland Park, just down the street from Sandra, and often visited her home to socialize with one of her children. Since 2007, when Sandra was arrested for stealing the identity of an elderly lady who lived near Cape Fear, North Carolina, he has documented her life and wanderings. He has also meticulously investigated four violent deaths among her family and friends in Dallas. With this book, he finally answers the question that has tantalized Highland Park society ever since. Is Sandra Bridewell a serial killer, or is she a victim of circumstance?

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Book Club

424 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

Born in Dallas, Texas, John Leake went to Vienna, Austria on a graduate school scholarship and ended up living in the city for over a decade, working as a freelance writer and translator. His first book, Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer (Sarah Crichton Books, FSG) was a New York Times Sunday Book Review "Editors' Choice," a Men's Vogue "Best Book of 2007," and the inspiration of The Infernal Comedy, starring John Malkovich.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was fascinating but I'm thoroughly sick of reading books full of typographical and grammatical errors. This is the 2nd true crime book in a row I've read this week where sheriff is spelled sherrif. And the author apparently doesn't know that when someone writes an introduction to your book it is called a foreword, not a forward, because he made that error twice.

I would like to know where this crazy Sandra is now though.

[Ashley (findabooknook) B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh what fun! Can you say that about a possible serial killer? Local Dallas author writes about several suicides that occurred in Dallas in the late 70s to early 80s and the woman who had a connection to them all + more.

How has Sandra Bridewell managed to fly undetected for decades, while leaving a path of destruction in her wake? Bribing well known people? Stealing money? Lies, lies, lies. All the fake pregnancies. Really this fits into the truth is stranger than fiction category! This would not be able to occur in this day and age.

She moved on to California and North Carolina; and finally got a little prison time in NC for identity fraud.

What she has over people is curious. That they are afraid to talk decades later. You would think if your loved one’s death was ruled a suicide, but it may have been murder, you would want justice.

I could have enjoyed this because I recognize many people’s names and neighborhood places. So unsure if it has broader appeal outside of Dallas. I also think the structure could have been arranged differently to avoid duplicative parts. But that may have been part of the author’s plan. The duplicative parts build on themselves until you have a fuller picture at the end.

Overall, as a true crime lover, I could not put it down.

[Scarlett Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader of true crime documentaries and being a believer in Jesus Christ, two facts were reinforced for me. First, Satan is alive and well and his goal is to corrupt humans to becoming totally evil. Such is true with this woman with a heart void of anything decent.

Secondly, unless the police forces. FBI, sheriffs and all other organizations committed to justice don’t support and collaborate with one another, evil wins and the general innocent population live their lives not knowing how close evil is around them

Secondly, shame on all of the friends, church members, witnesses, and ANY others who had seen, heard or suspected something related to a case don’t report it, once again, evil wins and those fearful disloyal friends must live with blood and the death of others who might have been saved if they had conquered their fears and come forward.

[Caroline Annett · Rating 3 out of 5]

great story, especially as a reader from dallas. not incredibly well written, it was a little jumpy and repetitive.

[Carolyn Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Widow Highland Park

Fascinating, well researched true crime, spanning many years. Sandra Bridewell is a criminal serial killer,beautiful and sinister, that makes this a page turner.

[Kayla West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story, and appreciated all angles investigated so thoroughly. My locality to Dallas made this much more interesting. Sandra Bridewell certainly reaffirms that there are truly evil people in the world, ones you would never expect.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly researched detailed account of a femme fatale / accused murderer whose master manipulation spanned decades. If it was not about the city I call home, I may never have discovered this book. I look forward to diving into author John Leake's prior true crime books. If you live in Dallas and appreciate true crime books, you definitely do NOT want to miss this book though it may leave you feeling slightly disturbed about the depths of evil that can exist within a person!

[Ashley C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating story and well-researched, but I think you need to be from Dallas to really enjoy the book as there are so many details specific to Dallas/Highland Park. The first 1/4 or 1/3 of the book had me glued to my kindle but it slows down and the overall structure of the book didn’t seem well thought out. There’s a lot of skipping around, repeats of events and details, and a ton of the author inserting himself into the story. I don’t read a lot of true crime but I don’t remember that typically being the case - maybe some of it added to the story but some of it was completely unnecessary and added to the feeling that the book was dragging in the middle. Also, for a book that acted like it was trying to focus on facts and timelines, I hated how often Sandra was described to have “negative energy” or an evil presence or her and her possessions giving off essentially bad vibes to people. It felt supernatural and again took away from what should be a story based on facts, not bad gut feelings and spidey senses of evil that some people had. 4 stars because I highly recommend at least the first half to anyone from the Park Cities. The last fourth of the book was good too, it just felt too long, the middle was too muddled, and too many things were rehashed. Crazy story though and great theories by the author.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fascinating and creepy. The story itself gets 4 stars but the book comes away at 2.
Maybe normal for the true crime genre which I don’t usually read, it’s not written as a thriller, but a fairly straightforward telling of events (with excessive sides relating to the author’s personal connection to people/places - maybe he’s trying to establish credibility for a view of events or people, but I found it unhelpful).

- would have benefited hugely from an editor (especially a good one): typos, the pacing and retelling of same stories
- he doesn’t explore the critical accomplice angle or why so many people backed off pursuing her or justice for the murder victims. Is she blackmailing them all?

- *spoiler*……….
……
……
I didn’t realize at the beginning she hadn’t been convicted. Isn’t this whole book libel then? I didn’t read it closely at the beginning, so maybe he didn’t directly say it, and it’s not like she’s going to come out of hiding to bring him to court…but still.

[Mary Robideaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years before the events portrayed in this book, a friend of mine introduced me to Sandra Stegal. It was a brief and mostly unmemorable meeting, but then all this stuff began to happen. I have been following this story for a long time and am glad someone finally wrote about it. True crime fans will get into this one. I read it in one day. Only in the end when the author attempts to explain the different ways these deaths could have occurred did my interest lag a bit. Because he was not allowed access to many records, the author had to postulate a lot, and I didn't always buy into his theories. This is a fascinating book none the less.

[Sharon Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. True crime is a genre that I wouldn't ordinarily even consider, but I learned of this book on John Leake's substack and decided to give it a try.
The writing was quite engaging and I found myself caught up in the author's quest for information. The most astonishing aspect of the story was that the Black Widow literally got away with murder, not just once, but multiple times. It seemed as if the only real investigation of the killings was done by this true crime author.

[Sheridan Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow - my reaction after pretty much every twist and turn in this book. The up, down, and around trail of Sandra Bridewell was something. I struggled to follow this book at times because of how complex it was, but there was a factor of relatability when it mentioned specific spots in Dallas - Greenway Parks, Highland Park High School, Northpark Mall, and Love Field. Overall, this book was fascinating, albeit very long and detailed. I kept picking it up after hiatuses, so I would have been more on track if I had read it consistently. A must read if you enjoy true crime!

[Lloyd Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a read. Thoroughly researched, straightforward writing. Appreciated opinions of author. Makes one wonder: is our justice system this ineffective? Or is this an anomaly? Sandra is certainly evil and self destructing. With her gifts of beauty, charm, and persuasiveness, she could have lived a comfortable life of wealth, status, peer respect, and accomplishment by living within the lines of 3 stars.

[Courtney Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes Fatal Attraction look like little league…
I mean, at least Glenn Close (forgot her character’s name) was focused on only one guy…. The Meaning of Malice is a total page turner, beautifully written in a way that makes the reader feel like part of the story- and it is suspenseful to the very end. A must-read!

[Rose Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

will no longer read him

THIS!

When SARS-CoV-2 arrived in early 2020, he perceived that the official policy response to it was illogical at best, and possibly criminal, so he teamed up with Dr. Peter McCullough to write The Courage to Face COVID-19: Preventing Hospitalization and Death While Battling the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex (with a forward by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.).

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a true story about a woman known as the Black Widow of Highland Park. Apparently, this woman was responsible for the death of two of her husbands as well as the death of the wife of a prominent doctor that she wanted to pursue.

The story is interesting, but the book is filled with so many names of so many characters that it's difficult to keep up with the who, what, where, when.

[Meredith Sepehri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember when Skip Hollandsworth first wrote about the Black Widow of Highland Park in 1986! I was fascinated and that’s just the beginning of this crazy story. It gets repetitive toward the end, but enjoyable. Especially if you were in Dallas in the 80’s.

[Maria Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

This is a very interesting story. The conclusion has to be determined by every reader because all proof is circumstantial, as much for the deaths as for evidence of murder.

[Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic

I read a lot of true crime, most of it the synopsis variety. This author, hands down, maintains and elevates the standards for all others. Not since In Cold Blood has any author displayed the depth of research and description until now.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Very engrossing.

Extremely well written. Couldn't put down and fascinated by how this woman got away with this for so long. The author did his homework and is an excellent writer!

[abena · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow

I like how the author didn’t mince words when it comes to Betsy Bagwell’s friends and family. How awful that they let the murder of their friend end like that. With friends and family like that. Who needs enemies.

[Sarah Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Dallas native, the story was fascinating! There were so many familiar names and places. The wealthy society acted as a protected community within which a murderer could roam without getting caught.

[Marcia M. Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational and interesting especially if you are from Dallas

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my! A gripping story that took place right under my nose. Unbelievable.

[Gail A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but….

The sort is good until the last quarter. At that point it becomes so repetitious that I just started scanning.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like the way this book was organized, and it felt repetitive. However, it was a juicy read if you grew up in the area and was well researched.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting bc a local crime however a lot of repetition

[Leonie Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book. Too bad she got away with these horrendous crimes. Loved the authors style of writing.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but just hard to read sometimes with that many characters in the book. Plus I was hoping for a good ending but it wasn’t .

[Gary Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and well researched story. The book I has an odd structure. The author basically tells the story twice.