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Under Cover of the Night: A True Story of Sex, Greed and Murder
It was planned to look like a suicide.
But even in the best-laid plans, evidence is left behind…
Jocelyn Branham Earnest was found dead on the floor of her living room in Forest, Virginia. By her side was a gun and a suicide note—typed, lacking a signature, and with one fingerprint on it. A fingerprint apparently belonging to Jocelyn’s estranged husband…
Wesley Earnest was a respected high school administrator, poised to restart his life in a new community. Parents entrusted their children to his care and believed he was above reproach. But the investigation into the life the couple once shared would reveal adultery, troubled finances, and shattered dreams—enough for one man with murder on his mind to travel hundreds of miles…
Under Cover of the Night
INCLUDES PHOTOS
But even in the best-laid plans, evidence is left behind…
Jocelyn Branham Earnest was found dead on the floor of her living room in Forest, Virginia. By her side was a gun and a suicide note—typed, lacking a signature, and with one fingerprint on it. A fingerprint apparently belonging to Jocelyn’s estranged husband…
Wesley Earnest was a respected high school administrator, poised to restart his life in a new community. Parents entrusted their children to his care and believed he was above reproach. But the investigation into the life the couple once shared would reveal adultery, troubled finances, and shattered dreams—enough for one man with murder on his mind to travel hundreds of miles…
Under Cover of the Night
INCLUDES PHOTOS
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2014
67 people are currently reading
674 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 16, 2015
This is a very well presented true crime tale and the first I've read by this author. I went to see other books she's written and just found one free right now with an Audible trial so I will give that a go...I will listen at the office.
The author mentioned she'd have liked to have met Jocelyn and I agree. She sounded a very nice lady and I especially liked her relationship with her dogs.(I was relieved to see her dear dad took her Rufus home with him). When I looked at the pictures at the end I thought her "darling husband" looked so nice.....just goes to show, I guess.
I found it pretty amazing that suicide was EVER mooted since she had her coat on !! I thought that was very peculiar indeed that anybody would think someone put their coat on first (or just didn't take it off before grabbing a gun). It just wouldn't happen.It left my jaw hitting the floor that the prosecutor said this was a really complicated case as it so clearly wasn't !! Nobody shoots themself in the head and then moves a couple of feet ! Once again it seems American justice dragged and dragged and dragged in this case and then after all that to need to start all over again had to be devastating for her family. I found some of the descriptions of what happened to her just horrendous so I can't imagine how awful it was for her loved ones to sit through....twice.
I did spot in one of the reviews at the very beginning that a Mike DeForest needs to learn how to spell poring-that was a big old ouch !!I only spotted 2 tiny mistakes in the whole book so that easily makes it a 5 star read for me !! It made it so much more of a pleasure to read when one isn't trawling through terrible punctuation or spelling mistakes or formatting errors. A huge difference so well done, Diane Fanning, and thankyou for taking the trouble.
I was really fascinated to read about the Crater of Diamonds, by the way. I Googled it and what an interesting day out !!
The author mentioned she'd have liked to have met Jocelyn and I agree. She sounded a very nice lady and I especially liked her relationship with her dogs.(I was relieved to see her dear dad took her Rufus home with him). When I looked at the pictures at the end I thought her "darling husband" looked so nice.....just goes to show, I guess.
I found it pretty amazing that suicide was EVER mooted since she had her coat on !! I thought that was very peculiar indeed that anybody would think someone put their coat on first (or just didn't take it off before grabbing a gun). It just wouldn't happen.It left my jaw hitting the floor that the prosecutor said this was a really complicated case as it so clearly wasn't !! Nobody shoots themself in the head and then moves a couple of feet ! Once again it seems American justice dragged and dragged and dragged in this case and then after all that to need to start all over again had to be devastating for her family. I found some of the descriptions of what happened to her just horrendous so I can't imagine how awful it was for her loved ones to sit through....twice.
I did spot in one of the reviews at the very beginning that a Mike DeForest needs to learn how to spell poring-that was a big old ouch !!I only spotted 2 tiny mistakes in the whole book so that easily makes it a 5 star read for me !! It made it so much more of a pleasure to read when one isn't trawling through terrible punctuation or spelling mistakes or formatting errors. A huge difference so well done, Diane Fanning, and thankyou for taking the trouble.
I was really fascinated to read about the Crater of Diamonds, by the way. I Googled it and what an interesting day out !!
May 1, 2016
Giving the author after just finishing a book of hers I did not think very good but she is a good writer so I hope this one will be better and written after the trial.
Update. Finished this morning. May 01 2016. on my daughter's birthday.Yes it was written after the trial. But I had another problem that the last half was quite repetitious. But I am not giving up on this author.
Update. Finished this morning. May 01 2016. on my daughter's birthday.Yes it was written after the trial. But I had another problem that the last half was quite repetitious. But I am not giving up on this author.
June 22, 2020
A fairly run of the mill true crime tale.
A controlling husband spends beyond his means, and cheats on his wife. She leaves him, and he kills her.
To be honest, I almost thought I'd read it before.
A controlling husband spends beyond his means, and cheats on his wife. She leaves him, and he kills her.
To be honest, I almost thought I'd read it before.
June 6, 2017
Another great book by Diane Fanning. Well written and text just flowed.
May 16, 2023
a lot about the court case and trial which was cool but it was also just not for me
January 6, 2015
This is not really a spoiler because everything is pretty obvious after the first few pages. The fact that the husband is a creep should be evident to any reader, so do we really need so much "help" in coming to that conclusion? Take this sentence, for example: "She opened the envelope and read the self-serving, manipulative letter from her estranged husband." The author goes on to quote extensively from the letter, so how about letting the reader draw his or her own conclusions about the tone, content, etc.?
October 20, 2014
I thought this was a very interesting,well written , spousal murder book. It is similar to other cases, but she did a good job of putting it together and making it enjoyable reading.
December 12, 2014
Great read
True crime folks will love this one. Well written...story line unbelievable that the husband thinks he can really get away with it.
True crime folks will love this one. Well written...story line unbelievable that the husband thinks he can really get away with it.
October 9, 2023
I have always liked Diane Fanning's true crime books, but this one missed the mark for me. It is mostly word for word trial transcripts. Just when you think the trial is over but the book is only half done, guess what! Now there is word for word transcripts of the appeal, basically rehashing everything from the first trial. Nothing unusual about this case. Your average crazy husband kills wife story.
June 23, 2020
This was well written and engaging. Wesley and Jocelynn are married but the marriage is not going well. Divorce is imminent. This is true crime. Jocelynn is found dead by her bff and a murder investigation commences. Wesley is the number one suspect, as spouses always are. This follows the investigation and trial of Wesley.
April 6, 2024
This is a typical Channel 171 crime channel story. I had thought (hoped, anticipated), that there would be a big twist at the end as to who the actual murderer was, nope, it is who they had suspected and said right from the beginning. Instead of spending eight hours on this audiobook, rather watch it on the crime channel, am pretty sure it’s been on there.
The narrator was good.
The narrator was good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2021
Lazy, undercooked and poorly researched effort by Fanning. Where she didn't know why something happened (which happened a lot), she'd simply wedge in a sweeping supposition / generalization.
There are surely better retellings of this complex and tragic story out there.
There are surely better retellings of this complex and tragic story out there.
September 22, 2021
My first Fanning book. I thought it was good, but not great.
Not to take anything away from the writer or the protagonists in this ugly tale, it just wasn’t all that interesting as true crime stories go. Thus, my 3 star review. It was average.
Not to take anything away from the writer or the protagonists in this ugly tale, it just wasn’t all that interesting as true crime stories go. Thus, my 3 star review. It was average.
July 18, 2017
Interesting
I didn't know this story so it was interesting but written a little dryly. Every aspect is covered and there is a good description of the trial.
I didn't know this story so it was interesting but written a little dryly. Every aspect is covered and there is a good description of the trial.
June 24, 2018
Well written account of a narcissist/murder who took his wife’s life. First book for me by this author and I plan to read more of her true crime books.
November 17, 2018
Thorough coverage of the murder of a woman by her husband and his trial. This was the first of Diane Fanning I've read, but I'll be looking for more.
April 26, 2022
True story…local murder which made all the papers. Made for an interesting read as all the locations were familiar, but also a well described story. Felt like a member of the jury!
July 24, 2025
living in VA, I recognized many of the locations even though it occurred prior to my living in VA. Good story!
August 9, 2025
Not every day you get to read about your high school geometry teacher being charged with murder.
Interesting read, likely the right conclusion but very circumstantial case.
Interesting read, likely the right conclusion but very circumstantial case.
January 3, 2015
Decent true crime read. The only thing I did not like was that the murderer, the husband, was tried twice and while I know it was part of the overall story I had to go through two trials which covered basically the same information. The story is about a husband who murders his wife (although he never admits it in the book) when he 1. Obtains himself a new girlfriend and 2. Wants to keep what he has & not share it in a divorce. I believe the cracks in the marriage came at about the 12 year mark. He was controlling and she put up with it but finally when he decided to become a Jehovah's Witness & not celebrate any holidays she started going to see her family alone & celebrating with her friends. A divide that lead to her being more independent and since she made far more money than he did it emasculated him. These narcissistic characters just can't help themselves though and when he was unable to control the divorce conditions he eliminated what he perceived as the problem. You had to smirk because he was in the education field and wanted to be called Doctor all the time but she made the big bucks and he got caught in many lies at the trial showing him up for the ass he was and oh then he got life w/o parole for her murder. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
May 4, 2016
Diane Fanning took a grisly crime with plenty of red herrings and turned it into a readable, chilling story that captures the reader from the first page to the last.
[Full disclaimer: I live at Smith Mountain Lake where part of the crime was committed, so I followed it on the local news. I had no idea how bad the crime was.]
This has all the elements of a bungled attempt to hide a crime. A victim, an estranged wife, found shot to death in her home, a suicide note beside her and a gun next to the body. The body had been moved by the time the police arrived.
The initial suspect is the estranged husband, a philanderer who is deep in depth and having an affair with another woman. He's a liar, a cheat and a violent person. Add anger issues and panic over his spiraling debt, and the best thing that can happen is for his wife to die.
The first and second trials constitute the bulk of the book. Hard as it is to write about a trial, a retrial could be ultra-tedious, but Fanning makes the second trial as much of a cliff hanger as the first.
Highly recommended for those who like to read late at night. With the shades drawn and doors locked.
[Full disclaimer: I live at Smith Mountain Lake where part of the crime was committed, so I followed it on the local news. I had no idea how bad the crime was.]
This has all the elements of a bungled attempt to hide a crime. A victim, an estranged wife, found shot to death in her home, a suicide note beside her and a gun next to the body. The body had been moved by the time the police arrived.
The initial suspect is the estranged husband, a philanderer who is deep in depth and having an affair with another woman. He's a liar, a cheat and a violent person. Add anger issues and panic over his spiraling debt, and the best thing that can happen is for his wife to die.
The first and second trials constitute the bulk of the book. Hard as it is to write about a trial, a retrial could be ultra-tedious, but Fanning makes the second trial as much of a cliff hanger as the first.
Highly recommended for those who like to read late at night. With the shades drawn and doors locked.
November 16, 2014
Jocelyn Earnest was found dead on the floor of her living room with a gun and a suicide note beside her....the only fingerprint on the note was that of her estranged husband. It took only one shot to kill her but it took two trials to convict her killer.
I used to read a lot of true crime books so, when I saw this one at the library, I thought it would be a nice change of pace. The story was similar to many I've read before....3.8 percent of all homicides in this country involve women dying at the hands of their husbands. Many of these men are narcissists like Wesley Earnest....they think they are smart enough and charming enough to make anyone believe their lies.
This book is well-written and researched. I found the first half very absorbing but lost interest when the second trial got started. I finished it just to make sure this jerk was put away where he can't hurt any more woman.
I used to read a lot of true crime books so, when I saw this one at the library, I thought it would be a nice change of pace. The story was similar to many I've read before....3.8 percent of all homicides in this country involve women dying at the hands of their husbands. Many of these men are narcissists like Wesley Earnest....they think they are smart enough and charming enough to make anyone believe their lies.
This book is well-written and researched. I found the first half very absorbing but lost interest when the second trial got started. I finished it just to make sure this jerk was put away where he can't hurt any more woman.
January 17, 2017
Sometimes marriage ends in murder. Being married to a narcissist, it likely wasn't difficult for Jocelyn Earnest to see. She was afraid, angry, and ready to make a break. Stopping her was a desperate ex husband who couldn't afford to let her live. With one shot to the back of the head, Jocelyn was gone. Two trials later, Wesley Earnest would be facing judgment by a jury of his peers. He banked on weak circumstantial evidence and enough lies to set him free. Instead, he got life plus three years, just to make sure he never walked among us again.
April 12, 2015
The subtitle "A True Story of Sex, Greed, and Murder" promises more than it delivers. This is actually a tale bereft of much drama to the extent that a cold blooded murder can be described that way. Details of the killer's early life and family relationships which add context to the crime, are sparse. In its place are endless scenes of courtroom testimony. I found myself nodding off.
October 9, 2014
A real life story of corruption, sex, and murder. In December 2007 Jocelyn Earnest was found dead in her Virginia home. The estranged husband became the prime suspect Thiss is the story of the investigations and two murder trials.
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October 25, 2015I couldn't get through this book. It's well researched and not poorly written, but the murderer had to be retried. Meaning the second half of the book covers the retrial - and so it's mostly repetitive at that point.
November 1, 2014
It was OK. As another person said, pretty run-of-the-mill spousal murder. The guy was a real dick, actually. Ugh. One of those that makes me realize how lucky I am...:)
June 2, 2015
"Under Cover of The Night" by Diane Fanning was an excellent read.
November 2, 2015
This book made me wonder how people can do this type of thing.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews