The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise

by Casey Sherman

The scandal. The genius. The murder that shocked America.

Frank Lloyd Wright was more than the mind behind America's most iconic buildings—he was a man whose turbulent private life captivated a nation. The famous architect's stormy marriage to Kitty Wright and his infamous affair with another woman, Mamah Borthwick, ignited one of the country's first celebrity scandals, splashed across headlines from coast to coast.

Then, in August 1914, scandal turned to horror. A tragedy at Taliesin, the Wisconsin home Wright built as a monument to love, shook the very foundation of Wright's life—and catapulted him back to the front pages of newspapers across the country as readers clamored for glimpses of his very darkest moments.

In The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman delves beyond the myth of Wright's genius to reveal a man of relentless ambition, consuming passion, and devastating loss. With haunting intimacy and propulsive storytelling, Sherman delivers a portrait of an artist who could not escape the shadows of his own making—and who rose, again and again, from the ashes.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Crime

288 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 26, 2026

About the author

Casey Sherman is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 13 books including The Finest Hours (now a major motion picture starring Casey Affleck & Chris Pine), Boston Strong (the basis for the film Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg), Animal & Hunting Whitey.
Sherman is also the author of 12, Search for the Strangler, Animal, Bad Blood, Black Irish, Black Dragon, Above & Beyond and The Ice Bucket Challenge.
Sherman is a contributing writer for TIME, Esquire, Washington Post, Boston Herald and Boston Magazine and has appeared as a guest an analyst on more than 100 television news programs.
Sherman is a graduate of Barnstable High School (Cape Cod), Fryeburg Academy (Fryeburg, Me.) and Boston University.

Reviews

[VeroniCanRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐ ARC Review - A drama-filled story that fascinates and scandalizes as it uncovers the passions, crimes, lies, and true history of the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

🏠 For Fans of:
- biography
- architecture
- behind the curtain
- family drama
- scandals
- podcast-style books
- true crime

✏️ Spoiler-Free ARC Review
As someone who took only two history of architecture courses in university, Frank Lloyd Wright is a name that stuck with in. Soon after graduation, I moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I found the Meyer May House and Amberg House.

At no point during the Meyer May House tour nor during my classes did they touch upon the scandalous side of this architecture’s life.

Well, let me tell ya!

There are difficult childhoods, debt troubles, lies upon lies, troubled marriages, cheating, and so. many. scandals!

The drama escalates but clearly sets a pattern from childhood to adulthood so as author Casey Sherman draws us closer to the final scandal turned murderous tragedy. But, as it so often does, life goes on and we get to follow along with

I thoroughly enjoyed the way all the information was presented, pulling from properly sourced items (articles, memoir, autobiographies, direct quotes, etc.). It truly read like I was listening to a great podcast with the perfect layout of childhood-youth-adulhood timeline, leaning into the troubles that were caused and pushed upon Wright, and the occasional cheeky phrasing that kept the book scandalous yet endlessly entertaining.

🖤 Thank you to author Casey Sherman, Sourcebooks, and NetGalley for the free advanced digital copy. As always, my reviews are honest, my own, and voluntary!

📚 Book: The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise by Casey Sherman
📅 Release Date: May 26, 2026
⭐ Rating: 4.25 out of 5

[Lyndsay Scanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I rarely read nonfiction. It can be dry and I’d much rather lose myself in a fantasy world. However, I’m somewhat familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright’s work and when I read the synopsis of this book I was immediately intrigued. I had no idea his life was full of so much chaos and drama.

Sherman did an absolutely incredible job of walking the reader through Wright’s life. He gives enough context of Wright’s childhood for the reader to gain insight, but didn’t dwell for so long that it was dull. The pacing of the book as a whole was extremely well done. When the murders happened around 50% of the way through I was worried that the rest of the book would be boring. I was shocked there could possibly be more (spoiler alert, there is! This man’s life was insane). Sherman did a great job of showing the whole story - he’s honest about Wright’s inability to acknowledge his own wrongdoings and doesn’t paint him as a misunderstood character, but he also doesn’t force the reader to like him either. He is impartial and allows the reader to figure out how they feel about him, Kitty, and Mamah.

For me, I was so stunned that Wright consistently made some awful choices and didn’t seem to care how he hurt his family. Even more shocking was that his kids didn’t hate him!

This story and Sherman’s writing style kept me engaged the entire time. In fact, I stayed up late to read it and finished it in just two days because I absolutely needed to know how Wright’s affair, escape to Europe, and return home ended in multiple murders. I only knew that he managed to create beautiful homes that worked with nature around them, so I was shocked as this violent tale unraveled around him. I appreciate that Sherman obviously did so much research and even included actual letters and some of Wright’s writing. It made me feel like I was living through the scandals along with the American public at the time.

I have already recommended it to many people, so I’m excited for this to come out in May so I can hear their reactions!!

Even if you don’t really like nonfiction, give this a shot. If you like true crime and scandal, you’ll love this!!

As for me, I will be picking up more of Sherman’s books ASAP

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

At the top of my list of things to buy after I win $20 million in the lottery is the purchase of the David and Gladys Wright House. I worked at an architectural firm and was fortunate to snag a spot on a private tour. This place oozes calm, serenity and peace by blending nature and people and space. Still, I knew only the basics about Frank Lloyd Wright, that he was a genius, influencing architecture for years to come, and he was a tortured soul who tragically lost his true love.

Casey Sherman also wrote Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod, which I didn’t enjoy. I was thinking of passing on this one, but I am so glad I didn’t! This was so much more than just a gritty true crime story. It is FLW’s biography, exhaustively researched from a variety of sources, including FLW’s own journals and memoirs.

Such a public scandal! FLW started an affair with Mamah Borthwick while they were both married to others. Newspapers couldn’t stop reporting and the public couldn’t stop reading. Finally, the soulmates FLW and Mamah are together, happy at last at Taliesin, when Mamah, her two children and four others are massacred. “As the African proverb went, Somewhere, the sky touched the earth, and that place is the end. Frank had reached his dark horizon.” Yet as he does so many times in his life, FLW picks up the pieces of his life and continues on. You really need to read the book to see how tumultuous and turbulent his life was. Yes, he brought a lot on himself, but what a crazy life! He was a visionary, ahead of the times, who clearly saw himself transcending the norms of architecture and morality, creating his own values.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite historical fiction books is Loving Frank (2007) where I first learned of the tragedy at Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. So I was extremely excited to get this ARC (thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS) to dig deeper into the 1914 murder and Frank Lloyd Wright.

While a short book, this is an excellent and accurate historical account of Frank Lloyd Wright’s life with the tragedy of the death of Martha “Mamah” Borthwick (Cheney) and her two children. That event also killed several of the builders finishing up work on Wright’s house - which is located in a beautiful and idyllic setting - and was burnt. The whole murder was horrific and no motive was ever found.

Mamah was probably Wright’s greatest love- he called her his soulmate) but as man of little emotional expression he never showed it and moved on, though rebuilding it and being buried there along side Mamah in 1959.

The book follows Wright from his birth in Wisconsin to his death in Tailiesin in Arizona. Wright was quite the lothario. His affair with Mamah ran to visits to Japan and Germany where Mamah made contact with Swedish feminist and thinker, Ellen Key, whom she admired. The most fascinating I learned was how his structure, the Imperial Palace Hotel, was the only building to survive a terrible earthquake in 1923. Wright had a controversial career because of his affairs but he remains our greatest architect. (As an aside, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the refurbished Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and can certainly appreciate his aesthetics.).

I highly recommend this book. The pacing and detail is excellent. The story itself is hauntingly beautiful.

[Carly Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise by Casey Sherman did not live up to the title. Although the book begins with the harrowing scene of the murders, as a reader, you don’t get the full picture of what’s happened. This glimpse of what’s to come is then followed with a general biography of Frank Lloyd Wright, mainly focusing on his tumultuous romantic relationships with four different women. About three quarters of the way through, we finally get to read about the devastating murders that took place and some of the aftermath. I was definitely disappointed in this read. I would have either liked the author to truly go into the depths of the murders, murderer, why and the aftermath or had a more complete depiction of Wright’s accomplishments as someone who is considered the United State’s most successful architect. However, what I received as a reader was a soap opera-like telling of Wright’s many love affairs, his marriage, and what seemed to be his desire to find a true love while having the inability to fully commit himself. The author should have titled this book with something entirely more accurate, as it is, it’s a leading title that does not pull through. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

[Valleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright is a non-fiction true crime book that explores the 1914 mass murder at architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Wisconsin home, Taliesin. It details Wright’s affair with Martha "Mamah" Borthwick Cheney (the wife of a client), which became one of America's first celebrity sex scandals. The book tells of the murder of Mamah and six other people, which took place in August 1914 while Wright was away in Chicago. A handyman not only murdered seven people, he also burned the Taliesin estate down.

I'm a big fan of everything Frank Lloyd Wright has designed so I was thrilled to have been chosen to read The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright. I was familiar with some of the story about the mass murder but I had hoped to learn more. I wish that the book had gone into more depth about the murderer and the people that had been murdered. (Maybe that information isn't known? Maybe the title of the book should be changed?)

Rather than a book about the murders, it seemed to concentrate more about FLW being a terrible person. It's true that his morals could be rather lacking. It's also true that FLW tended to stroll through life rarely paying his bills. But, there was so much good about the man that could have been written! FLW was not only incredibly talented, but he also helped many people. Maybe the criticisms didn't need to be repeated quite so often.

My thanks to #Source Books for providing this book for consideration and review via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright has an expected publication date of May 26, 2026.

#FrankLloydWright #Taliesin #NonFiction

[Kim McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The genius of the master architect Frank Lloyd Wright is matched only by his bad luck/poor judgement concerning the women in his life. He, as many creative figures are, driven by ego and the need for constant admiration finds him bored with his first wife and children once his career takes off. It is Mamah, the wife of one of his clients, who captures his full attention and heart. Sadly, his current wife won't divorce him, his lover is also married with children and society openly looks down on his indiscretion . He builds a hideaway in rural Wisconsin where they live happily until a tragic killing spree by their butler occurs killing Mamah, two of her children and several others. Wright is devastated until he meets his last wife causing yet another scandal. I enjoyed learning about Wright's architectural beginnings and influences more than how he emotionally mistreated his family and the scandalous affairs. As with Casey Sherman's other books the reader gains an understanding of the times and culture as well as the main event setting the story on a solid foundation before decorating the rooms. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I had expected based on the title and synopsis. The book is really a biography and not much of a true crime novel. In fact, the actual writing of the crime is a fraction of the whole book. I did learn a lot that I didn't know about Frank Lloyd Wright, but I didn't learn enough about the murder that the book is allegedly written about. What I knew about Frank was from documentaries that were more about his architectural design than his private life. Often, time is not kind to people, but I would have to say that in the history of Frank Lloyd Wright, time has been very kind, as most of the scandal from his private life is not spoken of. What I would have liked to know about the murders may not be answerable, but it would have been nice to see if some of my questions were even looked at.
Would I recommend this book? Yes and no. If you want a true view of Frank Lloyd Wright's life, then yes, this would be good for you. I would say no if you have an idealized mindset of the man and you don't want to tarnish that, as once you read some of his scandals, you will not see him in the same light (which might be justified).
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Nonfiction for an ARC of this book. This review is my personal opinion.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My review: I have read a few books on FLW, his life, his career, and the murders. So while I knew about the Mamah years of his life, I learned a lot about what the legalities of the times did to Frank and Mamah. The after effects of the murders, and subsequent relationships was also a focus here. FLW seemed to be surrounded by drama in his personal life, that didn't end when Mamah, her children, and the employees were tragically murdered. The aspect of newspapers and the push into people's private lives that the Wrights and the Cheneys had to endure can definitely be compared to media today as well.
The books goes into a lot of detail about FLW's many projects and his work and travels. Some of that was new to me and I ended up looking up more info and photos of some of the buildings he designed.
Overall, a good source of information on this topic and Frank's life.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an advance digital copy to review. These opinions are my own.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Lloyd Wright is undeniably one of the most admired and beloved architects in world history. His legacy of unique and beautiful buildings is unsurpassed.
However, in Wright's personal life and business affairs, he was reckless and somewhat selfish. Employees and vendors went unpaid for long periods of time. He also broke with moral norms by leaving his first wife Kitty and their six children to live with Margaret 'Mamah' Borthwick, a married woman. This liaison was condemned by neighbors, and society as a whole, but Frank Lloyd Wright ignored the backlash.
One day at Taliesin, Wright's Wisconsin home, Mamah, her two children and four architects are savagely killed by a black servant. Wright's life would never be the same again.

[Jessica Betz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just wasn’t good. I found myself skimming at multiple points in an attempt to get through it. The title alone was incredibly misleading - “Mass Murder in Paradise, The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright” yet the topic of the murders was the smallest portion of the book. This book should not be labeled as true crime, but rather a biography. This is an exhaustive telling of what a horny, self-centered, and entitled man Frank was. This book focused so much on his romantic relationships rather than much detail of the murders with his architectural feats thrown in. Additionally, I would’ve expected to hear more of the authors own voice than just a ton of bits and pieces glued together from other works. In fact, the bibliography may have even been longer than the murder portion of the book.

[Sharon Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about Frank Lloyd Wright. He seemed to be very talented, but he didn't care much about other people. He left his wive and six children to be with his lover Mamah Borthwick. Unfortunately, his mistress and six other people (including her two children), were murdered at one of his estates by a deranged groundskeeper. She seemed to be the love of his live, so this affected him greatly. He went on to marry two more times and became a Master of Architecture. Casey Sherman is an author I enjoy reading. This is the second book I have read by him. He creates very readable non-fiction about relatively unknown, but interesting, historical events. If you like to read true crime, I recommend this book.

[Lindy Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright was an unexpected read for me. I expected this one to focus more on the murders that took place at Taliesin in Wisconsin but this morphed into a biography meets true love story.

I did enjoy the book and read it in 2.5 days but would have loved a little more depth into the murders but perhaps that is just unrealistic. I found some of the people in this book to be insufferable but ultimately it was an interesting read though not what I had expected based on the title and synopsis.

Thank you Source Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[David Donze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey Sherman once again delivers a well researched and engaging blend of history and true crime.

Much like A Murder in Hollywood, The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright highlights a tragic chapter in a famous figure's life that I had only been vaguely aware of.
Sherman's storytelling is sharp and accessible. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to whatever he writes next.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, by Casey Sherman, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Almost everyone has heard the name Frank Lloyd Wright. the famous architect, who still has homes bearing his name. I think Frank was a great architect but not a very good man at all.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not his worst book, by far. Ends very abruptly though. Review to come. ARC via NetGalley.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, #netGalley for the ARC

Great book about Frank Lloyd Wright, but I found the title misleading. The killer was a very small part in the overall story, which was about Frank's life, work, marriages. Lots of details provided. I wish there were pictures of his designs included.

[Amanda Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book extremely interesting. As someone who grew up visiting FLW designed buildings and homes, I knew I had to read this one. I didn’t know about the murder and did learn quite a bit more about FLW.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Skip Ferderber · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent summary of the man, his morality, and the tragic murder of his second wife.Wright lived as he wanted to live, boldly, imaginatively, and changed the world of architecture forever with his singular visioin of living space that accommodated both man and nature.The centerpiece, of course, are the murders at Taliesen, but the book is much more an exploration of the man and his unconventional lifestyle bothj then and now. For anyone unfamiliar with Wright, this is as good a place to start reading about this remarkable man.