Bloody Sunset In St. Augustine: A True Story

by Nancy Powell, Jim Mast

A ghastly murder occurred in the nation's oldest city in January of 1974. The victim was a former New York City model who in earlier years had moved in the highest social circles, which included the Kennedy family of Massachusetts The murder investigation and subsequent trial involved may people from the highest echelons of St. Augustine and St. Johns County.

Genres: Book Club, Nonfiction

251 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1998

Reviews

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on a true story about a horrible murder in St. Augustine Fl, that my uncle Dudley Garret investigated.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

TASK 8: A book with the time of day in the title

A good read, a good glimpse into early-contemporary St. Augustine history. Written in a straight-forward, newspaper style that delivers facts and keeps the pace going. Incredible that this remains an unsolved murder mystery, which unfortunately seems to be a theme in St. Augustine. It was fun for me to hear about how different the town was back then, and also how much the small-town network remains the same. There are many people in this book who remain major players in St. Augustine politics today.

[Elena Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a senior at St. Augustine high school when the murder occurred and Patricia Stanford was my classmate. The town was very small, therefore you knew most everyone.
This book brought back many memories, the good and the bad. The book was very informative and as close to the truth as possible.
Who committed the murder?
Read the book and I'm sure you will know.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living so close to St. Augustine I have always been intrigued by this murder. The book goes into a lot of detail regarding the murder and trial of the man accused. After reading the book I feel like the jury made a mistake in finding Alan Stanford not guilty. Unfortunately the case was never sold and remains a mystery today.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

True crime book that tells the story of the grisly murder of a socially prominent woman in St.Augustine. The murder took place in 1974 and this is an updated version with new information. The victim was not always popular and there were several suspects. The murder remains unsolved.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to believe this True grisly unsolved murder took place in beautiful St Augustine;
a botched investigation at best and a cover-up of mixed information.
The truth was never told or uncovered.

[Augusta37 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

[John Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting story of the inner-workings of St Johns County politics in the 1970s, centered around the murder of Athalia Lindsley. At times, it was hard to stay engaged and the characters got confusing, but overall, it was a worth-while read.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish. I picked up this book hoping for some local color about St Augustine within the story of this unsolved murder but found it so profoundly boring and poorly written. One day I picked it up for another slog and finally realized I just didn’t want to read anymore.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good portrayal o a city I have visited ... The main character was not liked by the town in general ... but she made a lasting impression. A fun book club read
,

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely interesting as this is my hometown, but not well written.

[Peter Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read especially as a local resident new to the area. A tad dry but most nonfiction is.

[Jenny Hoerauf · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not choose to read this book - was chosen by book club.

[Jim Nirmaier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in a flat journalistic style that is not very engrossing, this book concerns the 1974 brutal slaying of ex-model and socialite Athalia Ponsell Lindsley in the front yard of her home in an up-scale neighborhood in St. Augustine.

The crime would have been solved the day of the murder if they had today's forensic and scientific tools and should have been solved anyway but wasn't, due to incompetence and/or a cover-up.

Just an obscure footnote now with an unsatisfying ending.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahhh, St. Augustine! My hometown! I remember this happening. It was all anybody talked about. I get goose bumps still driving by the house where it happened! It's funny, everybody hated that old lady so people weren't too upset she got herself killed. My brothers went to school with the boy who was the closest that came to a witness and the girl whose father was believed to have committed the murder. He was found not guilty and There never was absolute certainty on who killed her...although it seems pretty obvious.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read about this incident after going on a "Ghost Tour" in St. Augustine. The book is a little different than the "story" told my our tour guide, not nearly as one-sided as he told it. This book is interesting if you were inspired to read it as I was but otherwise it's not something I would have picked up to read on my own.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting read. I know this area well but had no idea that this had even happened. I bought this book at a local bookstore in Ponte Vedra. I tried to read more about this case online and see if there were any updates, but I didn't find much. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes true crime or is from the St. Augustine area.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book ever since it was the subject of an episode of City Confidential. Renewed my library card so I could get my hands on a copy. It was a good read and I have my ideas of who may have committed the murder. So senseless and officially unsolved to this day.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

A true story. I don't have time to find out. Into the donation pile it goes.

[Ev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book told the story of what happened in St Augustine those years ago. It was quite interesting and quite accurate. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys true crime.