To Love and To Kill

by M. William Phelps

A bizarre love triangle leads to a brutal murder in Florida in this true-crime story by the New York Times bestselling author of One Breath Away.The missing-persons case of Heather Strong, a young, beautiful suburban mother, baffled Florida detectives. When the file was handed to a veteran investigator, he knew Heather was dead. The challenge was to find her body—and whoever killed her. Soon, a sordid triangle of sex, jealousy, and rage came to light. The killers were cunning, manipulative, depraved—and they were as close to Heather as a man and a woman could possibly be. Vividly recreated by master investigative journalist M. William Phelps, this riveting account of seething small-town passions is a classic tale of crime and justice.Praise for M. William Phelps“One of America's finest true-crime writers.” —Vincent Bugliosi, New York Times bestselling author of Helter Skelter“Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.” —Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Tell No LiesIncludes sixteen pages of dramatic photos

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Mystery

474 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2015

About the author

Crime, murder and serial killer expert, creator/producer/writer and former host of the Investigation Discovery series DARK MINDS, acclaimed, award-winning investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 30 books and winner of the 2013 Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award and the 2008 New England Book Festival Award. A highly sought-after pundit, Phelps has made over 100 media-related television appearances: Early Show, The Today Show, The View, Fox & Friends, truTV, Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, Good Morning America, TLC, BIO, History, Oxygen, OWN, on top of over 100 additional media appearances: USA Radio Network, Catholic Radio, Mancow, Wall Street Journal Radio, Zac Daniel, Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Channel, EWTN Radio, ABC News Radio, and many more.

Phelps is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative on Sexual Crime and Violence (MCSCV), also known as the Atypical Homicide Research Group (AHRG) at Northeastern University, maintained by NU alumni Enzo Yaksic.

Phelps is one of the regular and recurring experts frequently appearing on two long-running series, Deadly Women and Snapped. Radio America calls Phelps “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” and TV Rage says, “M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer.” A respected journalist, beyond his book writing Phelps has written for numerous publications—including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant—and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter.

Phelps grew up in East Hartford, CT, moved to Vernon, CT, at age 12, where he lived for 25 years. He now lives in a reclusive Connecticut farming community north of Hartford.

Beyond crime, Phelps has also written several history books, including the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, THE DEVIL’S ROOMING HOUSE, THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND, MURDER, NEW ENGLAND, and more.

Reviews

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joshua Fulgham and his mistress, Emilia Carr are trash. They should never, ever be allowed in society again. All Heather Strong wanted was to raise her kids and someone to love her. Instead, she got Joshua and a grave. Poor Heather was locked in the cycle of abuse that happens every day. She almost made it out. She was so close. Now three kids are left alone with no mother and a father that killed her. They are the real victims in this. Well put together and researched by Phelps.

🐱🐱🐱

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was heartbreaking.
“If he has ever shown you who he truly is, please believe him”

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

And here we have another detailed, intriguing, and fantastically written true crime novel from one of my favorites, M. William Phelps. He and Anne Rule are my two favorite true crime authors and I've read nearly all of their books. I definitely recommend them including this one!

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad story of a bad relationship that staggers on for far too long, and eventually ends in the murder of the wife, a young mother trying to make a better life for her and her kids. She was likely killed in a very sick manner, just trying to get the means to get out with her kids.

[Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear lord, this is a book I should've listened to the reviews instead of ignoring them. This isn't the worst or second worst true crime book I've read but it's in the top five. The description makes it sound much more interesting. The crime itself was stupid. There was nothing cunning to it. The stupid morons basically confessed in the first interview.

So what, then, consists in this long-long book? Basically just rehashing the confessions over and over and over and OVER again, while adding details that were in terrible taste. Basically the killer hubby blamed his pregnant girlfriend and the girlfriend blamed the killer hubby. That's all there is to it. Hubby is a classic abusive SOB. He tries to add some reasoning (oh, I though she dun let some guy molest my kids -- no proof what so ever -- this is classic abusive BS) and still blames her.

We get this over and over and over again. He never STOP rehashing this. Even during the fucking trials.

And the added details? Oh, like telling us the reason the killer hubby was sleeping with the pregnant girlfriend was because, even after 3 kids, her vagina was still tight. DID I NEED TO KNOW THIS? I THINK MY LIFE WOULD'VE BEEN WAY BETTER IF I HADN'T KNOWN THIS. THANKS PHELPS.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has 106 short chapters, many of which end with a sort of wait-til-you-hear-what-happened-next kind of vibe. Phelps is a talented writer, but the case is rather average and lot of the material gets repeated; in my opinion the book would have been more effective at half the length.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible terrible terrible. What a struggle. The repetition! The lies! It seems the author wrote every thought they had in this book and then some.
I do not get why I am still reading it. (probably because I am not sure what to read next besides the 1 book

Newtown: An American Tragedy

which was a gift from my wish list but it is about the Sandy Hawkes shooting and not sure if that book is good for me at the moment how I've been feeling lately. I need something fictional. I need a good book that can sweep me away. Help!! Yes I know why. I was hoping for the truth. Nearly done.

[Henry Lawrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author kept repeating the same material over and over. Sometimes I felt like I had gone backwards in the book. Finally, about half-way through the book, we moved forward into the trial phase. There were additional flashbacks and repetitions, but not as bad as earlier.
I think the author took a 100 page story and fleshed it out into book length.
The story was interesting, but not worth the ponderous length.

[Andy Nieradko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another perfectly written, well told true crime story by M. William Phelps. It's a tragic, disturbing case, but the reader is guided through all aspects of it in very thought provoking ways.

[Thomas Swokowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

Tedious and uninteresting. About white trash killing white trash. Usually like this author , not this time. Ih well, no bigs.

[Suzanne Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, first off it took me awhile to finish this book 📚 It wasn’t because it wasn’t good, it was because well life get in the way. I have the book 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nonetheless, I will start reading more without distractions. This case was really really sad. The book was well written and went in detail about the life of the victim Heather Strong. She was a very beautiful woman who fell in love with the wrong man. The other woman in Heathers life is Emilia Car who was “ In Love” with Josh who is Heathers husband. The author wrote everything that went down in the killing of Heather. One is serving a life sentence while the other is on Death Row. I learned a lot about Domestic violence reading this book. It was a good and sad book to read. But I felt the author did a really good job about how the victim life was in danger even before her death.

[Denise Mullins · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the torture and death which Heather Strong suffered was truly lamentable, M. William Phelps's true crime narrative of her murder constitutes a feeble, redundant, and poorly written account of the tragedy. Moreover, his mismanaged efforts to insert himself into the book, interspersed between awkward metaphors and clichés, destroyed any possibility of cohesion to the investigation and subsequent trial.

[Jimmy Chaillot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devotion, we are devoted to that favorite TV show that comes on each week, that favorite sports team or podcast we listen to.

However, when devotion makes a woman with an above average IQ murder it takes it to a whole new level. One that is just cold and ruthless.

This one leads to a death penalty conviction for one perpetrator and a life sentence for the other. However the death sentence got overturned recently so both are where they belong.

M. William Phelps hits this book with his usual sarcasm which makes it one you should add to your collection.

Recommend it.

[Denise Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atrocious killing...masterful writing.

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

M. William Phelps is the master of True Crime. At over 400 pages we know that there are going to be a lot of details. There are some things I loved and some things I hated about this book. The thing I hated the most was that the story was the same old, done a million times plot of husband kills wife to get custody of the kids. There is nothing really unusual about this book. Another thing I didn't like is that it jumps back and forth in time. Sometimes I was left thinking "Wait a minute, she was dead, now she's alive". Phelps is a master at getting into the minds of the killers. It says this on the cover so we know it must be true. But seriously, that is when I liked the book the best. The last 2 chapters were the best ones in the book. The other thing I liked was the short chapters. Perfect if you are like me and will pick up a book when you just have a few minutes to read.

[Bonnie Kernene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about the murder of Heather Strong by Josh Fulgham and Emilia Carr. The book is an in-depth look at the people involved, their pasts and what transpired between them. Throughout most of the book is the questioning of Josh and of Emilia. Both of them are vile, disgusting liars. To know that they took away Heather Strong from her children and her family is just heinous. They are right where they belong. The book was compelling and hard to put it down.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and dry. This is the second book that I have read by this author. While I found his show to be amazing, his writing style leaves me wanting more. Since I must purchase them, this will be the last.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible book. TimeLine of story is impossible to keep track of. Whole book is disjointed and hard to follow. Editing is poor.In one instance the victim's name is confused with the murderer's name in the same sentence.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to like M. William Phelps, but his editorializing is pretty snotty at times. If he could knock that off, his writing is pretty good.

[cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good buy

I've read 10 or so books by this author and have to say this is his best book yet! His retelling of this awful story is balanced, well researched and told with a humility I've not 'seen' in his other works, almost as if he's matured somewhat as a person and writer. Wouldn't use the word riveting regarding this book but rather compelling - it kept me hooked until the very end.
No spoilers here: its a SAD, TERRIBLE tragedy that begins in childhood and continues to it's fated end. While these disgusting events are told, they are not discussed in lurid detail - I like that he's shown respect for those ugly events by eliminating the sensational media driven details.
The one thing even worse than the murder itself: the complete lack of remorse shown by one of the 'killers'!
Good book that I WILL read again

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was really good. I love true crime because it is fascinating to me to glimpse into other peoples lives, especially those from different cultures, locations, and demographics. This one is about a crime in central Florida. At risk of sounding callous because of course these are real people and this isn't a TV show, I was getting some serious True Blood swamp vibes. I really enjoyed learning about these people. The murder of Heather is really baffling to me. I'm not sure what could drive two people who were ,dare I say run of the mill, drug users and petty criminals to a pretty viscous murder. I really can't see that they had a lot to gain from it and it was a lot of overkill. Very strange but a fascinating read.

[Lynne M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book felt disjointed at times, and the writing was sometimes very poor.

Heather Strong may not have been a perfect person, but certainly her biggest mistake was remaining romantically involved with Josh Fulgham. Both he and Emilia Carr are disgusting, vile liars and I have no sympathy for them, no matter what Emilia experienced as a child. I read after finishing the book that Emilia has been resentenced from death row to life in prison. I hope neither of them ever manages to get out of prison. They both need to remain right where they are.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating true crime book!

This book detailed the life and murder of Heather Strong, a truck stop waitress by her husband, Joshua Fulgham and his mistress, Emilia Carr in Martin County, Florida. It also gave accounts of the murderers's trials and their outcomes. Mr. Phelps has done exhaustive research for this book, and I commend him for a job well done. I highly recommend this book to other true crime readers.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very well researched and very well written except a few parts were repetitive. I really felt bad for Heather. Josh and Emilia deserved each other with all the lies they told. I hope Heather's family has found peace in the years since this horrible murder took place. I can't say I enjoyed this book because someone got killed but it pulled me in so I had to find out how it ended.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another home run

for Phelps in the true crime genre. I like his honest observations. It's ironic in this day and age of forensic evidence, that Carr was convicted without a shred of evidence, but just goes to show that the most tangible of evidence was her own confession, albeit unintentional...via Josh's sister. Good read.

[Jim Corbiere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished reading " To Love and to Kill " by M William Phelps. This is a true crime novel covering the case of Heather Strong's murder. I did enjoy reading the novel. While I do enjoy reading true crime novels it can be tough to get through knowing it is something that actually happened. It is very sad and angering. Still, I do recommend reading it. Mr. Phelps novels are really good to read.

[Michelle Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edge of seat

I've just started reading this author's books. I am very impressed at all of the research and details that he includes in the book compared to other authors where I am co fused halfway into their book. I.was.on the edge of my seat until the end of the book. I will be reading all of his books!

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I thought Josh and Emilia were cruel ppl. I hated them both. It was a really good book and I feel they both got what they deserved. I will read more by this author. #LoveTrueCrime!

[Kimberly Shifflett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad tale

I enjoyed this book. It was a very sad tale that in the end left a murdered woman. nd motherless children. All for what? This book was a very well written account of a life taken far too soon.

[Donna Humble · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect example of 2 people committing a murder while leaving a lot of evidence of the crime. They truly believed they could get away with it if they told enough lies. Unfortunately, their stories didn't match.