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The Shooting of Nancy Howard: A Journey Back to Shore
The Shooting of Nancy A Journey back to Shore combines love, betrayal, conspiracy, suffering, and survival with a cast of improbable a respected church-going husband and his mistress, a group of colorful criminals in East Texas, and a millionaire businessman. The story opens with Nancy's returning home from a church function on a Saturday night in 2012, and pulling into her garage. As she walks toward the door to her house, she suddenly faces an attacker who demands her purse and then shoots her in the head. Investigation of the shooting first reveals that Nancy's husband has been having a three-year affair. A few days later, detectives uncover connections between her CPA husband and the East Texas gang. The story becomes increasingly bizarre as evidence surfaces of a murder-for-hire conspiracy initiated by Nancy's husband.
While Nancy deals with multiple injuries, including the loss of an eye, investigators uncover evidence that her husband has been paying large sums to the criminal gang for the expressed purpose of killing his wife. The money source is her husband's rich client, from whom he has extorted over six-million dollars, some of which he has used to give his mistress extravagant gifts. Meanwhile Nancy is undergoing painful repairs to her face, throat, and arm, followed by weeks in rehab.
Nancy's physical suffering is exacerbated by learning of the growing evidence against her husband, at the same time enduring tension with her children, who continue to maintain their father's innocence. During the trials of her husband and the shooter, Nancy learns how many times the would-be killers' plans were thwarted by God's intervention to save her life, even by using the conspirators themselves. Today she is committed to sharing her unwavering faith that God can bring blessings out of the most devastating tragedies.
While Nancy deals with multiple injuries, including the loss of an eye, investigators uncover evidence that her husband has been paying large sums to the criminal gang for the expressed purpose of killing his wife. The money source is her husband's rich client, from whom he has extorted over six-million dollars, some of which he has used to give his mistress extravagant gifts. Meanwhile Nancy is undergoing painful repairs to her face, throat, and arm, followed by weeks in rehab.
Nancy's physical suffering is exacerbated by learning of the growing evidence against her husband, at the same time enduring tension with her children, who continue to maintain their father's innocence. During the trials of her husband and the shooter, Nancy learns how many times the would-be killers' plans were thwarted by God's intervention to save her life, even by using the conspirators themselves. Today she is committed to sharing her unwavering faith that God can bring blessings out of the most devastating tragedies.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
146 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2017
11 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 14, 2020
Fascinating Crime and Trial but Too Much Religion
The family dynamics of Nancy, Frank and their three children are interesting. I originally learned about this crime from a Dateline edition, and I was particularly struck by the fact that the grown children of the couple aligned themselves with their father, who plotted to have their mother killed. Those family issues are barely touched on in the book. Instead, emphasis is placed on a motley crew of nare-do-wells who eventually carry out the attack on Nancy. These people could have been dealt with in just a few pages, but instead, the authors trace endlessly their every drug-addled misdeed. Most of this info seems to have come from the trial transcripts. Thus, coverage of the trial is the most interesting section of the book.
Unfortunately, both Nancy and her co-author seem to want to interject their every religious thought and prayer into the story, and that spoiled it for me. According to my reading, God and Jesus are responsible for every positive incident, as the authors see it, but not for the negative. For example, these spiritual forces are the cause of Nancy’s recovery, but not for her husband’s egregious behavior, the gunshot to her head, or for the fact that, inexplicably, all three of Nancy’s children support Frank all thru the trial, appeal, and the dateline show. All the evidence is there, but these ridiculous people refuse to believe it, and they turn against their mother, the victim. In the book, Nancy chooses not to address their abandonment in any detail. In my mind, I could only explain it by the assumption that, with the millions of dollars that Frank stole from his employer, he paid off the children the same way he paid off the attempted assassins.
The family dynamics of Nancy, Frank and their three children are interesting. I originally learned about this crime from a Dateline edition, and I was particularly struck by the fact that the grown children of the couple aligned themselves with their father, who plotted to have their mother killed. Those family issues are barely touched on in the book. Instead, emphasis is placed on a motley crew of nare-do-wells who eventually carry out the attack on Nancy. These people could have been dealt with in just a few pages, but instead, the authors trace endlessly their every drug-addled misdeed. Most of this info seems to have come from the trial transcripts. Thus, coverage of the trial is the most interesting section of the book.
Unfortunately, both Nancy and her co-author seem to want to interject their every religious thought and prayer into the story, and that spoiled it for me. According to my reading, God and Jesus are responsible for every positive incident, as the authors see it, but not for the negative. For example, these spiritual forces are the cause of Nancy’s recovery, but not for her husband’s egregious behavior, the gunshot to her head, or for the fact that, inexplicably, all three of Nancy’s children support Frank all thru the trial, appeal, and the dateline show. All the evidence is there, but these ridiculous people refuse to believe it, and they turn against their mother, the victim. In the book, Nancy chooses not to address their abandonment in any detail. In my mind, I could only explain it by the assumption that, with the millions of dollars that Frank stole from his employer, he paid off the children the same way he paid off the attempted assassins.
January 28, 2018
Nancy Howard was married over 25 years and had three children, two out of the house and one on college. She went to a church event, stopped for fast food, and when she pulled into her garage, she was shot in the head by what seemed like a burglary.
Somehow she was able to drag herself from the garage to the housed and call 911 after looking in the mirror to see she was shot through the left eye.
In the days to follow, Nancy made a miraculous recovery, but along the way she found it was not random. Her husband, a church going father, set her up to be killed so he could be with his mistress.
Prior to the shooting, he got a new client as an accountant who had him traveling most of the time. While traveling he met someone and started an affair. He also set the mistress up financially by embezzling form this new client.
As Nancy was recovering physically, she also needed to deal with the emotional scars this left.
She divorced her husband and her adult children took their father’s side of innocence, even though there were audio and video recording of her husband paying for and asking when the hit would happen. I can not imagine going through this ordeal and then have your children abandon you.
This is a very quick read, and there is a happy ending if there could be one
Somehow she was able to drag herself from the garage to the housed and call 911 after looking in the mirror to see she was shot through the left eye.
In the days to follow, Nancy made a miraculous recovery, but along the way she found it was not random. Her husband, a church going father, set her up to be killed so he could be with his mistress.
Prior to the shooting, he got a new client as an accountant who had him traveling most of the time. While traveling he met someone and started an affair. He also set the mistress up financially by embezzling form this new client.
As Nancy was recovering physically, she also needed to deal with the emotional scars this left.
She divorced her husband and her adult children took their father’s side of innocence, even though there were audio and video recording of her husband paying for and asking when the hit would happen. I can not imagine going through this ordeal and then have your children abandon you.
This is a very quick read, and there is a happy ending if there could be one
March 13, 2020
After seeing this story featured on Dateline, I wanted to know more. And this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed reading Nancy's account of what happened and how God helped her throughout the ordeal. My only question is, why, after their father was found guilty of paying to have his wife killed, do they still side with their father? Even his two appeals have been denied. There's no doubt that this man is guilty. I admire Nancy for forgiving him and the shooter.
December 16, 2017
I have no words! Such an incredible story that just boggles the heart and mind. It is a quick read and one that I could not stop reading. I couldn't get it out of my mind. It just seems like something that could so easily happen and yet so hard to imagine at the same time. I love the impact that faith plays for the survivor. What a testimony.
January 26, 2020
Inspirational
Throughout the most horrific betrayal and physical injuries, Nancy maintains such a level head, sense of fairness, and faith in God. I couldn’t put this book down. The trauma, both physical and emotional, seem insurmountable. But with God’s guidance and love, Nancy more than overcomes.
Throughout the most horrific betrayal and physical injuries, Nancy maintains such a level head, sense of fairness, and faith in God. I couldn’t put this book down. The trauma, both physical and emotional, seem insurmountable. But with God’s guidance and love, Nancy more than overcomes.
March 20, 2020
This is a very well-thought-out, and well-written book. I enjoyed it very very much. My heart goes out to Nancy.
March 23, 2022
Chilling!! Such a raw story of betrayal but also how God protects us amidst evil intentions.
July 10, 2022
Where is the son?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews