Targeted: A Deputy, Her Love Affairs, A Brutal Murder

by M. William Phelps

"A gripping, no-holds-barred work of investigative journalism." - Steve Jackson, New York Times Bestselling Author of BOGEYMAN and NO STONE UNTURNED

When her missing boyfriend is found murdered, his body encased in cement inside a watering trough and dumped in a cattle field, a local sheriff’s deputy is arrested and charged with his murder. But as New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist M. William Phelps digs in, the truth leads to questions about her guilt.

In his first full-length, original true-crime book for WildBlue Press, Phelps delivers a hard-hitting, unique reading experience, immersing readers in the life of the first female deputy in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, who claims a sexual harassment suit she filed against the sheriff led to a murder charge. Is Tracy Fortson guilty or innocent? You read and decide.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Mystery, Audiobook

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 11, 2017

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]

First, let's talk about that Foreword. Phelps went into a rant about people not acknowledging True Crime writers as actual writers. I have never seen that. However, if they did, I would just shrug it off. I have seen the Harry Potter books dragged through the mud, but they are huge sellers.

Phelps seems mighty angry in this book. I don't know if he just didn't like Tracy, or she did something that made him angry he didn't want to discuss. You can actually feel the tension pouring off the pages of the book. I don't think Tracy was framed. I think she is like most murderers who will deny it to their final breath. I hope Mr. Phelps had some chamomile tea and a hot bath after writing this book to calm down.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-paced, intriguing book about a missing welder named Doug Benton, whose neighbor reports him missing after noticing many of his expensive exotic birds dead in their cages outside Doug's home after not seeing him around for some time, and walking over to check on things. He calls the police, setting off an investigation that eventually leads to the arrest of Doug's girlfriend Tracy Fortson when his body is later found on a large farm in a watering trough, encased in concrete. This story is filled with some strange behavior by many of the people in the case which made for interesting reading.

Phelps corresponded for a year with Fortson to look into her claims of innocence and being set up by police. She was the first female Sheriff's deputy for Oglethorpe County GA at the time of her arrest and had recently resigned over a sexual harassment case she'd filed. This is a super quirky story that seems to fit the way things are in Georgia. The author invites you to decide for yourself if you think Tracy Fortson is guilty or not after reading it to the end. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

[Julie Young Buckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has intrigued me. It's been over a day since I finished reading the entire story and I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop the question about a case which is perfectly set up for this deputy to have killed her lover; too perfect? Is she serving time for a crime she was framed for? Maybe. That's a miserable conclusion though. It's bothersome. Proof. Oh so difficult to come by. And, how frightening it is if indeed someone is incarcerated because of any type of conspiracy.

[Jessyca Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “Targeted: A Deputy, Her Love Affairs, A Brutal Murder” by M. William Phelps follows the case of Tracy Fortson. Fortson who is an ex-sheriff was accused of killing her boyfriend Doug Benton. She was convicted of the crime but claims that she is innocent. In this book Phelps allows Fortson to tell her side.

I was drawn to “Targeted” because I love to read about true crime and have never heard of this case before. I liked that Fortson was able to tell her side and that while Phelps did not always agree with her, still allowed her to. He also lets the reader know his opinion on certain things in the book that seemed fishy. I liked that Phelps included pictures of Fortson, Benton and the evidence. This case was an interesting one. There was tons of evidence pointing to Fortson, but I could not get it out of my head that since she was a cop, that she should have known how to cover her tracks better. However, some of the explanations that Fortson used seemed almost childish to me. Phelps also wrote about how Fortson talked and treated him during the interviews. She was rude but supposedly did not change her story. Fortson does not seem like a very nice person, but then again how does one act if they are truly innocent and in prison?

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you like true crime, read this book and decide if Fortson is guilty. The jury may have made up their mind, but I did not. I am not sure if Fortson is guilty or innocent. I do think the case should be looked at again.
~I reviewed this book for Readers' Favorite

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books by this author. Some are very good but many of them are just okay; for me, this one falls into the latter category. He includes a lot of post-trial conversatons with the convicted killer, and while I appreciate the attempt to give her a voice in the book, their bickering gets pretty old.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really?

This was a mess in my mind. Disorganized, boring, repetitive and mostly just the author letting you know how great he is. (The last 10% of it waxes on about all he's done). It never made this interesting or compelling.

Not worth it.

[Silver Screen Videos · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOTE: The publisher graciously gave me a copy of this book and asked me to write a review.

In June, 2000, Tracy Fortson, a female sheriff’s deputy in rural northeast Georgia was arrested for the brutal murder of her boyfriend Doug Benton. Despite being convicted twice of the crime (the first conviction was overturned on the proverbial technicality), Fortson has maintained her innocence until today and recently reached out to true crime author William Phelps about her case. Phelps then turned the case and his interviews of Fortson into another of his true crime tales, Targeted. Whether Fortson is guilty or not, her story is worthy of closer investigation (in addition to Phelps’ book, there have been at least two TV documentaries in recent years about the case). Her story also deserves better treatment than she received from Phelps, who wound up injecting himself into the book far more than necessary.

The crime itself was quite shocking. Benton was shot and his body found encased in concrete in a horse trough in a remote location on a farm. The evidence against Fortson was substantial. She was reported to have a violent temper and, among other things, she had bought a horse trough and bags of cement shortly before Benton was last seen alive. She maintains, however, that she was framed by the local law enforcement authorities because she filed sexual harassment charges against her employer in a case that was pending at the time of her arrest. Her main point was that, as an experienced law enforcement professional herself, she wouldn’t have left such obvious evidence of her guilt behind.

In addition to trial transcripts and police evidence from the time of the original investigation, Phelps and Fortson corresponded extensively by e-mail, and her correspondence forms a large part of Targeted. That’s somewhat of a problem right there, since, although Phelps tells the story in roughly chronological order, he interjects it repeatedly with Fortson’s claims, either about the specific material he’s discussing at the time or her innocence in general. And, when he does, he then follows it up with his own “expert commentary” in which he weighs in on how likely a particular claim of Fortson’s is. In doing so, Phelps appears to try to have it both ways. First, he will conclude that there is a lot of evidence against her, but then he keeps coming back to the main point of how someone so experienced could be so stupid (of course, prisons are filled with smart people who do stupid things). After about the third or fourth time Phelps goes off on one of these tangents, the arguments get rather stale.

Targeted suffers from numerous other flaws as well. It is poorly organized, with Phelps cutting away from courtroom testimony on several occasions for ill-timed flashbacks of Fortson’s earlier life (she had been in an abusive home and had several bad relationships with men previously, not exactly a strong argument for someone claiming she was too smart to make that many mistakes). In addition, in describing the trial, Phelps repeatedly makes comments about the physical appearance of a witness or attorney or that someone appeared surprised or confident. Since Phelps wasn’t at the trial, either Fortson told him these details (in which case it’s fair to ask how she remembered all this a decade or more earlier) or the author invented them to color his description of the proceedings. In either case, it’s sloppy journalism.

Targeted has other flaws as well. Legally, Fortson’s first trial is irrelevant since she is in jail based on the second trial. But for some reason, Phelps goes into great length about the testimony at the first trial (where the defense rested without calling a single witness) and then returns a hundred pages or so later to rush through the second trial. Since the defense called expert witnesses to refute the prosecution and Fortson herself testified, it would have been much easier to judge the merits of the case had Phelps limited himself to a discussion of that second trial.

Targeted also contains a number of grammatical and usage errors, some of which reflect poorly on Phelps’s knowledge of the law. He clearly doesn’t know the meaning of “inculpatory” in his insistence that various prosecution evidence was worthless because it didn’t conclusively prove Fortson’s guilt. And, his journalistic judgment is also questionable. If he ever asked Fortson why she didn’t testify at the first trial, it never appears in the book. He also flat out says that he refused to conduct present day interviews of some people without explaining why and, in fact, other than his interviews with Fortson and her daughter, it appears he did relatively little to uncover any potential new information.

Normally, I would give a book like Targeted two stars, but Phelps’s errors go beyond poor writing and shoddy journalism. In a lengthy introduction, he goes on a diatribe about how sensational true crime books with lurid covers are hurting “serious” writers such as himself, and he is clearly jealous of the success of some of those “sensational” writers. But, after reading Targeted, I wonder if the reason their books are more successful than his is that they actually research and write better than he does. Later, when he gets in an argument with Fortson who claims he isn’t on her side, he engages in an extended bout of self-righteousness about how an experienced journalist doesn’t have to prove himself to a convict. Yet the whole patronizing tone of his book is that he doesn’t have to prove himself to the readers. Sorry, but readers don’t buy a book like Targeted to validate an author’s ego. In this case, ego and shoddy research and writing continually get in the way of a fascinating story. Tracy Fortson may or may not deserve better than this book, but readers certainly do.

[Heidi Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts off excellently. If you like Jack Olsen, this writer has that kind of potential. However, the book only needs to be half to 3/4's of it's current length, after which it's continual bickering and grand standing when he deals with Tracy. Yes, we get it. She's a "convicted" criminal and the author isn't. But that doesn't mean her view points shouldn't be respected, even if the author has no intention of following up. I kept wondering, does the author do this same behavior with male criminals? Or is it just the female criminals he refuses to take any kind of direction from? Anyone who has written articles or stories about people, for any length of time, has had to have dealt with overbearing sources. So what. Deal with it and move on. Also, the author uses journalistic integrity as his excuse for ripping into the accused. Sorry, "convicted." Journalistic integrity is more than controlling your work or attempting to control the outcome. It's being impartial and offering up a comprehensive piece without the authors's bias, which is not what happens in this book. More than once I wondered, why write the book? Just so we know the author isn't a convicted criminal and that they will not take advice from female criminals? What does this book really offer?

[Umit Cizre Peres · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit confusing

For me, apart from the concluding pages where the author suddenly changes his gears and displays a rather sanguine language and approach, the style of Phelp’s writing is extremely confusing and tasteless! Not to mention the unnecessarily long script which could do with some reorganizing and clipping! Why on earth does a true crime writer engage in an intense verbal battle via letters with the central character of his book throughout the book while never ceasing to remind the readers that she is a “rightly convicted killer?” What exactly is the problematic of this book if the author is more interested in wrestling with the claims of innocence by the “ convicted killer” than telling a well- rounded story, well-organized, devoid of superfluous words/issues and clearly explained! That is, as he sees it!

[Lela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read almost all of Mr. Phelps' previous books, some being captivating, others not so much. This book definitely falls into the 'not so much' class. The first third of the book was Informative, non-repetetive and then ...... the trial. It went rapidly downhill after that. Too much unnecessary information, followed by Mr. Phelps giving a voluminous blow-by-blow description of his useless email correspondence with the convicted murderer who very clearly used this book as a soapbox to proclaim her innocence. Do I believe there are innocent people in our prisons? Absolutely. Do I believe Tracy is one of them? Absolutely not.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Targeted is the true story of a man who disappears, then turns up dead in bizarre circumstances, the woman who is the sole focus of the investigation, her arrest, and all the holes in the story that are ignored in order to convict her.

The story fascinated me. The writing? Well…

The book opens with an author’s note, during which Phelps rants about the disrespect shown to serious true crime authors such as himself, blaming the sensationalism of the lurid covers and titles of books by other, apparently non-serious true crime authors. It’s a whole lot of “woe is me” bitterness that doesn’t belong in an introduction, or in this type of book at all.

Then, on to the story. Initially, I’d been able to let go of the early rant and enjoy the writing. Phelps does a great job of setting up the situation and introducing us to all the players.

BUT

He keeps interjecting his own derogatory opinions and personal rants regarding Tracy Fortson, the woman whose story he’s telling. He so clearly despises her that it’s like he’s the victim here. We’re told, repeatedly, that he is a professional, that he’s unbiased, that his opinion “doesn’t matter,” only the facts count, and yet he keeps telling us his opinion of her. She’s a “convicted murderer” who can’t be trusted. Her emotional outbursts and mistrust of his intentions are proof she’s hiding something, that she’s become a “hardened” convict, that she’s guilty.

Within these occasional personal assertions that have no place in the book, this complex story is intriguing. And I love Kevin Pierce’s narration, so I kept listening.

BUT

Phelps goes off the rails in the final few chapters. Tracy apparently hurt his feelings within their exchanged emails. He felt his credentials weren’t respected, that his journalism skills were in question, that he was accused of not being impartial and of having an agenda. And, so, he proved exactly this by spending the final chapters tearing her apart with incredible derision and indignance.

Despite the fascinating case, I can’t recommend this book.

*I received a free audio download from WildBlue Press.*

[Doug Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is my first read of author M. William Phelps, his extensive resume makes me feel that I must have previously seen him or read about him.

This work shows that Phelps does a yeoman's job of researching case details. The chapters carefully alternate between the court room for convicted murderer Tracy Fortson's trial, the difficult time she had growing up, and the rocky relationship she had with the murder victim in this case. For the trial proceedings, it is not a stretch to say that the reader feels as though he or she might be in the courtroom.

Having read a number of titles in the "true crime" genre, this one gives me some sense of the author's style. He seasons his reporting with a dose of opinion, but never so much so as to skew the balance. In fact, Phelps goes to the degree of assisting Fortson by presenting ways to contact her and possibly offer assistance with what would be a reprieve in her life in prison.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love true crime!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat peculiar true crime book

While there is a potentially gripping story at the heart of this nonfiction book about a deputy sheriff convicted of murder, the details of the crime and prosecution are hashed and rehashed, and then they are rehashed a few more times for good measure. The author, Mr. Phelps, also becomes a major character in his own story, especially in the book’s later passages, as he engages in a lengthy back-and-forth with the convict re. her guilt or innocence. In fact, the book ends up being as much about the convict’s case for her innocence as it is about the crime, and that eventually becomes rather boring.

[Lee Husemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another fantastic read by Author Phelps that grabbed me from the first page. This is the case of Sheriff Deputy Tracy Fortson whose ex-boyfriend ends up dead and encased in cement in a watering trough. The book covers the investigations, interviews, court trials, etc., very thoroughly as Phelps always does. It is up to the reader to decide if Tracy did indeed do it, or was she framed by the police for filing a sexual harassment suit against the sheriff. Me?? I am still on the fence about her innocence.

[Ronald Keeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a non-fiction true-crime novel, a type that I really like but so many of the ones I have read put me off to the point that I avoid the genre. This one, however, was inciteful, thoughtful, balanced, and so detailed that the general reader might shy away from it. But just as the reader might be nodding off like some of the jurors Phelps describes, the author takes a break and follows a new tangent to draw the reader’s attention back to the wider, more comprehensive, less detailed but still interesting context.

Tracy Fortson is a murder. Juries have spoken, judges have decided sentencing, Tracy is in prison currently serving a mandated life plus ten-year sentence for killing Doug Benton and this condition is unlikely to change short of possible parole board clemency. There is no surprise ending, no “gotcha” moment in the book. So, why read the novel? I am a “Law and Order,” “Homicide Hunter,” and “CSI” fan as well as a former sheriff’s deputy. Tracy Fortson is a former sheriff’s deputy. So much for why I am interested. Feel free to read and review this and explain why you think it is interesting.

The author’s writing style is interesting because as much as he wants to remain impersonal, he isn’t. Several times Phelps mentions that he either believes Tracy or that she has at least made a good point with her objections of innocence. This is different from her making a good argument and Phelps criticizes her arguments frequently, calling them nothing more than unsubstantiated opinions. The reader accompanies a writer that is in many ways wrestling with himself. He would like to believe Tracy but there is one thing he is sure of. She is a convicted murderer. The jury(s) said so.

The amount of detail is staggering right down to points dependent on the absence of a comma. To illustrate: [“I was the medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) who performed the autopsy of the decedent, later identified at Douglas Benton,” Dr. Kris Sperry writes in the affidavit.] (loc 4107-4108). This statement made by witness Sperry is ambiguous. Maybe Dr. Sperry performed an autopsy. In fact, he did not. There should be a comma after (GBI) which changes the meaning to indicate that Dr. Sperry is the medical examiner who supervised a team of pathologists at the GBI and it is the institution (GBI) who performed the autopsy. Without arguing the correctness of the relative pronoun “who,” it is this lack of a comma that encouraged Tracy Fortson to launch one of her appeals claiming Dr. Sperry had lied.

This kind of attention to detail provides a “high” to those of us addicted to crime reality shows and books. I was almost sad to find a place where Phelps was ambiguous and not paying so much attention to detail. This partial quote illustrates the problem I had, one that appears throughout the book. “What I will say is that the more I spoke to Tracy, the more I believe her. I hope someone can, at the least, take the case farther than I could and look into the notion that good ol’ boy justice, of which we know exists in this country, served up the first and only female sheriff the county had seen up until then …” (loc 4291-4293). The problem is the term “sheriff.” Tracy was not a sheriff, she was a sheriff’s deputy. At other points in the book, she is referred to as a deputy. At other points in the book, other deputies are referred to as sheriffs. As a former deputy, for me, this is not a minor point.

For those not in law enforcement, it pretty much works like this. Cities, towns, and municipalities have cops. They don’t have jails; they might have holding facilities. When a criminal is held for a longer period, more than a few days, they go to jails which are managed at a county level by the Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff (one person) might be elected, appointed, or have little to no law enforcement training. Sheriff’s deputies, on the other hand, are law enforcement officers or peace officers who are POST certified after graduating from training at police academies. I leave it to the interested reader to google POST certification requirements. It is sort of a big deal.

So, while I was amazed at the careful attention to detail that Phelps provides in general, I was disappointed by the ambiguity and careless use of law enforcement titles. But that is because I am a biased former POST certified sheriff’s deputy from Monterey, California. Irrelevant but, as Phelps wrote when referring to his own occupation, “my feathers were ruffled” (paraphrased) (in an email sent to Tracy Fortson where Phelps was rejecting the idea that he had to explain himself to her) [loc 3686].
I liked this book and gave it five Amazon stars just for its meticulous attention to detail (for the most part). I will go on to read more of the more than 30 novels Phelps has written. His writing is superior, analytical and thoughtful. This was a one-half-day interesting read. Sure, I could have put it down, but I didn’t want to.

Phelps work in this novel ranks far above the crime writing hacks I have unfortunately encountered; the ones who have cut and pasted publicly available newspaper articles with scattered moral opinion insertions disguised as transitions between largely plagiarized content. The hacks are what turned me off this genre. M. William Phelps writing will bring me back.

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of this author, but frankly this book just didn't hit the mark for me.

[Susan “Sam” · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just beneath the title and author name, in the summary designed to make the reader chose this book to read, is cited the following quote: "A gripping, no-hands-barred work of investigative journalism." - Steve Jackson"

Apparently, Mr. Jackson and I have entirely different definitions of "gripping" and "investigative journalism." The only thing "no-holds-barred" I found in Phelp's book was the degree of discipline required to finish it. To me, the story was decidedly boring. The author began to offer some local color and broadly sketch out the protagonist deputy, but abruptly stopped in favor of a dry and disordered recitation of the police investigation. Following a recount of the trial, the reader is subjected to pages upon pages of the author and the convicted deputy arguing like children under the pretense of trying to continue the book's "investigation." Which leads me to my final point. Phelps in no way wrote "Targeted" as "investigative journalism." He collected police reports and trial transcripts and quoted from these documents in the book. He did not independently explore or investigate any of the curiosities of the case nor did he attempt to place this story within a larger context. He left the protagonist and the victim as one one-dimensional objects best known by the parts they play in his book, i.e., the murderer (he thinks) and victim.

I understand that other reviewers have found Mr. Phelp's other work compelling and hope that I can say that in the future. In the meantime, there's so little time and so many books and this might be one not to waste one's time on.

[Tabitha Rohm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has been on plenty of ID shows and several podcast programs, but no one tells it like Phelps. He is an original when it comes to telling a story. When an author writes a book of fiction, I often wonder what or how they got the suspect to talk to them; what did they say; what did they do? Phelps is not afraid to tell you about his interactions with the suspects and the families. I appreciate that honesty. It isn't easy getting these suspects to talk to you. I know because I have tried it in 2 different cases now and in one of the cases, I couldn't even get the victim's family to talk to me.

This story will make you wonder about the crime itself. It kinda compares to another case I was looking at. In that case, the victim's family keeps saying that the suspects, their families, the police, the DA, the coroner, the funeral home and all the other investigators are covering the crime up for the suspects. That is similar to this case. This woman was a cop and she says that because she took out a sexual harassment lawsuit on the sheriff, that they pinned this murder on her. She was a cop and it is hard to believe that a cop left this many "accidental evidence" in plain sight. It kinda makes you wonder, what kind of cop was she for her to do such a shoddy job of murder. But in the end, you have to agree, that she is the one that done it.

Very good book. Easy to read and the material is broken down so that it is easy to understand and keep it all straight.

[Koren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised that this book was not Phelp's usual lengthy tome. Perhaps because he makes a point at the beginning of the book that he is now with Wild Blue Press. His forward is very interesting because he tells us all of his gripes with the True Crime industry. Ok, on to the story.

I thought the crime itself was very interesting. The author leaves it up to the reader if the indicted former female sheriff is the one that killed her boyfriend. So from here on would probably be a spoiler for those who havent read the book. If you have read the book, I would be interested in what you think.

I have never read a True Crime book that left me with so many questions. At first all of the evidence points to the sheriff, Tracy Fortson, as being the person who committed the crime. But I wondered about two things that didn't ring true to me. First, what was her motive? She broke up with her boyfriend, the victim. But that was it. Second, how in the world did one woman stab and kill her boyfriend, then put him in a horse trough, encase him in cement, then get the trough in the back of a truck and take it to the place where it was dumped. We are told that her boss, who she charged with harassment, may have had a motive to frame her but that doesn't seem to be explored either by the police or the author. None of these points were explored much in the book. Anyone have any thoughts? Aside from that it was a good read.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my guilty pleasure genre, Mr. Phelps is one of the authors who is generally reliable -- as in, "oh yay, he has a new book out. this will be good..."

I was disappointed in this one. Maybe it is just me...and maybe it is just because I was really annoyued with her for what felt a bit like she was jerking the author around. On the other hand, who knows what being in prison for years does to a person, especially if she IS innocent.

There was a boatload of evidence pointing to her...but seriously, how dumb would she have to be to leave that blatant a trail? And she surely seems intelligent enough to devise a way to kill someone and get away with it, with all her law enforcement experience.

Not really sure how I feel about it. It did entertain me, more than a little, but I can only go three stars because of the disappointment I felt. But I'll for sure continue to read his books...

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had seen this story on the ID channel and when I saw that M. William Phelps had written a book about it, I wanted to read it. :I thought it would go in more detail regarding this case. A deputy is arrested for the killing of her boyfriend. All his friends believe she did it, but did she? Yes, there was an abundance of evidence that may show her involvement/guilt but would Tracy being a deputy leave this behind? You must judge that for yourself. This book was an ok read. What took away from the book was there were several places where the narrative became boring ie: the email correspondance, the back and forth between the author and Tracy. This made the author seem as if ego got in the way. For the record, I think Tracy is a peice of work and she is exactly where she needs to be. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

[Dan Lawton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an entertaining three-part true crime story. Part one outlines the crime, sheds some background about the major players and their relationships and backgrounds. Highly entertaining, the way it was presented. Part two is about the trial primarily, which is injected with commentary from the author's conversations with the accused. Some of the details of the trial were a bit boring, having been through them in part one. But the pacing is good as the conversations with the accused breaks it up nicely. Part three reflects on what happened in the case, plus additional conversation with the accused. Ultimately, to not give anything away, there's much else I'll say other than it's one of the better true crime books I've read.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Targeted by M. William Phelps

In the last year I have started reading this author, with this book I'm not impressed. The few others I've read were much better. The book was so long and after a while I just wasn't interested but did finish it. I mean who cares who she dated? I know she had to be the strongest person in the world to do what she "supposedly" did. It feels as though half the book he was on Tracy Fortson's side and half was feeling she was guilty. The Author was too opinionated. Both courtroom sessions were quite boring. So much for being excited to read this book. I intentional didn't read the reviews so I could be bias. Thanks Wild Blue Press for the free Kindle book for review of my own opinion.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulously researched, Phelp's newest book is thrilling, engaging, and comprehensive. He is a master of this non-fiction genre, and deserves much wider recognition for his nuanced and incisive investigative writing. The facts of the case could be interpreted in multiple ways, which is a frightening thought to consider. It was sobering to witness the state's interpretation of the evidence ensnaring the defendant, even as she protested her innocence. The narration is seamless and well done in an understated way that suits the content perfectly, smooth but just a touch edgy. I received a free review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but dragged a bit

I really enjoyed reading this book. Phelps is a great writer, and I felt he kept to the facts and presented Tracy's case professionally.

My only complaint was that towards the end, it felt that it was dragging until it finally reached the conclusion. Ideas and evidence were reiterated, while it probably could have been wrapped up without doing so.

I plan to read more written by Phelps, as I enjoyed his style and enjoy reading true crime stories (especially when done well!).

[Kent Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real, Raw and Eye Opening!!!

This reader has read some of Phelps' books in the past and they were excellent reads.
This book "Targeted: ..." was intense. First, there was a murder. Then the charges in the case against the "obvious" individual, his girlfriend was arrested. She claimed innocence, etc. The writer wrote with expertise about the case and communicated with the woman on a regular basis. It was a wild ride for both the writer and the defendant. Well done Phelps. An excellent read once again. Thank you.
as reviewed by J Matthews on April 20, 2023

[Tanya T · Rating 3 out of 5]

A female Sheriff’s Deputy is accused of murdering her on again/off again boyfriend and disposing his body in a field inside a cattle trough filled with cement. The Deputy denies and continues to deny any involvement claiming she is set up by disgruntled coworkers and a pending Sexual Harassment case against a fellow Officer. Her boyfriend has a shady past and could have also been murdered by someone from his past. She herself points out evidence or lack of that leaves you wondering if she really was falsely accused, even the Author flip flops on his opinions of her guilt or innocence.

[BUYbye · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most convoluted book I have ever tried to read. Phelps used all kinds of abbreviations with no explanations so a reader has no idea what the reference even is! The story line
is equally confusing, jumping here and there with no real coordination. I finally had to delete about 1/3 way through,
getting very frustrated. Definitely not worth the money I spent.
My advice is to read some better authors, that maintain their
logic and build & care about the characters.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where was the editor? At least a third of this book could have been omitted. Too much time was devoted to repeating Fortson's claim she didn't do it without anything to back it up as well as the author's peacock posturing that he doesn't have to explain himself to anyone. No where near this author's best work.