Beautifully Cruel

by M. William Phelps

Iowa housewife Tracey Pittman Roberts seemed to have it all: natural beauty, three loving children, and a fairy tale second marriage to a wealthy, handsome businessman. But beneath the happy facade was a woman who used lies, manipulation, sex, ugly allegations, blackmail--and even murder--to serve her own selfish ends.
On December 12, 2001, police rushed to Tracey's home after a shooting left her vulnerable young neighbor dead. Tracey claimed it was an act of self-defense. Nine gunshot wounds--and a decades-long trail of extortion, fabrication, fraud, and intimidation--said otherwise. Ten years after the crime, Tracey's case finally went to trial in an explosive courtroom showdown. In a searing exploration of the criminal mind, bestselling investigative journalist M. William Phelps traces the saga of a psychopath who hid in plain sight--until her wicked ways caught up with her.

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

Audiobook

First published November 28, 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 4 out of 5]

If she-devil had a picture in the dictionary, Tracey Pittman Roberts would be there. She would be grinning like a Cheshire cat. Tracy was a liar, blackmailer, abuser, and murderer. She is a complete train wreck, running over anyone that got in her way. The lengths she went to make sure her ex-husband didn't gain custody of their kids is insane. Only an evil mastermind could have plotted that out and got away with it for as long she did. I felt so bad for the Wehde family. For years, they had to endure a town thinking their son attempted to attack a woman and her kids. I am glad Trent, a policeman, never believed her lies and stayed searching for the real answers. Phelps did an excellent job following this case. Well put together and written.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great read by Phelps about a psychopathic female killer with lots of great investigation. Tracey Richter Pittman Roberts just seemed to have a desire for vengeance, always trying to get even with someone for something, and it seemed like she didn't care who she used to do it with. She got away with a lot of things in her life, but by the time of the book, it was really starting to catch up with her. The crime revolves around a home invasion happening on December 12. 2001 when she said 2 (later became 3 briefly) men came into her home where she was alone with her 3 children and attacked her. She fought back to protect them, and ended up breaking away, opening a gun safe, and shooting one of them dead with 2 weapons. She said the other man escaped out of the house.

The story would evolve as she retold it, as she tried to pin blame on first her ex-husband, then her current husband, who was out of town at the time. A very bizarre case and story that took years to come to a conclusion. A fascinating read with plenty of twists, backstories, sidestories, and unbelievable stuff that comes out along the way. Awesome true crime. Thanks for reading.

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release Date: November 28, 2017
Genre: True Crime

True Crime novels have always held a special place in my heart (and on my bookcase). Unfortunately, I have been neglecting these books for some time because I have been so busy blogging romance that I let these other genres fall to the wayside. Well, not anymore. M. William Phelps has renewed my love for these novels with Beautifully Cruel.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Beautifully Cruel is a True Crime novel. If you are unfamiliar with this genre then I can tell you that these types of books detail various real life crime cases. They are not works of fiction that are made up but rather books that have been carefully written using police interviews, victim interviews, and more. They are so interesting to me- I have my masters in psychology- because I love picking apart peoples mind who do bad things. Anyway, this book talks about the case of Tracey Pittman Robert, a deadly woman who has lived a life of crime and never really gotten caught. Until she murdered someone in cold blood... Someone who she said invaded her home with the intent to kill her and her kids.

This case is not an easy one to read. It features a woman who is so cold blooded and manipulative that it almost seems unreal even though it's not. Phelps does a wonderful job in detailing her crimes and what led up to the murder she committed and I was captivated by every sentence. What's even more interesting about this book is that it's not a cut and dry case. The killing didn't occur and days or weeks later she was arrested. It actually took 10 years to get her for this crime. If you read the book you'll see how this cold case became a hot media spectacle.

MY OVERALL THOUGHTS OF THE BOOK

I truly enjoyed reading this one and once my eyes fell to the page I became a junkie. I needed more and more and more. Unfortunately, it took me a little too long to read it as it is a bit long. However, with all the information NEEDED in order to understand this case it's no wonder the book was well over 400 pages. So essentially, I LIKED IT (a lot), but didn't LOVE it because it was so thick with information. I would recommend it though, and I hope people will give the book a chance because I don't think I have ever read about a woman so monsterous and manipulative in my life.

Recommended Read

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[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally, I love this author, but this book was terrible. Not sure if it was the case itself, the way he wrote it, or a little of both. B-O-R-I-N-G! I mean, the first 100+ pages were nothing but a cop trying to convince the current DA to press charges against Tracey. The rest of the book skips around between her first and second marriages, and in the end you get no clear vision as to why she even does any of the things she does. The author does not even speak to her second husband (even though he was a big part of the story), saying "he didn't need to". I mean really? It would have also been nice to hear about Tracey's upbringing - maybe more about what caused her to become the pathological liar she is today.

Even if you enjoy this author, my advice is to skip this one.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Good detectives never do. They have a plan and set out to get it done".


Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps

I think I have to stop reading true crime as my last few did not really succeed in drawing me in.

This one, Beautifully Cruel has superb writing. I do like the writer's style so much. The problem for me was whom he was writing about.

I could not stand Tracey which should not be surprising as she is a psycho but unfortunetly she was not all that interesting to me and the story was so distasteful I could not get into it. I think I am just tiring of the genre actually.

It was also very wordy and long. I think it clocks in at over 400 pages. For True crime books, I like them to be a bit shorter. Still, the writing was great. If it had not been, I doubt I'd have finished this. Recommended for true crime readers who do not mind if their crime books are a bit on the long side.

[Carlton Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Phelps can follow a trail of a murderer like a bloodhound. Once he makes up his mind this is the one to write about, he will interview, and read police reports and newspapers to find the trail that leads him to the person responsible.
Always a good read from Mr. Phelps.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of murderess Tracey Richter just seemed to get weirder with every page.

[Paula DeBoard]

True crime obsession continues...

This was a fascinating story, perfect for fans of Dateline and the ID Channel and people (like me) who miss all of A&E's true crime stories narrated by Bill Kurtis. Tracy Richter-Roberts was (is--she's serving a life sentence) one twisted killer. The narrative did seem repetitive at points, though, and skipped around a bit -- for that reason, the audio narrative wasn't the easiest to follow.

[J.H. Moncrieff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was WAY longer than it had to be. Not the most interesting case in the world--a con woman shoots a young man in her home and claimed he attacked her and it was justifiable homicide. A good majority of this book deals with a cop trying to convince a new district attorney to take on the case--their phone calls, meetings, sleepless nights, etc. The main story seemed to be the tale of the cop and district attorney, not the crime or the victim. In fact, very little was done to humanize the victim so we felt sorry about what had happened to him and his family.

Even stranger was the defensive epilogue where the author states and restates his credentials and integrity, in a preemptive strike in case the perpetrator tries to smear his reputation upon publication. It was an odd ending to a strange book.

[Lee Husemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! Tracey Richter Pittman Roberts can't seem to tell the truth and/or keep her lies straight about the "home invasion" murder of Dustin Wehde. After 10 years, the cold case is brought back to life by a new prosecutor and a detective who was taking another look at the case. There are lots of twists and turns in this very interesting book and Author Phelps' thorough research of this case makes it a page turner.

[MM Suarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The b*llshit coming out of this woman’s mouth never stops flowing."

I like reading true crime stories but unfortunately this particular one suffers from an ailment I find common for the genre, it is TOO LONG by one hundred pages easily, which in turn makes it often repetitive.

As far as the case goes, it feels to me like Tracey Pittman Roberts, (a real piece of work), a psychopath of the first order, and her crazy family really got under the author's skin, which makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I prefer true crime authors and journalists that remain calm and neutral when investigating and writing about a case. Having said that, I can see no redeeming quality or any trace of humanity in Tracey, as far as I am concerned she is where she belongs, and it took too long to get her there. My heart breaks for the family of Dustin Wehde, specially his father.

"The psychopath believes if she tells a lie long enough, it is true."

[Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like predictable, boring, and repetitive books, then this is the one for you. I don't want to sound mean, but this was honestly one of the worst books I've ever read. He repeats so much information, and most of that information is obvious facts that I could have figured out as the story went along. It drags on for an eternity and has almost no twists or turns. You know what they say: you can't appreciate the good in life without the bad. 

[Heather Bremer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having lived an hour from the town in which the crime happened in I was excited to read this book. I thought the book was going to read like a story but it rather is a he said she said style of writing. Much of the information is talked over multiple times making the book much longer than it needed to be.

[Leanne Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as many of his other books - the organization and backstory were lacking.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fascinating true story of a woman who is both a sociopath and a pathological liar. The most ironic fact I found regarding this story is the fact that her father was a retired Chicago police detective. The author, however, was not able to obtain any information about this woman's childhood and past due to the hostility and noncooperation of her mother and her 21 year old son. Tracey Pittman Roberts seemed to have a lot going for her; she had been married twice to two successful and caring men, and she had three children. Her oldest child, Bert, was the product of her first marriage to a dentist, Dr. Pittman. The other two younger children were the products of her marriage to Mike Roberts, a successful businessman she met on a trip to Australia. On the face of it, this young woman should have been very happy with her life. But she was never happy. When her first husband took a job with a dental practice in New Mexico, she decided she hated the country and moved back to Chicago , taking her son with her. She received child support payments for this child, but she resented having to give her son visitation rights with his father, and she and Dr. Pittman went through a long and stressful custody battle over Bert which lasted several years. In the meantime, she married Mike Roberts and they settled into a nice Victorian home in a very small Iowa town. Mike had his own business and was very good at what he did. Tracey never once was forced to work outside the home, as many women are obligated to do, whether they prefer a professional career or not. Tracey had acquaintances rather than friends; none of her female 'friendships' lasted very long due to Tracey being one who loved to gossip and stir up trouble, even if she had to tell outrageous lies to get what she wanted. With men, she used her feminine wiles, including sex, to get what she wanted from them, although she never had a lengthy relationship with any of them, including her two husbands. I found it extremely difficult to read about the way her mother is in denial about Tracey's crimes and personality traits, so much so that she even e-mailed the author of the book to try to sway him from writing the book the way he wanted to tell the story. Probably no one will ever know just how many crimes Tracey has committed, or the nature of all of them. This particular story focused on a December 2001 shooting in Tracey's home of a 21 year old young man who Mike had befriended and tried to help. The two families knew each other, and the young man, the only boy in the family, was considered a "special education" child in school, although I privately thought he appeared to perhaps be autistic, perhaps with Asperger's Syndrome. Dustin Wehde loved to go with Mike and Bert Roberts to play paintball, and he was often over at the Roberts home. (Tracey told the police that he had always given her "the creeps".) On this particular evening, Tracey claimed that two men staged a home invasion and that she was in fear for her and her kids' lives (Mike was away on business). She shut Bert and the two little girls in a bedroom and allegedly fought with the 'invaders.' She claimed that one of them tried to strangle her with a pair of pantyhose, and that they were calling her profane names and threatening to kill her family. Tracey allegedly ran into her bedroom and somehow managed to get the gun safe open (the way it was described as placed; I doubt that anyone could have even made it close to the safe) and she pulled out two guns, and started shooting over her shoulder, Annie Oakley style. Since she killed one of the men (there was never any evidence that there was more than one), she was 'shocked' to learn the man she killed was Dustin Wehde. Odd that his car was parked out in the open in the yard; home invaders are not usually this visible. Also odd was the fact that Dustin had been shot nine times, with at least three bullets in his head. Tracey told Bert to call 911, and the medical and police personnel arrived to question Tracey, her eleven year old son Bert, and also the neighbors. Dustin no doubt was deceased before he even hit the floor. Another odd fact: a female friend of Tracey's stopped by before the shooting to spend the night as they had agreed, and she never knew Dustin was there, and Tracey told her that there was a mixup of dates, so the lady, Marie Higgins, went home. At this time in this small Iowa County, there were a lot of political changes going on, and the police and district attorney both did not pay much attention to this case, figuring it for a justifiable homicide. However, the case remained one of two cold cases which a couple of the officers would work on when they had the chance. As luck would have it, a new district attorney had just been hired and he was intrigued by the case and the background of this family. The year was 2011; Ben Smith had taken the district attorney job, although he had done civil law previously and had never tried a case. Between Smith and Trent Vileta, a special agent with the Iowa Dept. of Criminal Investigation, they combed through all the files and every bit of evidence that they could get their hands on. I am very sure that Tracey Roberts must have been totally shocked when she was finally arrested for Dustin Wehde's murder; first degree murder at that. She had been trying to either pin the shooting on her first or even second husband, so she would obtain spousal support and child support from Mike, and perhaps Dr. Pittman would have no visitation rights. Tracey had Dustin write a narrative in a pink notebook, found on the seat of his car, which went into some detail about the Roberts' personal lives, etc. There was no way Dustin would have known any of this information on his own. In the intervening 10 years, Tracey had obtained false passports and IDs, making it appear that if anyone became suspicious, she would leave the country. She never got that chance. She kept up her habitual lying regarding just about everything and anything, and I found it very hard to believe that it took 10 years to untangle the web of this crime, and that was due to the new district attorney and a dedicated officer. Tracey Roberts destroyed many lives; not just that of the boy she killed, but his family also (his dad committed suicide) and the lives of her previous husbands, and those of her children. She had coached Bert on what to tell the police over and over and over again, and yet he was still loyal to his mother. I found the story fascinating, especially because if one knew the circumstances behind the 'justifiable homicide', I believe there was no way that the case would have been called that.

[Ceeceereads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of this one. I appreciate reading about lesser known, twisty cases yet my interest here was lagging and I couldn’t really get into it.

[Erica (Cheekymama2) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very Dateline like. It took place in NW Iowa which max it “fun” to read. An interesting read about a crazy woman. A little long in places but still kept my attention.

[Andy Holloman · Rating 4 out of 5]

... top tier true crime work, Phelps delivers this "stranger than fiction" story in a very intelligent and compelling manner..... superb read

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to meet one woman you would most definitely not want to have living next door, then you must read this book. Keep in mind that the author has a career of being a hard-hitting investigative journalist, and has the ability to tell a story of a psychopath that will make your blood run cold.
We are in Iowa, of all places. This tale is not about the violent, gritty neighborhoods of say, Chicago or Detroit. Here, a housewife lives by the name of Tracey Pittman Roberts. She is on her second marriage and, from the looks of it, is having a great time. Her dream life includes three amazing children, as well as owning a face and body that is all-natural and stunningly beautiful. What Tracey seems to be missing, however, is a soul.
It was on December 13, 2001, that police were called to Tracey’s home. There, they found a young neighbor of Tracey’s dead as a doornail. This housewife claimed to have been protecting her children. She feared for her life after a supposed break-in by this twenty-year-old man, now dead, and another man led to her being strangled with a pair of pantyhose. Her story was self-defense, case-closed. The one thing that worked against her was the fact that nine bullet wounds were found on the victim, which made the police more than wary when it came to believing her cut-and-dried story.
It also didn’t help that Tracey already had on her record a plea of no-contest in regards to the discharging of a firearm years before, when she lived in Virginia with her first husband, a plastic surgeon.
From the telling of the crime to the final showdown in the courtroom, this author has vividly described Tracey’s case and allows readers to look deeply into a criminal mind they will not soon forget.

[Lynn Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable ButNot The Most Fascinating Story,

Narrative is solidly written, but story "reads slow" primarily because the woman at the center of things is pretty stupid, which makes it hard to understand how she got away with her crime for so long. While the author does a good job of exploring and detailing the many discrepancies "put forth" by this woman, the story seems to run a bit longer than it needed to; while reading, I found myself constantly checking to see what percentage of the book I was "at", and, therefore, how much more I "had" to read to finish.

[Barbara Mulligan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too convoluted. I usually enjoy Mr. Phelp 's books but not this one. His use of time shifting was unnecessary and ruined the story for me.

Too convoluted. His use of time shifting was confusing and served no purpose. He is usually a good writer but often puts too much fill in his books.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh it was way longer than need be and boring on that half of the story is about a new DA and a detective set on getting someone to prosicute this case and then we get all these bizarre accounts that go back and forth of Tracy and basically saying shes a "whore" and even still after she was found guilty of murder I didnt feel like I knew much about the life she took.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good. I did not enjoy it as much as others by this author; simply because I have heard a lot about this case and the book was a re-hash for me with no additional information provided.
Solid writing, intriguing story.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and beautifully written.. One of his best books in my opinion, but then the subject of this book was a fascinating study in a murderous sociopathic woman.

[Deb Gittens · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's quite a back story to the theme of the story of Tracey Richter and it was difficult to get through the beginning of this book. I was curious about the point of the story however, and I continued to read. The story became much more interesting and intense and I was hooked. There were times I was uncomfortable with this woman's antics. It brought up nightmares for me as I was (unfortunately) acquainted with a woman with similar behaviors. Other than commiting a murder the woman I knew and had to deal with was just as deceitful and had numerous lawsuits against anyone who crossed her. To be involved with a lying and conniving person like Tracey Richter was is a nightmare I'd just as soon never experience again.
I understood the stress of unwarranted law suits Tracey inflicted on others and I understood how the fear and stress can affect a victim. I thought the book captured the angst this woman caused. I totally understood Mr. Phelp's explanation at the end of how Tracey (and her mother) continued to deny any responsibility for her deceitfulness and constant lying. He shouldn't have to defend himself but with people like Tracey, the threats by her (and her mother) of a lawsuit should be known. This is the way these psychopaths operate, seeking revenge for many years after. When I finished the book I was compelled to look up Tracey Richter. I was so disappointed-but not surprised-that she had tried to sue the prosecutor as well and there were court proceedings in that regard. These evil types of personalities just don't quit. The book was very well written and factual.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took a deep look into the case of Tracey Roberts, a mother of three kids, and estranged wife to a wealthy businessman. Her first marriage was to a doctor, whom she shot at during at argument. After their divorce, she accused him of sexual abuse towards their child. She moved on to another doctor, who she tried to swindle out of money, subsequently ruining that relationship. She finally married another man, who was into business. They had two children together before the relationship went south. In 2001, Tracey was living in a home in Iowa with her children. She dialed emergency services to report that she had shot an intruder. Turns out, there were a lot of connections between them, which I won't get into so that I don't spoil the book for anyone wishing to read it.

I think that M. William Phelps did a good job researching this case. The facts were chronological. They were presented in a way that was accurate and readable. This woman was certainly a piece of work. I think a first degree murder charge was very accurate in this case. If you are interested in this book, it is currently free on Audible Plus, and also free on Kindle Unlimited right now.

[Lisa Millett · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Crime Thriller

Mr. Phelps is a masterful author in the true crime genre. I have read and enjoyed almost all of his books. He has such detail and background information which allows the reader to truly be involved in the story. In this latest book he document s the true murder committed by Tracy Richter Pittman Roberts and the many other aliases of Tracy. During a supposed home invasion Tracy shot and killed a young man with a learning disability. She shot him in the back of the head 9 times several of which were while he was on the floor. Unfortunately she was such a good actress that she got away with it for many years before a dedicated police detective and a new D.A. Decided to investigate this cold case. The story will enthralled you and sicken you at the same time and make you continue to read to see if justice was done. An exceptional true crime book that I highly recommend to any and all true crime aficionados.

[Red Denver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting (and unbelievable) story of a woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. The first 50 pages or so was a bit repetitive, with the D.A. going back and forth about whether to prosecute. I didn't know whether to be irritated at the D.A. or the writer for harping on it so much. Other than that, it was fascinating to read about the killer's manipulative behavior all of her life, and how vengeful she was, never letting a slight go unpunished. She seemed intent on destroying anyone who she saw as being 'against' her. By the end of the book, it was very satisfying to see her FINALLY get what was coming to her; although she continued her manipulative behavior even after going to prison. The author's notes in the Epilogue about the killer's MOTHER's manipulative communications with him are fascinating as well. As they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Phelps comes through yet again in this grueling story of a crazed woman who shot an innocent young man and changed the lives of others who suffered at the hands of her murder. She is obviously deranged. I'm relieved that she is now behind bars and hope she never gets out. It talks about every single one of her lies and constant manipulation, not to mention 2 failed marriages. How she even got married at all is beyond me. She freely used her looks and body to get whatever man she wanted as puppets. Unfortunately, someone innocent who had no idea, had to die at her hands. Let that stay on her conscious for the rest of her life (if she even has one).
I'm glad this book was written so the public can all decide what she truly is, a murderer. One day God will be her final judge and she should be very afraid!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this book is what I think of as a very "old school" type of true crime tale, and is slightly subject to the criticisms leveled at true crime - it's very focused on the perpetrator rather than the victim, and occasionally veers into "copaganda". (Not that the police get a free pass here, but we honestly learn more about the feelings and motivations of the prosecutor and detective who eventually successfully brought charges again Tracy Roberts than we learn about Dustin Wehde, her victim.)

Having said that, Phelps is both a good investigative journalist and a good storyteller, and Tracy Roberts is certainly one of those unique criminals who makes a fascinating psychological study. The story is jaw-dropping. If you're looking for a true crime book that reads like a thriller and is carefully researched and reported, this is it.