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A Poisoned Passion
By the age of twenty-four, Air Force Staff Sergeant Mike Severance had already survived a series of missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. But his life back at home, in Texas, would prove a lot more dangerous...
In the winter of 2005, Mike's wife, a veterinarian named Wendi Mae Davidson, reported him missing. Wendi told police that Mike had been acting erratically-visiting local clubs, staying out late, sometimes not coming home at all. She filed for divorce the very next day.
Eventually Mike's body turned up in a stock pond on a private ranch. Investigators described a corpse that was weighted down with two cinder blocks, a rock, a boat anchor, and other equipment. It had also been stabbed forty-one times with a knife. But an autopsy report told a different story: That the cause of death was exposure to pentobarbital and phenobarbital, drugs commonly used in veterinary medicine. All the evidence pointed to Wendi...and soon she would be found guilty of murder in the first degree.
Diane Fanning's A Poisioned Passion is the true, shocking story of a war hero and a marriage that ended in cold-blooded murder.
In the winter of 2005, Mike's wife, a veterinarian named Wendi Mae Davidson, reported him missing. Wendi told police that Mike had been acting erratically-visiting local clubs, staying out late, sometimes not coming home at all. She filed for divorce the very next day.
Eventually Mike's body turned up in a stock pond on a private ranch. Investigators described a corpse that was weighted down with two cinder blocks, a rock, a boat anchor, and other equipment. It had also been stabbed forty-one times with a knife. But an autopsy report told a different story: That the cause of death was exposure to pentobarbital and phenobarbital, drugs commonly used in veterinary medicine. All the evidence pointed to Wendi...and soon she would be found guilty of murder in the first degree.
Diane Fanning's A Poisioned Passion is the true, shocking story of a war hero and a marriage that ended in cold-blooded murder.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 16, 2018
Essentially the story of a woman who never grew up, and her weird parents who made excuses for her as she descended deeper into criminality. The LONG verbatim phone conversation transcripts will try your patience, but the book is nonetheless quite interesting.
July 12, 2013
Great book, will keep reading hers
June 13, 2019
Story of a truly evil woman and how justice doesn't work well in Texas!
August 28, 2020
Couldn't put it down.
I love Diane Fanning. This book was very well researched and the pace was such that i read it in one day. It is hard to understand the killer's motivation as it doesn't seem she had an understandable motive to kill him after 5 months of marriage. She was a new young veterinarian with her own clinic. She was no dummy but when you read all the transcripts of her phone call, the complete lack of consideration for anyone but herself. Just shaking my head the whole time. I don't know you just have to read it.
I love Diane Fanning. This book was very well researched and the pace was such that i read it in one day. It is hard to understand the killer's motivation as it doesn't seem she had an understandable motive to kill him after 5 months of marriage. She was a new young veterinarian with her own clinic. She was no dummy but when you read all the transcripts of her phone call, the complete lack of consideration for anyone but herself. Just shaking my head the whole time. I don't know you just have to read it.
April 19, 2022
fair
This book represents San Angelo as a small isolated town in West Texas where you can go days without seeing a person or car. In reality, San Angelo is a town of over 100,000 people with a university and air force base. Many people in San Angelo are highly educated business people. The town itself did not contribute to the making of a killer. This author’s research of the town itself is very flawed.
This book represents San Angelo as a small isolated town in West Texas where you can go days without seeing a person or car. In reality, San Angelo is a town of over 100,000 people with a university and air force base. Many people in San Angelo are highly educated business people. The town itself did not contribute to the making of a killer. This author’s research of the town itself is very flawed.
July 21, 2025
Great telling of a sad true crime
Even tho I don't understand how the Texas court cannot see how wrong they are in giving those 2 poor boys to the wrong family to raise, I am hopeful by now after all these years that they have spent a lot of time with Michael's fine family. Good writing from a top notch true crime writer
Even tho I don't understand how the Texas court cannot see how wrong they are in giving those 2 poor boys to the wrong family to raise, I am hopeful by now after all these years that they have spent a lot of time with Michael's fine family. Good writing from a top notch true crime writer
February 2, 2019
Really good book. Well written. Such an evil bitch! Her parents were part of the problem
July 16, 2025
the writing in this wasn’t the best and was slow at times but the case was very interesting.
May 21, 2012
It was a good read, though I find it interesting that Fanning chose to write on this case, as there was no court case to speak of an no definitive outcome to the charges. It ends with her beliefs on the matter, since the case was a 'no contest', and that makes it a rather anti-climatic story in an of itself. The custody case was terribly upsetting, though there was an obvious bias in the telling. Of course the boys should remain together, and it would be no more or less fair for the maternal grandparents to be without than the paternal, though Fanning does demonize these people rather thoroughly. I cannot imagine anyone reacting well to this sort of stressful situation.
Overall, it seemed well researched and I enjoyed the transcripts of the conversations that Fanning was able to use, because of the tapping. They were chilling and engaging. A good read, if you're willing to be a little disturbed, a little angry and a bit unfulfilled by the end of it all.
Overall, it seemed well researched and I enjoyed the transcripts of the conversations that Fanning was able to use, because of the tapping. They were chilling and engaging. A good read, if you're willing to be a little disturbed, a little angry and a bit unfulfilled by the end of it all.
December 25, 2009
Another of Diane's books that I found captivating. It only took me a few days to read this book. That's quick. And I love a quick book.
What I really couldn't believe about this case is the out come of child custody. I just couldn't understand how anyone with half a brain could give a child to a family who hated his father so much, and whose daughter killed the father. This just makes no sense to me no how no way.
I hope that the Severences continue to fight for Shane. And I hope they win this little boy because surely anyone can see that is where he belongs.
What I really couldn't believe about this case is the out come of child custody. I just couldn't understand how anyone with half a brain could give a child to a family who hated his father so much, and whose daughter killed the father. This just makes no sense to me no how no way.
I hope that the Severences continue to fight for Shane. And I hope they win this little boy because surely anyone can see that is where he belongs.
February 3, 2017
I really like true crime and this was an interesting book. The author was very clear on her opinion of what happened to Michael. This isn't a bad thing, but I did feel that it strayed a bit from the investigative reporting that i tend to associate with true crime. There was a lot of psychology in the book, which I enjoy. I was disappointed that the author didn't really touch on a motive for the murder; it's easy to think of several but I would have appreciated more direct information on it. Overall, good book and I look forward to reading more of her work!
March 15, 2015
This book seemed more fabricated in several areas than factual. The only straight facts are that Michael Severance is dead and Wendi Davidson is in prison. I feel that the author added a lot of speculation to the story to drive her version of what happened. Slow read.
January 9, 2010
Interesting, very current. Frustrating in that there is never any hardfast evidence to truly nail her as the murderer.
July 14, 2017
Good true crime, but not the best. Pretty good detail.
September 22, 2016
Very interesting case.
It does seem as though justice was not done.. Perhaps it is not too late for the two boys to have great lives.
It does seem as though justice was not done.. Perhaps it is not too late for the two boys to have great lives.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews