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She Wanted It All
Trophy wife Celeste Beard wasn't satisfied with a luxurious lifestyle and her rich Austin media mogul husband's devotion -- so she took his life!
The wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way.
The lesbian love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness, she would do anything to set Celeste free.
The beauty salon hired her to tie up the loose ends ... in a second conspiracy to commit murder.
The wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way.
The lesbian love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness, she would do anything to set Celeste free.
The beauty salon hired her to tie up the loose ends ... in a second conspiracy to commit murder.
476 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2005
269 people are currently reading
2805 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Casey
33 books641 followersAn award-winning journalist and a critically acclaimed bestselling author, Kathryn Casey has written eleven true crime books and is the creator of the Sarah Armstrong and Clara Jefferies mystery series. ANGEL FALLS, her first historical fiction, was inspired by the life of Ruth Robertson, who in 1949 measured the world’s tallest waterfall.
Casey’s books have been Literary and Mystery Guild selections, and DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS was made into a Lifetime movie. Her first novel, SINGULARITY, was named a Best Crime Novel Debut by Booklist, and Library Journal chose THE KILLING STORM for its annual list of Best Mysteries. Elle Magazine picked DIE, MY LOVE as one of the ten best thrillers and crime books written by a woman. True crime matriarch Ann Rule praised Casey as "one of the best," and #1 NY Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen has called Casey "a true crime great."
In addition, Casey has written more than a hundred national magazine articles and pieces for The Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Houston Chronicle. In 2022, Casey was featured on the top ten Netflix limited documentary series “Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields.” She’s appeared on dozens of television and radio programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, 48 Hours, Oprah, Investigation Discovery, the Travel Channel, A&E, and other venues.
Casey’s books have been Literary and Mystery Guild selections, and DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS was made into a Lifetime movie. Her first novel, SINGULARITY, was named a Best Crime Novel Debut by Booklist, and Library Journal chose THE KILLING STORM for its annual list of Best Mysteries. Elle Magazine picked DIE, MY LOVE as one of the ten best thrillers and crime books written by a woman. True crime matriarch Ann Rule praised Casey as "one of the best," and #1 NY Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen has called Casey "a true crime great."
In addition, Casey has written more than a hundred national magazine articles and pieces for The Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Houston Chronicle. In 2022, Casey was featured on the top ten Netflix limited documentary series “Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields.” She’s appeared on dozens of television and radio programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, 48 Hours, Oprah, Investigation Discovery, the Travel Channel, A&E, and other venues.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
July 14, 2018
Just too long, but a thorough character study of a personality disordered woman and this case in Texas. Celeste Beard - 5 times married and the last husband a victim of a vast shotgun wound to the abdomen. A man old enough to be her grandfather. So how did it get there?
The photos were excellent. But this case of birth families, tangent married families, and the myriad of people who had their lives punctured or more by this woman- it just included too much detail of wide association to warrant my interest to that minutia of detail.
She's a thorough crime writer and includes forensics and yet! It's hard to explain, but for other of her books too, I find the same strange kind of stereotype of "he was in love" or "he just wouldn't believe any negatives, even those he saw" kind of long passages that for me, both psychologically and in particular of a certain exact human- just way too vast in "typing" for category. Like "love", or "intelligent" or "calm" decisions as observed in the copy. By whom? In such specific acts, crimes, lies, fraud movements of proof etc.? With that reality? There needs to be a more definitive and less relative nuance for reaction. Especially within these lengths of copy.
This one probably had the greatest number of high, high rung horrendous dysfunction for the largest numbers of various families "award" for any book I've read in a decade. There were at least half a dozen families here (and most of them were large too- from 6 to 10 members in a birth family) that were beyond psychotic dysfunction levels. With more than a couple in each family owning mental illness and dangerous levels of interactive aggression as periodically acceptable. Coupled with enablers who basically want a slacker life style with free lodgings and are willing to put up with bizarre and illegal as an accepted price for the "free" space and some fallout goodies from Celeste's "bounty" finds. Celeste's female twins should have been taken from their mother by the state permanently by the time they were 6 or given in full custody to their father- pending that he live in another state and have no contact with Celeste. (There are cases that are settled that way and not only for proven abuse.) There should also be a limit to the number of foster homes a child can be moved to, over and over again while recovered after abandonments, and still have a parent retrieve custody ONCE AGAIN. IMHO, that's the most damaging scenario of all.
The photos were excellent. But this case of birth families, tangent married families, and the myriad of people who had their lives punctured or more by this woman- it just included too much detail of wide association to warrant my interest to that minutia of detail.
She's a thorough crime writer and includes forensics and yet! It's hard to explain, but for other of her books too, I find the same strange kind of stereotype of "he was in love" or "he just wouldn't believe any negatives, even those he saw" kind of long passages that for me, both psychologically and in particular of a certain exact human- just way too vast in "typing" for category. Like "love", or "intelligent" or "calm" decisions as observed in the copy. By whom? In such specific acts, crimes, lies, fraud movements of proof etc.? With that reality? There needs to be a more definitive and less relative nuance for reaction. Especially within these lengths of copy.
This one probably had the greatest number of high, high rung horrendous dysfunction for the largest numbers of various families "award" for any book I've read in a decade. There were at least half a dozen families here (and most of them were large too- from 6 to 10 members in a birth family) that were beyond psychotic dysfunction levels. With more than a couple in each family owning mental illness and dangerous levels of interactive aggression as periodically acceptable. Coupled with enablers who basically want a slacker life style with free lodgings and are willing to put up with bizarre and illegal as an accepted price for the "free" space and some fallout goodies from Celeste's "bounty" finds. Celeste's female twins should have been taken from their mother by the state permanently by the time they were 6 or given in full custody to their father- pending that he live in another state and have no contact with Celeste. (There are cases that are settled that way and not only for proven abuse.) There should also be a limit to the number of foster homes a child can be moved to, over and over again while recovered after abandonments, and still have a parent retrieve custody ONCE AGAIN. IMHO, that's the most damaging scenario of all.
June 10, 2015
Another fascinating true story about yet another terrible Texan !! I found it one of the author's better ones for sure . What a piece of work Celeste was/is !!
I've mentioned before Simon & Schuster's cover art never transfers across to e-devices which is annoying. Why can't they sort this out ?? I was surprised there are no photos as well. I'll need to go to Google to look at her and her family.
She gave her daughters rotten lives, all of them-it's little wonder they severed all ties. You couldn't fault them for it. Steve sounded a really kind man who was led into this relationship and persisted in giving her chance after chance after chance. I was shocked at his financial advisers and the fact they didn't get his affairs in better order to prevent her getting at his assets. Tracey also sounded like a decent but totally misled person.
I had to laugh that Celeste was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. There was nothing borderline about it in the least. She was never, ever satisfied and wanted more all the time. A selfish, stupid, thoughtless witch.
I did spot some mistakes-hi-tech spelled as hightech which I've not seen before and the odd missing fullstop and apostrophe. Debrided was misspelt as debreeded, rap as wrap and speck as spec. Then a big ouch for me was illicit used in place of elicit, a different meaning entirely and a little slapdash. Also Tracey's name was Tracy all of a sudden. I've knocked a star off for this carelessness as these errors should have been noticed. This sentence was confusing, too...."including that Celeste had told called Steve names and told her about...". Just too sloppy in a paid-for book. I expect better.
I'll read more by her as she researches her subjects really well. They just need a good spit 'n' polish !!
I've mentioned before Simon & Schuster's cover art never transfers across to e-devices which is annoying. Why can't they sort this out ?? I was surprised there are no photos as well. I'll need to go to Google to look at her and her family.
She gave her daughters rotten lives, all of them-it's little wonder they severed all ties. You couldn't fault them for it. Steve sounded a really kind man who was led into this relationship and persisted in giving her chance after chance after chance. I was shocked at his financial advisers and the fact they didn't get his affairs in better order to prevent her getting at his assets. Tracey also sounded like a decent but totally misled person.
I had to laugh that Celeste was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. There was nothing borderline about it in the least. She was never, ever satisfied and wanted more all the time. A selfish, stupid, thoughtless witch.
I did spot some mistakes-hi-tech spelled as hightech which I've not seen before and the odd missing fullstop and apostrophe. Debrided was misspelt as debreeded, rap as wrap and speck as spec. Then a big ouch for me was illicit used in place of elicit, a different meaning entirely and a little slapdash. Also Tracey's name was Tracy all of a sudden. I've knocked a star off for this carelessness as these errors should have been noticed. This sentence was confusing, too...."including that Celeste had told called Steve names and told her about...". Just too sloppy in a paid-for book. I expect better.
I'll read more by her as she researches her subjects really well. They just need a good spit 'n' polish !!
April 22, 2012
Normally, I don't give much merit to anything in the true crime genre if it isn't written by Ann Rule. Call me a snob, but i've been disappointed so often by authors who tell a poor story. I've been fascinated by this case for sometime. I've watched many hour long documentary style programs on the Beard case but there's only so much you can cram into an hour. I decided to give this book a try despite my reservations trying yet another true crime author. When I got the book from my local library and saw a very flattering quote from Ann Rule right on the cover, I was hopeful that the book would be the exception to the rule. No pun intended. It absolutely was. A good true crime author doesn't just flatly spout the facts of the case. They make you feel. Throughout this book, I felt contempt for Celeste Beard, pity for the men and women she duped, sorrow for the woman she convinced to kill her husband and disgust at how Celeste approached motherhood.
Kathryn Casey has given me hope that this style of true crime can continue when Ann Rule inevitably retires. I can't wait to dive into the rest of her titles.
Kathryn Casey has given me hope that this style of true crime can continue when Ann Rule inevitably retires. I can't wait to dive into the rest of her titles.
February 27, 2024
By an odd coincidence I’ve just finished reading the second of two true crime books about a woman whose spouse is murdered by someone who’s obsessively in love with her. In each instance the killer is readily identified and confesses; the subject of each book is the investigation/trial[s] about the wife/loved one’s degree of complicity in the murder. Kathryn Casey’s killing is not the usual hot-young-thing-marries-rich-old-guy-and-then-she-and-her-lover-conspire-to-kill-him so common in Texas, in that the lover is not another guy. I don’t think she’s as good a true crime writer as Michael Fleeman, largely because in She Wanted It All her focus is almost entirely on the alleged co-conspirator, and is based almost entirely (this is my guess, but I can defend it) on the memories of people who were in their mid-teens when they observed/concealed/participated in her various acts of theft, adultery and attempted murder. Fair enough; the pronoun in the title isn’t ‘he’ or ‘they.’ It’s not until the last quarter of the book that anybody gets as far as the grand jury. By that time Casey has proven that her protagonist is one of the worst humans who ever lived (and that the victim is one of the dumbest). But much of the book from then on is devoted to hearings, motions and trials, which is the reason for the fourth star. True crime readers might be bored by page after page of her misdeeds and his recovery, but I liked it enough to look for more by her.
February 16, 2012
This is the true story of trophy wife Celeste Beard who wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way, so she enlists her lesbian lover, a love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness to get rid of her husband, then when Celeste begins to doubt the reliability of her lover she tries to hire a hit man to take care of her.
This is an excellent book. Kathryn Casey has a journalism background and it shows in her attention to detail and the amount of research that goes into her books. She gives a complete biography of all the major people involved in the case, detailing their childhoods in a style that is interesting and informative.
By the time the book is over, you really know the people involved. You understand what happened and the tremendous impact the crime has had on all involved.
I recommend this book to any true crime fan.
This is an excellent book. Kathryn Casey has a journalism background and it shows in her attention to detail and the amount of research that goes into her books. She gives a complete biography of all the major people involved in the case, detailing their childhoods in a style that is interesting and informative.
By the time the book is over, you really know the people involved. You understand what happened and the tremendous impact the crime has had on all involved.
I recommend this book to any true crime fan.
June 4, 2017
Wow. This woman was a textbook narcissist and whirling dervish who created chaos wherever she went.
August 6, 2025
this could've been an email
March 7, 2016
WOW Celeste is one deranged woman. I read in disbelief that she was able to get away with she did and no one tried to step in and help this family.
Casey did a wonderful research good. She did not go over board with details. Casey had the right amount to keep the stories interesting and for the stories integrity.
Casey did a wonderful research good. She did not go over board with details. Casey had the right amount to keep the stories interesting and for the stories integrity.
August 18, 2020
Had no idea this even happened. Glad I stumbled upon this extremely well written book.
July 16, 2019
Monster Mom meets No Fool Like an Old Fool
In this charming tale of Texans just having fun--all right, all right! I've read too many true crime tales from the state of Texas to be objective, I admit. Here are three good ones, just to prove my point:
Poisoned Dreams: A True Story of Murder, Money, and Family Secrets (1993) by A. W. Gray;
Final Justice: The True Story of the Richest Man Ever Tried for Murder (1993) by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith; and
Open Secrets: a True Story of Love, Jealousy and Murder (1994) by Carlton Stowers.
Kathryn Casey's She Wanted It All (2005) is an extraordinarily researched, incredibly detailed and amazingly well-organized story that is even better than any of that fine trio, and for once the Texas judicial system, despite some initial stupidities, gets the job done right, thanks mainly to prosecutor Allison Wetzel who bested famed defense attorney Dick DeGuerin in a case that could easily have been lost.
The villain is blond, blue-eyed, sexy Celeste (née Johnson) Beard, a woman who found that life was always a case of "too much is never enough." She was actually raised in California, the adopted daughter of Edwin and Nancy Johnson. She claims to have been sexually abused by her adoptive father, but one can clearly see in Casey's mesmerizing narrative that it was the adoptive mother who was not only a psychological abuser, but something of negative role model for the kind of controlling, selfish, neurotic, abusive, sociopathic murderess that Celeste would become.
The primary victim of the story is Steven Beard, a self-made Texas millionaire who in his seventies had recently lost his beloved wife of over forty years. (Of course, there were many victims of Celeste. As with most sociopaths, almost everybody who knew Celeste was victimized in one way or another.) He is the "old fool." He falls for her even though she is young enough to be his granddaughter; and like so many of her men, even though he begins to see (after it's too late) that she is evil, he can't let her go. Part of the reason is that he also fell in love with her identical twin daughters, Jennifer and Kristina, who helped to rejuvenate his life by giving him a purpose as their stepfather. One can only feel sorry for such a man, and think how ironic it is that before he lost his wife and met Celeste he was in charge of his life, a successful man who was well-liked and admired. But Celeste laid him low.
Celeste is an interesting study, a kind of femme fatale on steroids. The portrait that Casey draws of her in these pages is that of an attractive and vital woman with a gift for persuasion, for acting, for bullying, and for the confidence game; a woman with a pathological need to control others and to acquire money and to spend it recklessly; a woman with a terrible need to be surrounded by people, but a woman with no love for anyone but herself. She was also a sexual predator who used and disposed of men at will, a woman as experienced in sex as a prostitute. Furthermore, she had the manic/depressive's bipolar nature that drove her from the depths of depression to the heights of reckless abandonment--sometimes almost simultaneously.
People like Celeste tend to die young or end up in prison. Somebody kills them or they kill themselves, or they get caught and exposed. Celeste got caught. Ironically, what did her in was the person she felt she had the most control over. That is, her "favorite" daughter, Kristina, who was so in thrall of "Mommie Dearest," as the twins liked to call her, that she would do whatever her mom told her to do and could not, no matter how hard she tried, ever go against her mom. She was psychologically cowed in one way and in another way she formed part of a dependency relationship in which she, the daughter, found herself doing everything she could to help her mother get safely through another day.
Add to this mix Tracy Tarlton, a middle-aged lesbian with a history of mental illness who fell madly in love with Celeste, and what we have is a scenario in which a kind of turbo'ed madness runs amuck. As the story nears its climax there is a nice natural irony that develops when Celeste hires Donna (née "Don") Goodson who cons her out of several thousand dollars by pretending to hire a hitman to kill Tracy.
One wonders what might have happened had Celeste not been stopped. Presumably she would have spent all her inherited millions and then found a new victim. However she was caught, and clearly the central event that led to her being caught was when Kristina finally saw the light and was able to escape from her mother's psychological dominance. Casey points to what she considers the turning point on page 325 when Kristina hears her mother say, "I hired somebody to kill Tracy." That statement ends Chapter 16 and begins Chapter 17. It a demarcation point before which Kristina's loyalty was to her mother and after which it was to herself. Yet one suspects that for Kristina to make this transformation of loyalty, she had to have help and she had to have some kind of ongoing relearning experience. One suspects that Justin, Kristina's boyfriend, was the person who gave her the strength to overcome her mother's psychological dominance. Once Celeste lost control of Kristina, her whole world fell apart.
Bottom line: She Wanted It All is one of the best true crime tales I've ever read. I promise all true crime fans that once you open the book and start reading you will burn some midnight oil. I would have read all 448 pages in one fell swoop except that I do have an occasional life. As it happened it took me two sessions.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
In this charming tale of Texans just having fun--all right, all right! I've read too many true crime tales from the state of Texas to be objective, I admit. Here are three good ones, just to prove my point:
Poisoned Dreams: A True Story of Murder, Money, and Family Secrets (1993) by A. W. Gray;
Final Justice: The True Story of the Richest Man Ever Tried for Murder (1993) by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith; and
Open Secrets: a True Story of Love, Jealousy and Murder (1994) by Carlton Stowers.
Kathryn Casey's She Wanted It All (2005) is an extraordinarily researched, incredibly detailed and amazingly well-organized story that is even better than any of that fine trio, and for once the Texas judicial system, despite some initial stupidities, gets the job done right, thanks mainly to prosecutor Allison Wetzel who bested famed defense attorney Dick DeGuerin in a case that could easily have been lost.
The villain is blond, blue-eyed, sexy Celeste (née Johnson) Beard, a woman who found that life was always a case of "too much is never enough." She was actually raised in California, the adopted daughter of Edwin and Nancy Johnson. She claims to have been sexually abused by her adoptive father, but one can clearly see in Casey's mesmerizing narrative that it was the adoptive mother who was not only a psychological abuser, but something of negative role model for the kind of controlling, selfish, neurotic, abusive, sociopathic murderess that Celeste would become.
The primary victim of the story is Steven Beard, a self-made Texas millionaire who in his seventies had recently lost his beloved wife of over forty years. (Of course, there were many victims of Celeste. As with most sociopaths, almost everybody who knew Celeste was victimized in one way or another.) He is the "old fool." He falls for her even though she is young enough to be his granddaughter; and like so many of her men, even though he begins to see (after it's too late) that she is evil, he can't let her go. Part of the reason is that he also fell in love with her identical twin daughters, Jennifer and Kristina, who helped to rejuvenate his life by giving him a purpose as their stepfather. One can only feel sorry for such a man, and think how ironic it is that before he lost his wife and met Celeste he was in charge of his life, a successful man who was well-liked and admired. But Celeste laid him low.
Celeste is an interesting study, a kind of femme fatale on steroids. The portrait that Casey draws of her in these pages is that of an attractive and vital woman with a gift for persuasion, for acting, for bullying, and for the confidence game; a woman with a pathological need to control others and to acquire money and to spend it recklessly; a woman with a terrible need to be surrounded by people, but a woman with no love for anyone but herself. She was also a sexual predator who used and disposed of men at will, a woman as experienced in sex as a prostitute. Furthermore, she had the manic/depressive's bipolar nature that drove her from the depths of depression to the heights of reckless abandonment--sometimes almost simultaneously.
People like Celeste tend to die young or end up in prison. Somebody kills them or they kill themselves, or they get caught and exposed. Celeste got caught. Ironically, what did her in was the person she felt she had the most control over. That is, her "favorite" daughter, Kristina, who was so in thrall of "Mommie Dearest," as the twins liked to call her, that she would do whatever her mom told her to do and could not, no matter how hard she tried, ever go against her mom. She was psychologically cowed in one way and in another way she formed part of a dependency relationship in which she, the daughter, found herself doing everything she could to help her mother get safely through another day.
Add to this mix Tracy Tarlton, a middle-aged lesbian with a history of mental illness who fell madly in love with Celeste, and what we have is a scenario in which a kind of turbo'ed madness runs amuck. As the story nears its climax there is a nice natural irony that develops when Celeste hires Donna (née "Don") Goodson who cons her out of several thousand dollars by pretending to hire a hitman to kill Tracy.
One wonders what might have happened had Celeste not been stopped. Presumably she would have spent all her inherited millions and then found a new victim. However she was caught, and clearly the central event that led to her being caught was when Kristina finally saw the light and was able to escape from her mother's psychological dominance. Casey points to what she considers the turning point on page 325 when Kristina hears her mother say, "I hired somebody to kill Tracy." That statement ends Chapter 16 and begins Chapter 17. It a demarcation point before which Kristina's loyalty was to her mother and after which it was to herself. Yet one suspects that for Kristina to make this transformation of loyalty, she had to have help and she had to have some kind of ongoing relearning experience. One suspects that Justin, Kristina's boyfriend, was the person who gave her the strength to overcome her mother's psychological dominance. Once Celeste lost control of Kristina, her whole world fell apart.
Bottom line: She Wanted It All is one of the best true crime tales I've ever read. I promise all true crime fans that once you open the book and start reading you will burn some midnight oil. I would have read all 448 pages in one fell swoop except that I do have an occasional life. As it happened it took me two sessions.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
April 18, 2020
First half was great and the portrait of Celeste was a good look into pure evil (I hope you’re reading this Celeste you evil bitch). But the final parts seemed a bit rushed and the court proceedings were just factual listings and no real insight into the victims and emotions behind this crime or how everybody came to terms with this awful crime.
It would have been 4/5 but the ending was definitely rushed. I guess that was okay however because I wasn’t looking for a long read with this book but something in the final chapters was missing.
Fascinating real life crime and I was feeling so much hatred towards Celeste Beard; so the book definitely served its purpose.
It would have been 4/5 but the ending was definitely rushed. I guess that was okay however because I wasn’t looking for a long read with this book but something in the final chapters was missing.
Fascinating real life crime and I was feeling so much hatred towards Celeste Beard; so the book definitely served its purpose.
August 5, 2025
I expected this to be trash, but where true crime authors often come off as insufferable, smug know-it-alls, Casey understands that all she needed to do here was tell the story and stay out of the way, which she does admirably. The story tells itself: truly bizarre, twisty, outrageous. About as high quality a true crime pulp as I’ve ever read.
January 20, 2022
This book was really interesting; I listened to the audiobook, and I was enthralled with meticulously researched and well documented that the author was with all the details of this case.
June 23, 2025
This was one of the most well written books I've read in a long time. Kathryn Casey is second only to Ann Rule, and I look forward to reading more of her books.
November 3, 2025
Great read if you enjoy true crime. What this woman did to her kids and the people around her is bat shit crazy.
March 4, 2012
I don't read a lot of true crime, it's not my normal genre, but it's something I do enjoy on the random one-off and fairly infrequently. I've read only perhaps 4 or 5 before this, including Mindhunter and Helter Skelter.
But recently I was in the mood for a true crime story, and downloaded 7 or 8 samples of books to try. After reading the samples, I was sucked into this story almost from the first page.
I'm not going to go into the story itself, since it's a bit self-explanatory, but rather tell you that I found the way the author told this story to be incredibly compelling, in some ways like reading a fiction novel, only knowing this is a true story made it even more chilling.
The one thing that did bother me about the story (not the writing, but the actual slant of the story) is just how much the twins and their friends are portrayed as victims. I felt some of their actions in...colluding? with Celeste in drugging & lying to Steve were indefensible, especially as older teenagers. Old enough to know right from wrong. However, I also admit that there's no way to know how they felt in that situation or why they ultimately did what they did.
But recently I was in the mood for a true crime story, and downloaded 7 or 8 samples of books to try. After reading the samples, I was sucked into this story almost from the first page.
I'm not going to go into the story itself, since it's a bit self-explanatory, but rather tell you that I found the way the author told this story to be incredibly compelling, in some ways like reading a fiction novel, only knowing this is a true story made it even more chilling.
The one thing that did bother me about the story (not the writing, but the actual slant of the story) is just how much the twins and their friends are portrayed as victims. I felt some of their actions in...colluding? with Celeste in drugging & lying to Steve were indefensible, especially as older teenagers. Old enough to know right from wrong. However, I also admit that there's no way to know how they felt in that situation or why they ultimately did what they did.
August 9, 2009
This was one of the most disturbing books of this genre I have read, and I've read quite a few. Celeste Beard is one of the most despicable people I can imagine, with abolsutely no redeeming qualities. A truly scary person, and I can't even imagine the hell her daughters are still going through. I'd heard of this case on television, but only a book can delve into the myriad people and facts behind the scene. Kathryn Casey surely does a fine job of that. This woman is the worst of the worst and an absolute horror of a human being. To think that no one spoke up about her actions is really shocking and unbelievable to me.
So sad for Mr. Beard, who by all accounts, was a kind and loving man.
Loneliness brought him to that horrible excuse for a human being and ultimately to his death. Not an account I will soon forget.
So sad for Mr. Beard, who by all accounts, was a kind and loving man.
Loneliness brought him to that horrible excuse for a human being and ultimately to his death. Not an account I will soon forget.
February 19, 2015
Kathryn Casey did a phenomenal job writing this book... I was emotionally connected the entire read. She made this book very difficult to put down!
I can easily say that I hated Celeste from the very first chapter & found myself speaking out loud as I read this story with "OMGs" & "What a B!&ch!" The mental & emotional abuse she put her daughters through was easily bad enough but the way Celeste treated Steve, her wealthy husband was despicable & disgusting. Several attempts to end his life & the frivolous spending was atrocious. It's absolutely amazing how many victims she had wrapped up in her life by the end of this book. She deserves to spend eternity in hell.
In a nutshell, I was very pleased with Kathryn Casey's writing style & will definitely be reading another one of her books soon!
I can easily say that I hated Celeste from the very first chapter & found myself speaking out loud as I read this story with "OMGs" & "What a B!&ch!" The mental & emotional abuse she put her daughters through was easily bad enough but the way Celeste treated Steve, her wealthy husband was despicable & disgusting. Several attempts to end his life & the frivolous spending was atrocious. It's absolutely amazing how many victims she had wrapped up in her life by the end of this book. She deserves to spend eternity in hell.
In a nutshell, I was very pleased with Kathryn Casey's writing style & will definitely be reading another one of her books soon!
July 4, 2017
This is a great book about a horrid case. The book is well-written, well-researched and well-organized.
Celeste of the many surnames was a waitress at the country club restaurant when she met the lonely, aged and very wealthy Steven Beard. She moved in as his housekeeper and quickly found her way into his bed. Then they married in spite of the warnings from Steve's friends.
She counted the days until she could get away from Steve without violating (and negating) the terms of the pre-nup. She wanted to be free AND rich. What she did for money will shock you, or at least sicken you. The way she used people, including her children, can only be termed evil.
Celeste of the many surnames was a waitress at the country club restaurant when she met the lonely, aged and very wealthy Steven Beard. She moved in as his housekeeper and quickly found her way into his bed. Then they married in spite of the warnings from Steve's friends.
She counted the days until she could get away from Steve without violating (and negating) the terms of the pre-nup. She wanted to be free AND rich. What she did for money will shock you, or at least sicken you. The way she used people, including her children, can only be termed evil.
May 30, 2018
EXCELLENT, fascinating, well-written book, which provides details of all the 'players'. I just finished reading it yesterday, and went on-line to do an internet search on Celeste Beard. She evidently STILL denies any involvement in her husband's murder, despite all the evidence (mostly witness testimony) presented at her trial. Of course, why anyone would pay any attention to anything she says is a mystery in itself, as through the early part of this book it became evident that she was not only a narcissistic, devious, manipulative woman, but also a practiced liar. I feel very badly for all of the people in Steve's family (including his adopted daughters borne and abused by Celeste).
August 26, 2016
Kathryn Casey is one of the best true crime writers out there. One major difference between her and others who publish not-so-stellar efforts is Casey really knows how to tell a story. This is an extremely long book for true crime, especially when it only involves the death of one person. But Casey makes it work by telling an extremely interesting story. We get to know the killers, the victim, and the bereaved. It only slows down a bit at the end, when she gets into the trial. (Anyone who reads my reviews knows how much I love trial recaps by now.)
Highly recommended for true crime lovers!
Highly recommended for true crime lovers!
July 2, 2010
No matter how often I read true crime accounts, I continue to be amazed at the passive nature of some people. The outlandish behavior that relatives, friends and others tolerate from bullies simply staggers me.
At every turn, this woman was showing signs of psychopathy which was resistant to treatment. She possessed, however, an incredible magnetism and a sense of excitement that people were loathe to miss out on.
This is well written and gripping.
At every turn, this woman was showing signs of psychopathy which was resistant to treatment. She possessed, however, an incredible magnetism and a sense of excitement that people were loathe to miss out on.
This is well written and gripping.
October 1, 2011
Celeste Beard is not only a Borderline Personality, she is also a psychpath. Marrying Steven Beard was only the least of her offences. A short while later the elderly millionaire was dying at the hands of Celeste's lesbian lover, who was prepared to take the fall for her. There wasn't a life in her path that was left intact, but the treatment of her two beautiful daughters was horrifying. Excellently written and well researched.
August 24, 2014
"Trophy wife Celeste Beard wasn't satisfied with a luxurious lifestyle and her rich Austin media mogul husband's devotion -- so she took his life!
The wife:
She wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way.
The lesbian lover:
A love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness, she would do anything to set Celeste free."
This is a well written, compelling read.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The wife:
She wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way.
The lesbian lover:
A love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness, she would do anything to set Celeste free."
This is a well written, compelling read.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
June 22, 2011
It fills me with comfort to know that Celeste Beard will most likely spend every day for the rest of her life rotting in a prison cell. I hope if not for the sake of justice, but for the sake of her daughters she never gets released. I hope her daughters have been able to heal and have happy, safe lives.
November 8, 2017
Not a fan of this book. I really felt like it drug on and on and on, with Celeste continuously cycling through her highs, lows, horrible behavior and actions. It could have been wrapped up in 150 pages.
July 28, 2008
a must read for true crime lovers.
July 10, 2017
Good. Not the best, but still interesting.
October 15, 2016
I have liked the work of this author in the past, but this one just bored me to death. It was difficult to stick it out to finish it.
November 24, 2016
Such an evil woman who loved nothing but money.. I hope the twins are able to get past this woman and live happy, fulfilled lives.
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