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New York Times Bestseller: The "compelling" story of Frances Schreuder, who persuaded her son to kill her multimillionaire father, Franklin Bradshaw (The Washington Post Book World). In August of 1983 Shana Alexander, acclaimed journalist and chronicler of the lives and criminal trials of Jean Harris and Patty Hearst, wrote to New York City ballet patron Frances Schreuder on the eve of her murder trial. Schreuder stood accused of unlawfully causing the death of her father, Franklin Bradshaw, and of soliciting, encouraging, and aiding her prep school-student son in the homicide in the hope of financial gain. Alexander never received a response, but she flew to Salt Lake City and met with Schreuder's mother, the matriarch of the Mormon dynasty--eighty-year-old Berenice Bradshaw. Nutcracker is the true story of this crime--the twisting four-year police investigation, the derailed cover-up and conspiracy, the dramatic trials. It is also the tale of a family riven by greed and madness. Drawing on interviews with all the major players, Alexander paints a powerful portrait of a psychopathic woman driven by avarice, so depraved that she persuaded her own son to commit grand-patricide. A finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, Nutcracker is "a Chekovian family tragedy [that] builds in intensity around this uniquely twisted woman" (The Washington Post Book World). … (more)
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User reviews
Very intriguing book. I thought a lot of it was well written and some parts were not. (the end) Once I had finished it I had to know what had happened to this family and
The person i got most angry about was the mother Berenice. It appeared to me she hated her husband and did not really care for her other 2 daughters. only the youngest counted. The 2 oldest were smart to make sure she could not give everything to Frances but in a way she managed to do that anyways cause where did Frances get all that money from to pay for the ballet? That was not very clear to me in this book cause it said that Berenice "Only" ha! got 10.000 a month.
Frances was sick so to me her mother is the one to blame most of it all. I googled this family and discovered a tribute page for Frances. (Yes i kid you not) but it was interesting cause I got to know a bit what had happen to Marc and Larry. They say the youngest child is doing very well but I can't imagine she can have such a childhood and not be scarred by that. Hope it is true though.
I am glad I had a copy of this book and would like to read the other book about this case At Mother's Request one day.