i liked that the killers were unique, and I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were interesting and I really enjoyed the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I write true-crime so I understand its difficulties in planning and the extent of the research involved. I thought this book to be a good account of the case of Frizelle Lagretta Aguilar and Anne Louise "Snooky" Apodaca regarding the murder of Anne Louise's husband for insurance money. I do think it lacked compassion and could have been edited properly, but overall a good account of a horrendous crime.

This should have been exactly my sort of thing, especially as I hadn't heard of this case before, but I really had to push myself to finish this.

I enjoy reading True Crime and I really appreciate NetGalley giving me a chance to read this book. If I am honest, the book was a little too dry and read very much like it was taken from transcripts and case files. I know it is true crime and not fiction but, I had trouble reading it. The case was interesting, I just didn't care for the format.

I read a lot of True Crime and had never heard of this case so I was very excited to read it. The little we learned about the case in this book was actually very interesting. I think it would have made a great book if it had been written by a different author. This book was extremely dry, I'm still not sure if I feel like I was reading a text book or a case file, but either way it didn't hold my interest and I found myself just wishing for it to end.

This one is probably a 2 star rating for me. It wasn't exactly my sort of read. I took a chance and honestly, just didn't like it.

The Rug Master Murders by author Rita Marcoli is a true-crime account of the case of Frizelle Lagretta Aguilar and Anne Louise "Snooky" Apodaca regarding the murder of Anne Louise's husband for insurance money. most of the book is taken from trial transcripts and editorial pieces referring to this horrible murder. As I read the book in an afternoon, I could not feel compassion for Frizelle Aguilar and Anne Apodaca, who are mother and daughter. The mother seemed to have been a nasty piece of work! She had a history of trying to injure or kill her three husbands. Most of the evidence was circumstantial but compelling.
This is an interesting case to read about, but this book needed some editing. I think if the content had been fully edited the book could have been more impactful. Edward Apodaca Sr., the name of the murdered husband, is not even introduced at the beginning of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and offer my review of this book.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. I enjoy reading true crime and I didn't know anything about this case so I approached this read with enthusiasm. Basically, a mother(Frizelle Lagretta Aguilar) and daughter(Anne Louise "Snooky" Apodaca) killed Anne Louise's husband for insurance money.

Frizelle didn't like Snooky's husband from the beginning. 33 years older than her 22 year old daughter didn't sit well with her, plus Snooky claimed that he drugged and raped her. A little background on Frizelle: married 3 times. She tried to poison one, ran over another and beat- up another. She was also violent with her daughter choking her and trying to run her over with a car. That's a whole lot of crazy! One more thing, she kept a dead body in her closet for 7 years and she was never charged.

Rita Marcoli has her facts in order, but it was a little dry at times and random facts thrown in. Like famous cases where the accused is found not guilty like O.J. for instance. I thought I missed something and this mother-daughter team was found not guilty? I went back and I had read it all correctly. A quick look at Google and I was staring at Frizelle's mug shot. At 58 pages it's worth a read if true crime is your thing.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher.

Although a little random and rambling at times this is a clever reflection on the criminal justice system at work. From the role of the police, jury selection and bias. It also hints at issues like getting away with murder and provides examples of cases where this seems to have happened.
All these thoughts are tagged on after the author takes a look at a case where interestingly a Mother and Daughter were both convicted of 1st degree murder.
Clearly, Rita knows her stuff. However at times her writing in reviewing the judgement and the appeals made seems to become less reader friendly and more professional quoting case law. Stick with it the arguments are sound and covered in some detail.
I found it very interesting that the daughter was abused and perhaps also dominated by her Mother yet for various reasons her mental age and state of mind wasn’t presented before the jury to sustain her degree of responsibility and involvement.
In the end motive was key and declared interest in wanting to see her husband dead was crucial to her guilty verdict. Her Mother is a piece of work mind and had real form in making criminal interventions.
I liked the author’s insights into the trial system (USA legal system) and the various asides were interesting.
Where I feel the piece falls down is in basic structure and the presentation of the information shared. You get a sense of being overwhelmed by detail and too many aspects are covered one after another without coming up for air.
However, apart of the legalese it reads very well; is remarkably interesting and does make you wonder about your neighbours. There is a implication perhaps that personality disorders abound and we should be alert to these while considering how we would serve impartially on jury service.
Not a long piece but crammed with insightful writing that will hone your skills in reviewing murder trials or enjoying fictional crime thrillers.

This felt more like reading through the dry verbiage found in police or district attorney’s case files of a crime rather than something written by an author relating a true crime case, right up until the last third maybe. I didn’t find much to recommend it, especially the brevity. Maybe I was just having an off night, you may find it different than I did. It’s not like it takes that long to get through. I might feel differently on another occasion, but I kind of doubt it. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Rita Marcoli, and the publisher.