The Death of Doctor Gilmore's Wife

by Gary Ludwig

When the tragic death of Patty Gilmore occurred, family, friends, patients, and contemporaries-all those who were considered advocates for Doctor Irvin Gilmore-stepped forward to support him when he was charged with criminal homicide. He was a man who had always shown good character and more importantly was a doctor who possessed a profound dedication to his patients. This trait had made him a celebrity in his community. After reading this book you might agree or disagree with the verdict that was handed down in 1987 by the Gilmore jury. But the verdict isn't the critical aspect of this case. It's the unknown and unanswered circumstances that dominated this complicated case from the very beginning that has caused it to remain a mystery to this day. Even though much of the memory and the speculation about it will fade away, as history always does, it will long continue to be an open case in the minds of many. Fortunately, reading and understanding all the evidence in the long series of events allows readers the luxury of judging Doctor Gilmore's innocence or guilt in their own minds without the stress of being a member of an improperly influenced jury so prevalent in these types of celebrity cases. Rule him innocent based on the facts, not because he was a respected and committed family doctor. Decide if he's guilty based on the facts, not because he was a heavy drinker who perhaps harbored jealousy over his beautiful, much younger wife who could be hard to control. Patty Gilmore's tragic death marked the beginning of a long, tangled web of legal proceedings that matched a determined team of prosecutors against a well-known & well-qualified defense attorney.

260 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2012

About the author

Writer/novelist Gary Ludwig was born into a family active in country music and motorsports. His mother was a country music singer, his father a guitarist, and family members were competitors in championship automobile racing for many years.

A week after graduating from high school he left home to work on the state and county fair circuit, spending months meeting and working with carnies, roustabouts, clowns, and famous and not so famous entertainers. He befriended the aged and legendary strongman "The Mighty Atom", who gave him lessons about human nature and show business.

Ludwig started his career in radio, eventually working as a producer, copywriter, news and sports writer, marketing manager, morning radio host, and on-air country music disc jockey.

He began working in advertising, and before that was a columnist for the weekly auto-racing tabloid Illustrated Speedway News and at the same time wrote and anchored Speedsport Commentary Radio Network news segments.

Later he founded a small regional magazine in Central Pennsylvania, writing news, commentary, lifestyle reports, plus feature articles and 19th century American history narratives, while serving as publisher.
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Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is pretty wild to see a book written about someone who you personally knew. As history buff and genealogist, this book is great documentation for one of the major cases my cousin, Emmanuel H. Dimitriou defended. Obviously, he never talked about his cases on outings. So, it is great to go back and peek into the courtroom door and see this Berks County legend go to town. Anyone who loves a great murder mystery or any type of courtroom dramas, this certainly is worth a read. Local Pennsylvanian history buffs this is a great read for you as well. If you are local to Berks County, Pennsylvania, the author will be visiting the Reading Public Library for a book signing. It is free to the public. The date: May 18th at 1pm. For more information: www.reading.lib.pa.us.

[Jennifer Nowak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book was not very well written, it was interesting to read since I live in close proximity to the incident and therefore knew many of the people mentioned in the book. It is always fun to read about the area in which you reside.