Behind the Staircase

by Michael Peterson

The night Kathleen Peterson died. My trial and conviction for murder. Eight years in prison with murderers, thieves, rapists, gangbangers, and pedophiles until the conviction is overturned and I am released. What has happened since--good and bad.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

423 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Iver Peterson was born near Nashville, Tennessee, on October 23, 1943. He graduated from Duke University with a bachelor's degree in political science. While there, Peterson was president of Sigma Nu fraternity and was editor of The Chronicle, the daily student newspaper, from 1964 to 1965. He attended classes at the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After graduating, Peterson took a civilian job with the United States Department of Defense, where he was assigned to research arguments supporting increased military involvement in Vietnam. That year he also married Patricia Sue, who taught at an elementary school on the Rhein-Main Air Base in Gräfenhausen, West Germany. They had two children, Clayton and Todd. In 1968, Peterson was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. In 1971, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of captain after a car accident left him with a permanent disability.

Peterson wrote three novels based "around his experiences during the Vietnamese conflict": The Immortal Dragon, A Time of War, and A Bitter Peace. He co-wrote the biographical Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company with journalist David Perlmutt, and co-wrote Operation Broken Reed with Arthur L. Boyd.

Peterson also worked as a newspaper columnist for The Herald-Sun, where his columns became known for their criticism of police and of Durham County District Attorney James Hardin Jr., who would later prosecute Peterson for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen.

Reviews

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing new here is the extent of Peterson's ego

This book is not great, nor is it horrible. Peterson maintains his innocence, and maybe he is? The issue with the book is his arrogance and self - pity. He's simultaneously the tragic hero, the bad ass, the chronic good guy, who is the victim of: the DA, the SBI, the prison system, the warden, the guards, Kathleen's sister, Kathleen's daughter, the news media, and the list goes on. The war hero, with survivor's guilt & PTSD is to be pitied and admired for his bravery. What he leaves out are any of his flaws, and I believe most of the truth about his life in general.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind the Scenes... Or Shall I Say, Barbed Wire?

I was as glued to this book as I was to The Staircase.

If you’re reading this or considering doing so, chances are you know about this case, the Owl theory & the Netflix documentary. Based on that assumption, let’s get to what you’re likely wondering if you’ve yet to read the book: no, you won’t be any closer to figuring out exactly what happened on the night Kathleen Peterson died.

This is not a book about Kathleen, per se, but rather a look at the, ‘After.’ By this I mean after the cameras stopped following every move, after the guilty verdict, after Michael Peterson is taken from the court room in handcuffs.

After summarizing much of what we already know, we get a look at Mr. Peterson’s life in prison. With his dry wit, sardonic, somewhat dark sense of humor, I enjoyed Behind the Staircase for what it was: a memoir. That’s how I would suggest looking at it.

Unlike many, I’m not convinced of Michael Peterson’s guilt. I wouldn’t have convicted him based on the actual evidence presented—and that’s based on having read & looked at information on the case for hours. If you’re reading to find something that says, ‘he’s guilty,’ you’ll find it. If you’re reading to find something that says, ‘he’s innocent,’ you’ll find it.

If anything, the most truthful part of the book comes towards the end (spoiler alert, but um, really?!) There’s a point after he’s been released from prison where he comments that its only now that he’s fully been able to begin grieving his wife. That’s the one take away I had from the first episode: he’s gone from having a dead wife to being a murder suspect. In experiencing my own traumas, after a point, it’s about survival mode.

Do I believe Michael Peterson has some eccentricity? Yes. I see the same in many educated, intellectual people. I don’t believe he’s pretentious so much as well read & well traveled. Ultimately, I came away from this book having enjoyed it throughly. I wasn’t looking for answers or anything specific, not consciously. In the end, I do recommend it to anyone who’s interested in The Staircase.

[Kelli Milton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fiction writer

As a fiction writer Michael Peterson is able to make up a believable plot. That’s exactly what he did in this book. I’ve read other books about this case and transcripts and this book contradicts everything! I wanted to believe in Michael’s innocence, but after comparing and contrasting everything from the case he’s not innocent. HE IS A COLD BLOOED MURDERER AND BELONGS IN PRISON! There’s a special place in HELL for Mr Peterson.

[Dillon Wells · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely don’t think Peterson killed his wife but my god this book is way too long and the font and spacing is so strange. I liked hearing his perspective on the US’s corrupt criminal justice system but overall a lot of stories of him in prison that were just boring to read.

[Ian Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Peterson’s focus in this memoir is primarily on his time in prison. Much of this wasn’t covered in the Netflix doc, so while it was nice to have “new” content, the whole thing quickly becomes tedious. I have a hard time believing that a lot of this wasn’t embellished anyway. Went in with slightly higher exceptions and left underwhelmed.

[Carey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I found this audiobook on a recommended list of books for 2022 reading list. I don’t know how it got there. The guy isn’t a particularly good writer and he’s an awful reader of his own memoir. So bad that I was like, he’s totally guilty cause nobody should be able to read about finding their dead wife at the bottom of the stairs void of absolute emotion. Contrast that with how animated he is about time in jail and clearly something doesn’t sit right. But I was plodding along through the book until he wrote the sentence about the jail psychiatrist and he actually RATED her good looks on a scale of 1-10. Well screw you buddy. It’s 2022 and treating woman like sex objects to be rated by assholes like you means I’m sorry I bought your book and gave you any royalties. 100% stop, not reading the rest of the book.

[Randi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting! I actually ended up going through the documentary again to compare it with the book. No spoilers, check it out though.

[Lee-Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent read but if you are looking for some more info that didn't make the doc or the series, you'll be disappointed. It's all about his time in prison, nothing else.

[Amanda Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: Transphobia

I was captivated by the brutal honesty and the dark comedy that took my breath away. For now, all I can say is I will be mulling this one over for a while.

[SueCanaan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a true crime junkie. I will binge watch, read, look at news sites. Thanks to lockdown, I watched (and rewatched) The Staircase then LOVED the HBO short series, so when I saw Michael Peterson wrote his own book about the murder, I added it to my tbr. When the price dropped to $3 on Audible, it was a no brainer.

But, meh.

If you were not already intimately aware of the details, this book would be completely useless. AND, sadly, given the knowledge that Peterson lied during his political campaign and was called out for lying, and that his profession is as an author, this book lacks credibility. It was hard to believe everything.

As other reviewers mention, this book is prison-time heavy and I admit to having skipped several of the last chapters in prison. My gosh, he is wordy.

Cannot recommend.

[Taylor Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure if it was just this particular edition, but there were quite a few typos and mistakes. Other than that, it was a very interesting read. I watched a documentary that highlighted the owl theory a couple years ago, which I thought was a reasonable explanation, and I wanted to learn more. I might watch The Staircase sometime. As others have also said, this only covers a small part of what happened that night. It mostly covers what happened while Michael Peterson was in prison, which I found interesting and a good example of the need for prison reform.

[Joanne Hattersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Behind the Staircase by Michael Peterson
Behind the Staircase is Michael Peterson’s own telling of one of the most notorious American true-crime sagas of the 21st century — the death of his wife, Kathleen, found at the bottom of a staircase in their North Carolina home in December 2001, and the legal maelstrom that followed.

As a memoir, the book is unabashedly personal. Peterson — a novelist and Vietnam War veteran — writes as the accused, the convicted, and ultimately, the released. The narrative covers his version of the tragic night, the investigation, the trial, and, most extensively, his eight years in prison before emerging via an Alford plea.

For readers seeking a detailed third-party analysis of the crime or fresh forensic insight, this isn’t it. Instead, Behind the Staircase feels more like an extended defence statement — a stream of memory, grievance, and self-justification.

Peterson’s prose has drawn mixed reactions. Some find his voice candid and vivid when describing the grim realities of incarceration; others criticise the writing as rambling and poorly edited, with formatting issues and repetitive sections that do little to clarify the central mystery.

A recurring criticism from readers is the book’s one-sidedness. Peterson staunchly maintains his innocence and portrays virtually every other figure — from the prosecution to the media — as antagonistic. This unapologetic bias may satisfy those who already believe in his innocence, but it can alienate readers looking for balanced reflection or objective storytelling.

Nevertheless, there is an undeniable human element here: the anguish of a man whose life was irrevocably altered, and his attempt to assert control over the narrative. In the crowded field of true-crime literature, this memoir is less an investigation than a personal testament — compelling in parts, frustrating in others, and undeniably polarising.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Michael Peterson caused the death of his wife— either intentionally or unintentionally. I came to that realization while reading this book. In fact, it cemented it in my mind. This book reads like a war tale inside prison walls- which is what he usually writes about. There is not much introspection here as I think if he dove under the surface, it might blow up the Michael Peterson— wrongfully convicted story that he wishes to maintain.

[Susan VanGundy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was very poorly edited. There are often blank lines, normally used to notate a paragraph, in the middle of a sentence.
Nothing new is introduced in this book. It’s the same information as The Staircase. The only exception being Michael Peterson���s perspective of prison.

[Ashley Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!


What a great book with an inside look of what happened. Thank you for sharing such intimate details with us all!

[Michael Bove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering

We are all given life to learn some kind of lessons. Hopefully most of us find an easier furrow to plow.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most compelling true crime cases of the last several decades.

[kariannethology · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you can get over his blatant racism, misogyny, and transphobia, it’s a compelling look into the mind of a killer (we all know he did it).

[Matthew Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good. I do not think he killed his wife and his account of prison is terrifying

[Donna Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written and most of it unbelievable. It read as if Peterson set out to make himself the hero of something that could never work for him.

[Bailey Irwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought this would be more about the case and his claimed innocence, instead it was more about his time in prison

[Niki Weston Finkbeiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

wow sooo he might not be a murderer but he's definitely a racist!

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really really confused by the terrible quality of this book’s formatting! Huge amount of spacing between paragraphs but worse still is the blank spaces between words, sometimes even dropping down to the next sentence! I understand perhaps if this was self published but Peterson is supposed to an author, can’t he proofread his own work? I found this throughout the book and it was very distracting.
I had watched the Netflix show The Staircase and hadn’t made up my mind as to Peterson’s guilt by show’s end. Thought if I read this book I would have more clarification and could come to a decision. Nope! Still don’t know and perhaps never will. Also know I will never read any of Peterson’s fiction books if this book is any indication of his writing ability!

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made think, wow what an egotistical and self-righteous man Michael Peterson is. I went into this book having a reasonable amount of doubt on whether or not he committed the murder of his wife, but if anything this book made me think less of him. A part of me wonders if most of this book is actually fiction, since he seems to get away with so much crap and gets very lucky in many circumstances.

So with that, I’ll say that the book was entertaining and well written, but man I was annoyed by him the entire time I was reading it.

[Jackie Salamone-Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting book, but I wish that Peterson covered more info on his life with Kathleen. His prison experiences were enlightening. He doesn’t seem that affected by his wife’s death. He’s still
an enigma. Still haven’t decided if he or The Owl killed his wife ;)

[Kristy Benito · Rating 3 out of 5]

What’s the truth ? Will we ever really know the true events of what happened that fateful night!
Do you believe micheals version or the investigation one never knows.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unreadable.