Tortured With Love: The True Crime Romance of the Lonely Hearts Killers

by J.T. Hunter

What is the price of passion? What is the power of love?

Meet Martha Beck, a young nurse dedicated to healing others, until her own hurting heart lured her down a darker path. Loneliness led her to Raymond Fernandez, but love led her all the way to the electric chair.

This is the tragic story of the Lonely Heart Killers.

Genres: True Crime

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2020

About the author

J.T. Hunter is an attorney with over fourteen years of experience practicing law, including criminal law and appeals, and he has significant training in criminal investigation techniques. He is also a college professor in Florida where his teaching interests focus on the intersection of criminal psychology, law, and literature.

JT's bestselling true crime books include:

Devil in The Darkness: True Story of Serial Killer ISRAEL KEYES
The Country Boy Killer: The True Story of Serial Killer Cody Legebokoff
In Colder Blood: True Story of the Walker Family Murder as depicted in Truman Capote’s, In Cold Blood
Deadly Deception: True Story of Tampa Serial Killer, Bobby Joe Long
Death Row Romeo: The True Story of Serial Killer Oscar Ray Bolin
The Vampire Next Door: True Story of the Vampire Rapist and Serial Killer

Reviews

["Avonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out all of my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com

TORTURED WITH LOVE: The True Crime Romance of the Lonely Hearst Killers by J.T. Hunter is a true crime story of a couple who ranked fourth on Time magazine’s list of Top 10 Crime Duos in U.S. history. Their crime spree occurred in the 1940’s and while it may seem somewhat tame compared to some of our current atrocities, it was the sensation of its time.

Martha Beck was a young nurse and mother in Pensacola, Florida. Divorced and lonely, her best friend encourages her to sign up with a lonely hearts correspondence club which was popular in the 1940’s and 50’s. Her letter is answered by a suave suitor named Ray from New York City.

Raymond “Ray” Fernandez came to America from Spain leaving his wife and four children behind. Having trouble keeping a job, he begins to scam wealthy women he corresponds with through the lonely hearts correspondence clubs. He meets Martha and while he walks away, Martha cannot let him go and will go to any lengths to keep his love.

Ray and Martha set out scamming and then ultimately moving on to murdering the women Ray makes fall in love with him to acquire all their assets. Dubbed by the press as the “Lonely Heart Killers” they are captured and continue to declare their love for each other all the way to the electric chair.

I had never heard of this couple in my true crime reading and was very interested in learning more. I am especially interested in these stories that have a couple committing murders to learn about the psychology of the couple. There are so many variables and I always wonder if they never met, if there would have been no crimes. The period of the 1940’s is brought to life and I found the author did a great job of displaying the differences in our mores and moral judgements then and now. This is the second book I have read by this author and I enjoy his clean and uncluttered style of writing while still providing a story that keeps you turning the pages.

I can highly recommend this true crime book and author!

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tortured with Love is the sad yet horrible story of how a children's nurse gives up everything she has and becomes a killer, all for love.

Ray was married, but his wife and children were in Spain. Martha was divorced with two children and felt old. Her life changed when her friend signed her up for a correspondence dating agency and Ray wrote to her. He was already scamming women at this point and Martha was next in line.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Martha Beck was an innocent. No, I think she knew perfectly well what she was doing. It's just her love and infatuation with Ray were too much and she would do anything for him.

I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this book. Written in such a way as to be educational and informative, it was such a gripping story I read it in one sitting. The thing I love about J.T. Hunter's books is he doesn't just go for the 'glory' story. Instead, every book I have read by him has been thoroughly researched, giving the reader more information about whichever subject he is talking about. This one is no different.

A fantastic True Crime read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 24, 2020

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book I have read by this author. The books are the right amount of pages...not too long or too short. Just enough to let the readers know who the subject of the story was and how he/she/they came to become a serial killer.

Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez were way before my time. I had never heard of them before. In fact, when I think back on it; I don't believe I have ever seen a movie based on these two. They were nicknamed by the media as the "Lonely Hearts Killers". Justice was found for the victims.

Their crimes were so notorious that they were rank fourth on Time magazine list of Top 10 Crime Duos in U.S. history. After Bonnie & Clyde, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, and Frank & Jesse James.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Tortured With Love, author JT Hunter takes the reader behind the scenes of a riveting true crime thriller for an in depth look at the tragic story of the serial killers called the Lonely Heart Killers.

Martha Beck met Raymond Fernandez through a correspondence club called the "Lonely Hearts Club." Raymond used the club to meet and scam lonely women like Martha of their savings. Martha falls in love with Raymond, who has a powerful influence over her, and she pledges her loyalty and devotion, and will do anything for him.

From 1947-1949, their spree of scamming lonely women takes a sadistic turn towards murder, until they are caught and put on trial for first degree murder, and ultimately given the death sentence, and electrocuted on March 8, 1951 in Sing Sing Prison in New York.

The media dubbed this infamous serial killer couple the Lonely Hearts Killers, and they made Time Magazine's list of Top Ten Crime Duos In US History, coming in number 4 behind (1) Bonnie and Clyde, (2) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and (3) Frank and Jesse James.

Tortured With Love is a riveting story that easily draws the reader in from the start, keeping them captivated as the author weaves a thoroughly intriguing and intricate recounting of serial killers Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez's horrific scam and murder spree, and highly publicized murder case.

The author provides the reader with a fascinating and richly detailed and in depth look into the back stories and lives of the serial killers and their victims. The author utilized his extensive experience as a criminal attorney and college professor to provide a thorough recounting of this heinous case with a critical eye towards the research of the serial killers' backgrounds, and the investigative and legal processes of the case; including a very detailed timeline of their crime spree throughout the book.

You can't help but get drawn into this complicated, fascinating, and multi-layered story, it is a gripping dark account of a truly horrific serial killing spree, and the mind boggling investigative and legal path that the justice system took to render justice for the unsuspecting victims.

Tortured With Love is a gripping and chilling true crime account of the Lonely Heart Killers that is a must read for all true crime fans.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspo...

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review of
TORTURED WITH LOVE
By JT Hunter
******
An unbelievable but true crime story of two people who meet and go on to commit such horrendous acts; that they almost seem to be unreal. Great writing by Author JT Hunter and the incredible ways he is able to write and describe it as if you are witnessing the accounts of the story first hand. Informative, raw and real! This is a true crime book that cannot be missed.

It all starts with a twisted man, Raymond Fernandez, who likes to write to newspaper columns looking for women that are lonely and seeking love. He has a way to sweep them off their feet and sweep out their back accounts before leaving them high and dry.

Until he meets Martha Beck through the Lonely Hearts Club and has met a woman that falls for him but will do anything for Raymond, except let go. Raymond can’t shake her so she goes along with him accompanying him wherever the richest lonely lady leads them next.

Though due to Martha’s jealousy and Raymond’s inability to care for these women beyond their pocketbook; the duo soon become deadly. Whoever is inconvenient or in their way soon becomes a deadly casualty and a notch on the belt these two killers add to with each dead body.

That is until they are caught and end up on the road to the Electric chair.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I read this book I hadn't heard of the Lonely Hearts Killers. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I received a copy from Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

[Bookschatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tortured With Love" is the eighth true crime work by J.T. Hunter, a creative writing professor with an interest in criminal psychology and near-15 years experience as an attorney, "including criminal law and appeals, and [...] significant training in criminal investigation techniques". J.T.'s biography states that he "strives to craft compelling narratives that educate and inform, while treating victims and their families with empathy and respect"; I think that he fully achieved this in Tortured With Love and that all of his expertise and methodology shine through in his narrative.

Tortured With Love tells the story of Martha Beck and Raymond Martinez Fernandez, a.k.a. 'The Lonely Hearts Killers', who committed a string of very unsavory crimes between 1946 and 1949, and who were executed on 8 March 1951 in the iconic Sing Sing prison for first degree murder.

The flowing third person narration focuses on Martha and Raymond (rather than the victims, which we only see through their eyes), and it takes us through events chronologically, thus creating several distinct sections covering how they met, how their crimes unfolded, how they were caught, their trial, their appeal, their execution and the aftermath. Thus we get to hear several versions of the same occurrences as presented by Martha and Raymond at different stages of their testimonies.

The author presents the facts, extrapolated from the remaining statements given by the pair in Michigan, during the trial and whilst in prison, fully but succinctly, as well as providing relevant background information about them which might offer an insight into their psyche and what might have contributed to their actions. Interesting current events, which put the mentality of people in this very different era into perspective, are also peppered throughout the book (including a surprising link to novelist Truman Capote, author of the true crime novel 'In Cold Blood'), as well as pertinent music, lyrics and poems. Finally, J.T. also adds observations about the various legal proceedings, thus raising several questions in our minds about the entire process and the death penalty; we know Martha and Raymond committed murder but the key question at trial was if this was premeditated, and therefore murder in the first degree.

A word of warning: this story deals with the graphic and gruesome death of a very young child which some readers may find upsetting.

I am an avid true crime aficionado and am utterly fascinated by human and criminal psychology, in particular when it comes to serial killers, and I found Tortured With Love captivating, easy to read and impossible to put down; above all else, beside introducing me to The Lonely Hearts Killers the author made me think about all sorts of aspects of our society, back in the forties and now, and he made the people within it come to life. I really enjoyed J.T. Hunter's clear, logical, uncluttered and yet mentally challenging presentation, and look forward to catching up on his back-catalogue.

[ARC received via Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours]

Find the full review and feature on BooksChatter

[Nik's Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha Beck receives an application to a Lonely Hearts club in the mail as a joke from a co-worker. On a whim, she decides to fill it out. What she gets in return is not what she expected. She meets and falls helplessly in love with Raymond Fernandez, who is only using the club to find and swindle lonely women, like Martha. What follows is a love story, if you can call it that, that defies logic and the law.

"My story is a love story, but only those tortured with love can understand what I mean." - Martha Beck

This book was incredible. It had me from page one and literally still hasn't let me go. I spent an entire day reading it, fascinated and sickened by the Lonely Hearts Killers. Once I finished the book, I immediately Google searched more information about them. This story was so gripping and so horrifying that I almost forgot it was true. I had never heard about this murderous duo before, and now I'm telling everyone about them. This book was just too good not to share. If you like true crime, place this one at the top of your list.

Thank you to the author and Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for my review copy.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fascination with true crime began with Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi’s novel about the Charles Manson murders and his prosecution of Manson and his minions. Though the horrific crime gave me nightmares as a nine-year-old, I was in my early teens by the time Bugliosi published his book and curious about the minds that could commit such violence.

Fifty years later, I’m no less curious, and unfortunately, history has no shortage of brutal murders.

Tortured With Love recounts the crime spree of Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck in the late 1940s. The press called the couple The Lonely Hearts Killers because Ray chose his victims from the listings of lonely hearts clubs, popular during the times, and it was in fact, how he and Martha met when a friend, trying to help Martha get over her recent divorce, sent her name into one of the clubs.

While I knew how Fernandez and Beck’s stories ended, JT Hunter’s detailed, slow-build account is engrossing and humanizes the murderous couple without invoking sympathy.

They don’t deserve it.

The author also did a good job of including events from each of the killer’s past that could explain some of their behavior. The mother of plus-size Martha didn’t sound particularly nurturing, so when needy Martha met manipulative Ray, they were gasoline and a lit match. I have no doubt Martha was unstable and [mostly] controlled by Ray. Were she tried today, I wouldn’t be surprised if a high-powered defense attorney put on a parade of expert mental health professionals that led to Martha getting minimum sentencing or even acquitted. But there is enough character detail to show while Martha was obsessed with Ray Fernandez, she also had a mean streak.

The inclusion of current event snippets, actual trial testimony, and letters written by victims, family, friends, and Ray and Martha reinforce the story’s veracity because some of the murders are so heinous, they read like pure fiction.

However, the story is true and JT Hunter does another masterful job of introducing us to serial killers before they killed.

Enjoy!

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tortured With Love by J T Hunter is my fourth true crime novel by him. That being said, the Lonely Hearts Killers is rated the fourth top ten crime duos in US history, according to Time Magazine. Whether it still holds that distinction in 2020, I do not know.

What turns a nurse supervisor at the Crippled Children”s Home into a killer? Tortured With Love strikes very close to home, seeing Martha Beck is from Pensacola, Florida.

Ray had a hard life. Family and friends felt like an accident he had changed his personality. It’ hard to care, seeing he embraced his new self and reveled in his hunt for women.

Evil can be found anywhere, including dating clubs. I don’t know about you, but it sure doesn’t surprise me. It seems like perverts have found a gold mine.

Tortured With Love is a perfect example of how someone can change so much, throwing their life away in the name of love. I have no sympathy or compassion for either one.

The Lonely Hearts Killers took place in the 1940s, so comparing them, and all that has come to pass since then, may make them seem tame.

Many records were lost or unavailable to J T Hunter, but he put together a story that is easy to read and I think leaves a lot to our imagination. They told so many stories, who knows where the truth lies.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tortured With Love by J T Hunter.

See more at fundinmental

[Bettye McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be wary of internet dating

I always suspected there was more to the story of the Lonely Hearts Killers than I had heard. This account tells the whole story as well as a wrapping-up Afterword that provides the information we wonder about but seldom receive.

There is no lengthy rehash of the trial, just the important points of law which determined the verdict and the appeal. The reader learns much about the two defendants, their thought processes and their characters, but not much about their victims (for obvious reasons).

If you have ever wondered about "the rest of the story," here it is.

30

[Bill reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raymond Fernandez was one colorful fellow. Born in Spain, he fought alongside Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War. Later, he joined the British army during WWII. While on a ship during a storm, a metal hatch struck him on the head and radically changed his personality.
He was married as a young man to a Spanish woman but later traveled to New York where he lived with his sister in Astoria. While leafing through a magazine, Raymond spotted ads for dating and the young man exchanged letters with hundreds of lonely women. He wed a few of them and wife #1 died in Spain with a bottle of digitalis nearby. He escaped back to the Big Apple.
Martha Beck was a two hundred pound plus woman with two children born as the result of one night stands. She met Raymond through the dating ads and the pair hooked up and went on a killing spree.
The letters exchanged between the lovebirds are remarkably well written, especially those from their stay at Sing Sing Prison. The ending is not a surprise but I will leave it for the curious reader.
As a companion film on the subject, I highly recommend The Honeymoon Killers from 1970. Martin Scorcese was fired as the original director and it is the only movie by Leonard Kastle. The case is one of the more intriguing ones out there.

[elite reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck who were eventually convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by electrocution. Raymond who is a manipulative scammer trying to swindle his way through lonely single women, Martha who was supposed to be one of his targets. When I first read this story, it read like a real-life version of Harley Quinn and The Joker. A Lonely woman looking for love and willing to do anything for the man that she loved and a narcissistic liar that would take advantage of women.

Their story begs the question of whether nature vs nurture played a role in them committing these atrocious crimes. Both characters exhibited some disturbing psychological factors, but they both also had social factors and injuries that contributed to their upbringing. Martha was overweight and would be physically and emotionally harmed by her mother from a young age. Raymond had a better upbringing but suffered a brain injury that left him with frontal lobe damage. Based on these facts one would assume that nurture and society paved the way for deep psychological issues that might have impacted the way both individuals thought and acted.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

We wonder why people become murderers. How does that happen? Hunter gives a good account of the couple who came to be known as the Lonely Hearts Killers.

Whether you remember the headlines from the early 1950s or not, Hunter's book is an interesting account of how Ray and Martha meet through a service advertised in magazines. That reminded me of online dating sites today. First correspondence by mail, then meeting. Ray convincing women to give him their money. Martha becoming obsessed with love for Ray. Hunter gives us some background on Ray and Martha, helping us understand, perhaps, how lovers became killers.

This is a good book for readers who like true crime accounts. Hunter's writing style is good and he gives readers essential information through the trial and the executions.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Lauren Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and Complete

I will read more from JT Hunter. He is a good crime writer, giving just enough emotion along with the facts to make the story both believable and interesting. I felt like I was inside the minds of Ray and Martha at times which gave me a view as to why and how the crimes happened rather than reading a third party’s opinion based on the facts presented in court or the papers.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this was well done and the timeline of everything that happened was pretty spot on based on previous research.