In Her Own Backyard: A Perfect Husband, A Perfect Marriage, A Perfect Murder

by Howard R. Lemcke

It was the perfect crime...almost.

For Salt Lake City resident and respected community member David Meade, there was only one way out of a miserable marriage and financial ruin: cold-blooded murder.

Genres: True Crime

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just OK. The writing was often pretty eccentric and I found myself jolted out of the story again and again, re-reading to figure out what the author meant by this or that scrambled-up sentence. Legally it was interesting enough. I'm sorry to say I came away with almost no sense of the victim's life or personality.

[Ronda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written by an Assistant District Attorney from Salt Lake City Utah named Howard Lemcke aka Howie, it is about one of his most memorable case. David Mead was pretending to be the grieving widower in the drowning death of his wife Pamela but turns out David killed her not out of hate or anger but solely for the purpose of financial gain. He left in his path of destruction 3 families that were destroyed as well as several people that he used and tried to manipulate to cover his tracks. I though it was a well written book that detailed how far some people will go to satisfy their own greed.

[Lindsay Wolsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got really bored and skipped to the end to see if the husband got arrested or not.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story of a woman found dead in her backyard pond. Was it a trerrible accident? Or a horrendous premeditated murder? This is the investigation and trial as told by the state prosecutor. Lots of legal jargon, but I thought that the author did a good job of laying out the facts in a story-telling fashion while explaining the differences between TV courtroom drama and "real" life.

[Joanne Cheek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Print was microscopic. Couldn’t read.

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was informative about the whole process of trial law but I found it boring until the end.

To the stokes family I hope you have some sort of peace and justice although your loss was significant.

To David I hope in 2016 they laugh in your face throw u in a dark hole and let u rot for eternity because that is what you deserve. May the devil torture you for eternity and what's left of your soul if u ever had one be crushed underfoot.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was too uninteresting to finish. It just goes on and on and on - but since the author is a lawyer - that's the nature of the genre. I guess I was expecting it to be more eventful / exciting.
Maybe I'll start from where I left off - if I ever get really bored.

[Heather Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know the author and some of the characters through an old job--which made it interesting to me. I think it was well written.

[Sue]

Yikes, I couldn't read this true crime book. It wasn't very well written and I quickly lost interest.

[BB · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book for book club this month as my friend works with the author of this book, Mr. Lemcke.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow Howie Lemcke makes a scandalous murder and subsequent trial boring and tedious.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book but once I got a couple chapters read it was easier to read. Very good book for true crime readers.

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some readers will like the law insight that's pertained in this book vs most true crime books.