Marrying the Hangman: A True Story of Privilege, Marriage and Murder

by Sheila Weller

The account of the murder of Diane Whitmore Pikul describes how her wealthy and violent Wall Street husband murdered her and then won custody of her children while under indictment for her murder. 20,000 first printing. Tour.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

319 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 1992

About the author

Sheila Weller is a bestselling author and award-winning magazine journalist specializing in women’s lives, social issues, cultural history, and feminist investigative.

Her seventh book, The News Sorority: Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Christiane Amanpour – and the Triumph of Women in TV News, will be a major release from Penguin-Random House on September 30, 2014.

Her sixth book was the critically acclaimed Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon -- And The Journey of a Generation (2008). A New York Times Bestseller for 8 weeks, it is featured in numerous Women’s Studies programs at major universities, was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2008 by Library Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Amazon.com, and Tina Brown’s DailyBeast. Girls Like Us is in active development as a motion picture with Sony.

Her 2003 family memoir Dancing At Ciro’s “makes a substantial contribution to American social history,” said The Washington Post.

Her four previous books (including the #2 New York Times bestseller Raging Heart) were well-regarded, news-breaking nonfiction accounts of high profile crimes against women and their social and legal implications.

She is a writer for Vanity Fair, has been Senior Contributing Editor of Glamour since 2002, is a former Contributing Editor to New York, a reviewer for The New York Times Book Review, and has written and writes for numerous other magazines for many years.

She has won nine major magazine awards between 1994 and 2012:

She won a record six Newswomen’s Club of New York Front Page Awards.

She won two Exceptional Merit in Media Awards from The National Women’s Political Caucus.

She was one of three winners, for her body of work, for Magazine Feature Writing on a Variety of Subjects in the 2005 National Headliners Award.

She is married to esteemed history writer John Kelly (The Graves Are Walking, about the Irish Famine, and The Great Mortality, about the Black Death).

She lives in New York City and in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth is often stranger than fiction but not necessarily in this case which is pretty straightforward and resembles many of the stories that we hear on the news. An upper middle-class family appears to be the epitome of the American dream but, of course, they are not. The husband, who has some secrets that he wishes to remain secret, kills his wife and is almost immediately arrested. He is released on bail (surprising) and from that point the book spends way too much time on the custody battle for the two small children of the family. It had me skipping pages to get to the murder trial which then had me skipping pages to get to the end. The author did a great deal of good research but there was just too much over detailed and superfluous information which prevented the story from moving along smoothly. It certainly wasn't a waste of reading time but it came close.

[Marnie Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story/facts were all there but I just couldn't get into the writing style. Sorry. Goodbooks do not take me a month to read.

[Teresa Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1987, Diane Pikul’s worst fear was that her deranged and possessive husband, Joseph, would kill her and be awarded custody of their two children. Her worst fears were realized in the very dark, early morning hours in East Hampton. Sheila Weller’s, “Marrying the Hangman”, takes you through the Pikul’s horrific marriage, the uneven playing field of the State Supreme Court and the murder trial that appears to be going somewhat badly for the prosecution. Sheila painstakingly brings every accurate and intimate detail, every nuance to the reader so that no tidbit is left behind. You’ll find yourself shaking your head in disbelief at the fabricated stories told by Joe Pikul, you’ll be holding your breath through legal maneuvering and feel you stomach tighten through the on-the-edge-of-your-seat murder trial. This is no ordinary true crime novel, this is a lesson, an eye-opening realization of what goes on behind closed doors could be a matter of life and death and an example of what appears to be perfect on the outside, is actually a cat and mouse game taken to a whole new level.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. True story about a troubled man and a beautiful woman who married him. Abusive relationship. Disturbing thing is the two children they had continued to be in his care in spite of the possibility that he may have killed their mother. Granted he was the biological father but still, what if he was a danger to them. Good true story if a bit disturbing....

[Lisa Bodner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light read. I like true crime. I think real life is much more interesting than anything we can make up.

[Alison Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

gripping read

I read this in 2 nights. Gripping, haunting and horrifying all at once. This true story is proof that life is completely unpredictable.