The FBI Killer

by Aphrodite Jones

Dirt poor, divorced, the mother of two young children, Susan Daniels Smith, 27, prayed for a handsome Prince Charming who would take her away from the squalor of her rural Kentucky community to live in romance and luxury. When a good-looking, big city FBI agent named Mark Putnam entered her life, Susan thought her prayers had been answered. She was dead wrong.

Their relationship began when Susan agreed to be Putnam's paid informant in an investigation of her ex-husband's criminal friends, then quickly grew into an illicit affair that consumed their lives for nearly two years – until she became pregnant and threatened to expose Putnam, ruining his career and his marriage. On June 8, 1989, Putnam took her for a drive into the hills to discuss her demands of marriage. She was never heard from again.

The FBI Killer recounts the bizarre events that forced Mark Putnam to confess to brutally killing his lover, then covering up his crime for over one year. The first agent in FBI history to be convicted of homicide, Putnam is now serving sixteen years in a federal prison.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Ebooks, History

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

Aphrodite Jones is an award-winning American reporter and author who writes about murder. Her knack for detail allows her to dissect bizarre murder cases and bring readers into the heart of darkness. Now, the author has taken her career to TV as the executive producer and TV host of the ID series, True Crime with Aphrodite Jones, which airs on Investigation Discovery.
Jones is now filming her sixth season, uncovering secrets about riveting cases across America. The series follows Jones, who's written a string of best-selling true crime books, as she unravels new mysteries lurking behind cases that shocked America: O.J. Simpson, Scott Peterson, Jon Benet Ramsey, Phil Spector, and the list goes on.

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Aphrodite Jones was a good read about a woman, Susan Daniels Smith who finds herself falling for a married FBI agent Mark Putman while doing some shady stuff as an informant under his watch in Kentucky. What eventually happens when he tries to end it and moves away is pretty shocking.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished yesterday. While reading I discovered that a book I very much wanted and had just put on my wishlist because of the writer Joe Sharkey that this book was about the same case. So I was on the verge of buying the other book but had already spent so much on books and games so i did not and decided to read this. Definitely very confusing with lots of people and let's be honest, all the main characters were not very likeable people. The victim (I thought she would kill him) was a horrible person. Very selfish, no morals, lying setting people up just for money or and sex. It was also obvious to me that this author only had contact with one side so she did not talk with the former fbi guy and his wife. Because of that there is a lot of info that is missing and his character is not really known Well cold as ice and his wife was also not a very sympathetic person it seemed.
That being said, I was still pondering is I would want to read the other book so leave it on my wish list, but then when I visited the author's website I read he did have contact when he wrote his book a very long time ago with the agent but he believed the agent story while Aphrodite does not and I do not either.I do think his book will be better. There is a movie coming out and that was why his book was re published for the kindle and he said he could edit it and make his book better. (But he is still believing the fbi agent)

Above Suspicion

[Elyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was nothing special--mostly a retelling of the facts in an unimaginative way. The facts were interesting enough that I wanted to finish it, but the writer could've done more with the material. It reminded me to be more selective when reading the true crime genre.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deleted this after wading through 38% of it. It's really not very well written at all. We learn about this affair but not really how it began which I'd consider was pretty germane to the whole point of the book but there you go......there are countless women called Kathy in it too which made it confusing, there are a lot of siblings and their partners mentioned too, quite needlessly in most cases and it was all a bit scrappy and poorly executed, I thought.
I found that I had very little sympathy for Susan at all. It's not a shock she ended up killed the way she behaved playing people off against each other. What's more shocking is that it wasn't her bank robber or druggie pals that did the deed !! She wasn't a nice person with any real morals at all. I found her behaviour pretty appalling. The fact she came home with hundreds of dollars after meeting up with her FBI lover only illustrated to me she was no better than a prostitute. It's hardly the affair of the century when he pays her for every encounter, is it ?
He didn't have any redeeming features and neither did his wife. All in all, none of them were likeable and pretty much deserved each other.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not her best. If you are interested in this case (about a rookie FBI agent who gets emotionally involved with a paid informant), I recommend the far superior ABOVE SUSPICION by Joe Sharkey.

[Stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of facts, but little character development.

[Chrystal Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually read books from this genre...So I don’t really have an accurate comparison on whether this would be a 5 Star read for avid readers of True Crime novels. Also, This took place in my hometown and though I was only around 12 years old when it took place I remember what a huge deal this was for my small town. Being familiar with many of the people and places added to my enjoyment of the book. I found the book to be quite informative.

It’s about a man “From a big city” who was new to The FBI and was placed in a small town in Eastern Kentucky to investigate a few people who were frequent bank robbers. During the investigation he begins an affair with an informant...A dangerous woman whose life is filled with people more dangerous than her. This story has a little of everything...Affairs, Sex, Drugs, Bank Robbers and a woman who has big dreams of a bigger and better life outside of a small town in EasternKentucky. It’s a very good read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aphrodite Jones is up there with Ann Rule in writing good true crime stories. She doesn't just provide the details of the crime but she examines the lives of the victim and perpetrator to try and understand what might have contributed to them leading the lives they led. In this case a new FBI agent is stupid enough to have an affair with an informant and it doesn't end well for her. She of course thinks he loves her and is going to leave his wife. It's really an oft repeated story but the fact the killer was an FBI agent was particularly chilling. He was the first FBI agent charged with a homicide.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true story but a depressing story


I would not have opened the book if I had been aware
of all the negative aspects. It is not a “ Feel good “ book.

The book consists of two completely different types uniting
and both making a multitude of bad decisions.

It is not fair to the author if I fail to add the story sparked my interest to the point within the next month I will take my RV and spend a few days in the town in Kentucky that is described in the book as being an extremely poor economy in the Appalachian mountains and inhabited with Hillbillies.
I will look for some of the landmarks mentioned in the story.

[Steve Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as thorough as I thought it would be…

Having been acquainted with the Susan Smith murder via Joe Sharkey’s “Above Suspicion,” I was looking forward to reading Aphrodite Jones’ take - “The FBI Killer.” To say I was disappointed is an understatement; while it seems like most of the story is told from the side of Ms. Smith’s family (including information that wasn’t in “Above Suspicion”), it just doesn’t feel as complete as I was expecting.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one kept me reading to the end. I'm finding it hard to keep going till the end on some these days. I've read so many TC it's getting a little boring unless it's a real top notch book. One thing about this book was that you have to read to the end to find out the details because that's where the telling of the murder is. Good read.

[Jill Beavers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written

A definite page turner that left me in suspense all the way till the end! I couldn't out it down.

[Betty Jo Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Bool

Great book, well written that held my interest. FBI did a lousy job investigating the murder of Susan Smith. Couldn’t put this books down.

[susan murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Written with factual information included. Frustrating story due to the deceit and cover up by the Kentucky police and FBI!

[Kathyanngallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was slow at first, but just when you think it couldn't possibly get more corrupt.....

[Patricia Beesinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright book

I would read more of her books. I don’t think it was well put together though. Jumped around to much

[The Happy Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Writing

I love anything by Aphrodite Jones! An old case that still haunts the family and friends of the victim. Great vacation read.

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deadly affair

It really did wabble on a bit, some of it was not needed. This highlighted a protect your brothers oath. Even I know Ron is guilty in this

[Alli Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive but a good case to read about! I wish the writer hadn’t repeated so many details on back to back pages. I enjoyed hearing about a case so close to home, and relatively recently!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read. Awesome recount of a true crime story.

[Riley Baugues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me and my sister were both reading this book at the same time and we both enjoyed it. We both like mystery and crime and this book was a good chose for us.

[Bill Millar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting subject, very poorly written.

[Elizabeth Maier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intriguing story but the way it was written was hard to follow the timeline. I felt like I needed to take notes to keep it straight.

[april lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather boring....

I was quite disappointed with how the story was written. It's almost as if the book was based on the writer's beliefs than actual facts. I found it to be rather redundant at times and full of inconsistencies. Not sure I'd recommend this book to anyone unless you're bored and need something to pass the time.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped for better, since I like her other books a lot. As another reader said, it was mostly a recounting of facts--the few facts we do know. I had to wonder, among the "he said/she said," what the truth actually was.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too straightforward, and I have to say: the publisher (Pinnacle True Crime) made a terrible choice when they decided to print the pictures -- middle of non-fiction crime books -- on the regular, text paper. They were very poor quality and difficult to view. Who does this?

[Brittany Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was standard true crime. True Crime readers will like this book and should definitely pick it up. I enjoyed the references to Kentucky and thought the book did a good job of describing the relationship between the victim and perpetrator.

[Denise Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

You inspired me to become a true crime writer with this book because of the way you got inside the victim's head. I have credited this book in the prologue of my debut book, Daddy's Little Secret. Love you, Aphrodite Jones!

[Blake Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book could've been half the length it turned out to be. Spoon-fed the same, repeating details really made this book seam to last forever. It's a great story with good investigation work, but could've been much more to the point.