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Pictured above: Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs
Weekend Read by Claudine Wolk: Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs
Claudine Wolk is an author, podcast host, and book marketing consultant. Find her writing at claudinewolk.substack.com.
Arts News Now’s Claudine Wolk reviews the newly released thriller novel,
Co-authored by Jim Atkinson and John Bloom, Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs, is true crime at its finest. Ann Rule – ish (The Stranger Beside Me) and Joe McGinniss – ish (Fatal Vision) in research, description, and story-telling, it reads like a well-paced and horrifying novel.
The book tells the true story of Texas housewife, Candy Montgomery, and the murder of her friend and ex-lover’s wife, Betty Gore, on June 13th, 1980. The book was first published in 1984 (Texas Monthly Pr) and re-released in 2018 (Open Road Media).
Why the sudden interest in this book? Aside from earning Edgar Award Finalist status, the book more recently has been dramatized in two, count them two, tv series – one titled “Candy” by HBO Max and one titled “Love and Death” by Hulu. To complete the painstakingly researched yet always readable book, the authors also interviewed many of the real people involved in the story including Candy Montgomery, Pat Montgomery, and Alan Gore.
Recently, co-author, Jim Atkinson was interviewed (WFAA ABC 8) after “Candy” aired on Hulu (May 2022)and he commented, “I think that this story will…it’s almost Shakespearean,” he said. “It will go on and on. It’s an amazing story. It’s rich and it’s resonant. And it has lessons to it that I think are eternal in a certain way.”
Plot Summary
In June 1980, Betty Gore, mother of two, was found dead in the laundry room of her Texas home. She was hacked, more than 40 times, and found by neighbors. Local law enforcement focused on the last person to see Betty alive. That woman was friend and fellow church congregant, Candy Montgomery. As a result of the investigation that followed Candy Montgomery was indicted and put on trial for Betty’s murder.
The plot might sound hackneyed, i.e., woman kills ex-lover’s wife, but this story is anything but. As with all great true crime, the crime, the investigation of the crime and the resulting trial including the backstory of the investigators and the lawyers is all expertly covered. What is truly unique and horrifying, though, about this story is the ‘why’ of the crime.
What actually happened between Candy and Betty that morning and how was Candy able to walk out the door of the Gore home and into her car and her life like nothing had happened. At the heart of this story is nature of human nature. Is it possible for a person snap to the point of complete craziness? If Candy Montgomery could snap into ‘Lizzie Borden’ action with an ax then couldn’t the same be true for every human being? And if that is true what kind of monster lurks inside each and every one of us?
In Atkinson and Bloom’s book, the town, the church, the community, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the relationships between husbands and wives, of preachers and their congregants, and the phenomena of suburbia – it is all covered – the culmination of which is supposed to give the reader some idea of how and why this horrific event took place.
It is a fascinating study of what can result from the failure of living an honest life. There certainly didn’t seem to be a whole lot of depth in the marriages of the couples involved in the story or in their growth as individuals. They all seemed to be searching for something more instead of being honest with their partners and their lives and demanding what they wanted from each other or at least examining what they wanted and asking their partner for it. If their demands were not granted from their partners, so be it, but at least they could have moved on – alive.
Overall Assessment:
If you are a true crime fan you will love this book. If you are fascinated by human nature, this book is a winner. The writing style is fantastic. It is riveting and easy to read. As a bonus, the authors include their own opinion of what might have happened on that June morning in 1980 based on all of their amazing research which included interviews of Candy Montgomery, Pat Montgomery and Alan Gore. I suspect that they come pretty darned close to describing how the incident unfolded. It’s a likely scenario that packs an important lesson for interacting with others.
Title: Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs
Authors: John Bloom & Jim Atkinson
Pub Date: 08/2/2022
Publisher: Open Road Media
Page Count: 392 pp
