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In 2007, Dr. Martin MacNeill - a doctor, lawyer, and Mormon bishop - discovered his wife of 30 years dead in the bathtub of their Pleasant Grove, Utah home, her face bearing the scars of a facelift he persuaded her to undergo just a week prior. At first the death of 50-year-old Michele MacNeill, a former beauty queen and mother of eight, appeared natural. But days after the funeral when Dr. MacNeill moved his much younger mistress into the family home, his children grew suspicious. Conducting their own investigation into their mothers death, the MacNeills daughters uncovered their fathers multiple marital affairs, past criminal record, and falsified college transcripts he used to con his way into medical school. It would take six long years to solve the mystery of Micheles murder and secure a first-degree murder conviction against the once prominent doctor. New York Times bestselling author Shanna Hogan delves into the high-profile case, unmasking the monster beneath the doctors carefully concocted façade. Read more Continue reading Read less ABOUT THE AUTHOR SHANNA HOGAN is a journalist and New York Times bestselling author of two previous true-crime books. She has written for numerous publications for nearly a decade and has received more than twenty awards for her feature writing and investigative reporting. Shanna was named Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club in 2010 and again in 2011 by the Arizona Newspaper Association. She has appeared on The View, Dateline, 20/20, CNN, HLN, Fox News, Oprah Winfreys Oxygen, and Investigation Discovery. Shanna lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, Matt LaRussa, and their three dogs. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. REVIEW "Picture Perfect is almost perfect. . . . It isnt often that a true crime book reads like a Patricia Highsmith novel, with shades of Ruth Rendell passing across the pages as the story of lives converge toward what the reader knows is a horrifying conclusion. . . . Hogan has established herself as a skilled writer of suspense, whose future books are likely to just keep getting better." -- Janice Harper, Huffington Post "A riveting read that paints a vivid picture of this unfortunate couple who illustrate so clearly what happens when an obsessive relationship goes horribly awry." -- Bookreporter.com "With its detailed research, front row narrative, and no-fluff presentation, Shanna Hogan turned a book into an addiction. . . . Picture Perfect is one of the best true crime books of 2013. Dont be the only one who hasnt read it!" -- True Crime Zone --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. EXCERPT. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE STRANGER SHE LOVED A MORMON DOCTOR, HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE, AND AN ALMOST PERFECT MURDER By Shanna HoganST. MARTINS PRESS Copyright 2015 Shanna Hogan All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-250-05750-1 CHAPTER 1APRIL 11, 2007 A stray drop of water fell from the faucet and trickled across her cold, pallid skin. Her body lay crumpled inside the drained bathtub, a long-sleeved black shirt clinging to her wet torso. She was tilted on her side, her nude lower half curled against the tubs slick porcelain wall. The womans ashen face - beautiful even in death - was marred by sutured incisions across her eyelids and around her scalp. Blood from the ruptured stitches wept into damp blond hair. Hovering over the bathtub, a slim man with a tanned face and gray hair was wailing. "I need help! Help!" From the doorway of the master bathroom, Kristi Daniels gaped wide-eyed at her next-door neighbors - Martin and Michele MacNeill. "Ill call nine-one-one," Kristi said, spinning away. "Ive already called nine-one-one!" Martin howled. "I need help getting her out of the tub." But Kristi had already fled the bathroom, dashing down the hallway and out of the house. On the front porch she brushed past a little girl dressed in a khaki skirt, white-collared blouse, and blue blazer - a school uniform. She was the youngest of the MacNeills adopted daughters, Ada. Just moments earlier the doe-eyed six-year-old had knocked on Kristis front door. "My dad needs some help." Kristi had followed Ada back toward the MacNeills open front door. By the time she was halfway across the driveway, she had heard Martins screams and had taken off running, leaving Ada outside. Following the cries down the hallway and into the bathroom off the master bedroom, Kristi had discovered Martin and his dead wife. Her first thought was that she and Martin would not be able to lift Michele out of the tub by themselves. So Kristi - a petite blond flight attendant - had run to find help. Crossing the shared driveway separating their properties, Kristi rushed back into her house and found her neighbor Angie Aguilar crouching in the foyer, tying her own daughters shoes. A half hour earlier - around 11:20 A.M. - Angie and her daughter had stopped by the Danielses house to drop off Kristis son, as part of the neighborhood carpool. Following a brief visit, Angie was preparing to leave when Kristi burst back through the front door, her face contorted with panic. "Whats wrong?" Angie asked. "I need you to come with me!" Kristi gasped. From a table in the front room, Kristi grabbed her cell phone and pressed a button to speed-dial her husband, Doug Daniels, who was just a few houses away, assisting another neighbor with a basement renovation. "Martin needs help. Martin needs help," she said breathlessly. "Hurry, come fast ..." "Where are you?" Doug interrupted. "The MacNeills!" Doug emerged from his neighbors house, catching a glimpse of his wife and Angie slipping through the MacNeills front door. He chased after them, sprinting through the gated subdivision of Creekside in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The usually
About the Author
Shanna Hogan is an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of four true-crime books including, "Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story." She has written for numerous publications and has received more than twenty awards for her feature writing and investigative reporting. Shanna was named Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club in 2010 and again in 2011 by the Arizona Newspaper Association. She has appeared on The View, Dateline, 20/20, CNN, HLN, Fox News, Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen, and Investigation Discovery. Shanna lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, Matt LaRussa, and their two dogs.
