Luggage By Kroger: A True Crime Memoir - Softcover

Taylor, Gary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0595530303 ISBN 13: 9780595530304

Publisher: iUniverse, 2008

Synopsis

"Catherine was destined to become several important things to me. But most prominently, she would become my problem-solver. Before I met her, I had a bunch of problems. Then, all of sudden, with her in my life I had only one."Written as a true crime memoir, Luggage By Kroger is a unique, genre-crossing tale that blends memoir with mystery, legal procedural, and psycho-thriller. Fatal Attraction meets Angela's Ashes as a former Houston newspaper reporter recounts a pivotal year centered on his dangerous affair with one of the most intriguing femmes fatales of American crime. Forewarned of the dangers but unable to resist, he still dives into a torrid relationship that takes him to a new level of self-awareness and revelation as he becomes her target while trying to protect his estranged wife and their two daughters from the violence they all know is set to explode. Told with self-deprecating humor and high-octane drama, Luggage By Kroger pulls no punches in finally sharing the inside story that forced him onto the talk-show circuit in the late 1980s as the poster boy for true-life fatal attractions with Oprah, Regis and Sally. It's a story that twice has seen life as television docudrama. But the intimate details have remained under the radar since they occurred in 1979-80. As he says in his dedication, this book is written partially for all those who "kept me out late in bars demanding more."

About this title

Review

Remember the movie "Fatal Attraction"? And the movie "Basic Instinct"? And the movie "Play Misty For Me"? Toss all three of the movies in a blender, hit frappe and stand back. What comes out would be Gary Taylor's new book--Luggage By Kroger. -- From Self-Publishing Review for February 4, 2009

Many true crime reviews claim a book to be an extremely raw account of crime, but that statement has never been so true as it is with Luggage by Kroger from author Gary Taylor.

As a matter of fact, I found the writing to be so raw that at times I didn't know whether I wanted to sympathize with Taylor or slap him silly. -- From True Crime Book Reviews.com, October 25, 2009

First things first - Taylor can definitely write. Starting from the intriguing title, the book pulls the reader in and does not let go. Taylor's writing is rich and powerful, almost brutal at times and always direct. There's no whitewashing going on - the language is oftentimes graphic and adult, and some of the sex scenes quite explicit. The violence abounds, both direct and implied. The suspense is tangible. All of that is nicely balanced with Taylor's sense of humor and his ability to laugh at himself - often. -- From Reader Views online for March of 2009

Taylor's book is a window into that attraction. It's also a damn fine read. There's adult language and sex, so it's not for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend buying Luggage By Kroger.
-- From POD People online by Chris Gerrib for January 14, 2009

From the Publisher

Luggage By Kroger has been recognized as one of 2009's top true crime thrillers with honors from five different US book competitions. The scorecard:

* True Crime Silver Medal from the 2009 IPPYs

* True Crime Bronze Medal and Finalist for Book-of-the-Year from the 2008 ForeWord Magazine Book-of-the-Year Awards

* True Crime Runner-Up in the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards

* True Crime Finalist in the 2009 USA Book News Awards

* General Nonfiction Runner-Up at the 2009 New York Book Festival

In this true crime memoir, former Houston Post reporter Gary Taylor recounts his true-life fatal attraction involvement in the trail of violence that has dogged Texas attorney Catherine Mehaffey Shelton for nearly three decades, prompting coverage by newspapers, TV, movies and even Oprah Winfrey. Now Taylor invites readers to grab a seat on the wild ride of an obsessive relationship: erotic beginning to violent end and the trials required to clean up the mess. The result is an adventure odyssey of self-discovery through an encounter that nearly cost him his life.

About this edition

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0595530303
• ISBN 13: 9780595530304
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 316