This is a factual account of the cold blooded murder of Cherry Walker, and the trial and conviction of Kim Cargill for that murder. Cherry was mentally handicapped and although she was in her late 30s, she had only recently begun to live on her own with the help of an aid who would check in on her and help her with her daily living skills. Cherry was so proud of her little apartment, and everyone who knew her loved her, and was proud of her accomplishments. Everyone but Kim Cargill that is, who saw her as an easy target to be used and manipulated. Kim had 4 children by 4 failed relationships, often telling her various men that she could not get pregnant and then "surprising" them with a pregnancy in order to manipulate them further. She did not seem to want any of her children or get any joy from motherhood. Her children were an outlet for her anger, something to bully and beat on and take out her rage. But after already having lost custody of one child she was willing to kill to keep from losing custody of another. Not because she wanted him, or cared about him, or loved the child, but mainly because she did not want to have to pay child support. I am not a violent person but honestly this book made me want to throttle Kim Cargill myself. It was satisfying to learn how her lies caught up with her and ultimately landed her on death row. I would have liked to see pictures of her trial but the version I received did not contain any.

I received an advance copy for review
( )

I had never heard of Cherry Walker or Kim Cargill. This was a heartbreaking story of a woman with learning disabilities who is just starting a life on her own. Sadly, that life is cut short when she meets Kim Cargill and begins to babysit her son. When Kim begins to lost control over her life, losing custody of her sons one by one, and finds out that Cherry has been subpoenaed to testify in the custody hearing for the little boy she had been sitting for. The manner in which this gentle soul loses her life is horrific and the punishment her murderer receives in just. ( )

Unfortunately it didn't take me long to realise that I didn't like the style of writing, but I read on to the end. For me there was just too much over explanation. This is a version of the true story of Kim Cargill, and her trial for the murder of her son's childminder Cherry Walker.
A NetGalley Book ( )

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really like true crime shows. Ugh, okay, that sounded really messed up but what I mean is that I like to see how the investigation process works in solving a crime. I've never read a true crime novel before so this was definitely an interesting experience for me!

Cherry Walker is a sweet, innocent young woman who took care of a neighbour's little boy. When she was asked to testify in court against his abusive mother, she reluctantly agreed. However, she never got the chance to do it. Cherry's body was found on the side of a road after being doused with lighter fluid and burned. As police investigators piece together the events that led to Cherry's tragic death, they start to suspect that the killer is the little boy's mother, Kim Cargill. Attractive, manipulative, and violent, Kim is the mother of 4 children and she will do anything to keep her secrets hidden. But will she succeed this time?

Like I mentioned before, this is my first time reading a true crime novel. It made for an interesting experience! The author gave a great deal of factual information on the crime, the evidence, and the investigators' thought processes, all of which were quite valuable. In the beginning, I found the language to be abrupt but the story and the facts pulled me through and kept me going. The author goes into great detail about Kim Cargill's sociopathic tendencies, citing many examples of physical and mental abuse that she put her children through. This can be difficult subject matter to read so consider this a fair warning! One thing that I would like to point out is that I expected this novel to be a bit less biased. I know that Kim Cargill has been convicted of this crime, but the author also made it obvious what his own opinion on the matter was, and I would have preferred if the author had maintained a more objective stance on the crime. Overall, a really interesting read that gave good details on the investigative process and the mind of a sociopath!

For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com ( )

I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and have chosen of my own free will to post a review. Wow!! A look into the mind of Kim Cargill; a lying, vicious, psychopathic, narcissistic, major manipulator. This book is a very well written piece of true crime. The author is very detail oriented and lets the reader look into the mind of a very sick, twisted, and abusive woman who was of all things an LVN and a caregiver working in a hospital. She was extremely abusive to her boys, each from a different husband. She could really lay it on when she wanted to and then turn on a dime. Cherry is mentally challenged and a very kind and gentle soul who was doing very well living on her own with some guidance until she was subpoenaed to testify against Kim in a custody hearing. This is a sad and heartbreaking story. ‘Don’t Tell A Soul’ is an excellent book and well worth the read. I look forward to reading more true crime from M William Phelps in the future. ( )