At 9:00 on the morning of March 6, 1963, in the quiet St. Paul
neighborhood of Highland Park, Mrs. Fritz Pearson glanced out her window
and saw something almost unimaginable: slumped on the front steps of the
home across the street was a woman, partially clothed in a blue bathrobe
and bloodied beyond recognition. The woman, Mrs. Pearson would come to
learn, was her beloved neighbor Carol Thompson, wife and mother of
four.
Earlier that morning, T. Eugene Thompson, known to friends as "Cotton,"
dropped his son off at school and headed to the office, where he worked
as a criminal attorney. At 8:25 am, he phoned home, later telling police
that he did so to confirm evening plans with Carol. Mr. Thompson lied.
Through police records, court transcripts, family papers, and extensive
interviews, William Swanson has re-created Middle America's "crime of
the century," the deadly plot by a husband that made headlines around
the world. But Dial M: The Murder of Carol Thompson also tracks the
lives of the Thompsons' children. Their journey from disbelief to
acceptance culminates in a private family trial where they decide
whether their father truly was responsible for the violent act that
crushed their childhood and forever altered their views of the world.
"Engrossing, emotionally compelling. . . . An unlikely tale of
resilience and redemption, told in a sensitive, straightforward
fashion."--Entertainment Weekly (graded "A")
"I have never read a book that dealt so expertly and dramatically with
the private lives of those who survive incomprehensible tragedy. I
highly recommend it."--Ann Rule, author of Green River, Running Red
