First Degree Rage

The True Story of 'The Assassin,' An Obsession, and Murder

By: Paula May

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

"There was no brown in his eyes at all. They were just two black buttons. I looked in his eyes. All I saw was solid black against the whites. It wasn't natural. It was...creepy, unnerving, demonic." (Detective Paula May)

Terrifying things are happening to Kay Weden, a 40-something single mom and high school teacher in Salisbury, North Carolina. Despite having no known enemies, Kay's home, car, and peace of mind are under attack throughout 1993. Most chilling of all are the senseless attacks on her only son and the shot fired in the night through a wall of her house, which narrowly misses his head as he sleeps.

Kay's new love interest is the charming Viktor Gunnarsson. He's a handsome Swede who left his home country to seek political asylum in the US after being charged with the 1986 assassination of Sweden's Prime Minister Palme. Viktor was briefly held in custody but subsequently released due to a lack of evidence.

The romantic connection between Kay and Viktor is immediate and intense until Viktor disappears without warning, leaving Kay baffled and sad. Kay leans on her loving, elderly mother, Catherine Miller, for solace until Catherine is brutally murdered inside her home by an unknown intruder.

With nowhere else to turn, Kay reconnects with her ex-fiancé L.C. Underwood, a seasoned police officer, particularly adept at criminal investigations. L.C. assures Kay he will get to the bottom of the incessant and tormenting occurrences.

When Viktor's nude body is found two hours away in the snowy Appalachian Mountains, local Sheriff's Detective Paula May is assigned to investigate his murder. What follows is an intense, hair-raising investigation that will shock you from the bitterly cold beginning to the unthinkable end.

©2020 Paula May (P)2020 WildBlue Press

it's a good one

I enjoyed it start to finish. I'm sorry for what this poor woman was subjected to.

very engaging read

I truly loves this book it kept me interested from the first chapter. The main character, L.C. Underwood, is a bit redundant and exhausting at times, but that's just is who he is. This is an excellent depiction of a narcissistic human being at its finest.
There are so many male parts to be read that it would have benefited the listener if those lines had been read by a male, or males, if possible.

Legal work with some history to boot!

This is how government SHOULD work...police, prosecutors, judges, and detectives. Applause for all of you.

meh

Did not love the narration. Overall writing a little green. Sounded like it was the first book author ever wrote. Bible verses not tied in well.

Unique

Kay Weden, a high school teacher, goes through a stretch of harassment for seemingly no reason. After attempts on her life and her son’s, things seem to take a turn for the better when she finds a potential love interest in a man named Viktor. Then he’s found murdered in the Appalachian Mountains.

This was fascinating, different from any other true crime book I’ve ever read. Since the author was the lead detective on the case, it gave interesting insight not only into the murder but police procedure as well.

Although it’s a long book, there’s plenty here to hold your interest. Plenty of different people make an appearance, all of them with unique personalities and backgrounds. Definitely a fascinating book, one that’s likely to be popular with both fans of thriller books and true crime.

Narration fits the story.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.