A Love to Die for

by Patricia Springer

Book Overview

On January 12, 1995, in Knoxville, Tennessee, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer went for a walk with her friend, 18-year-old Christa Pike. Suddenly, Christa turned on Colleen, accusing her of flirting with her boyfriend. Then, the words turned to shocking blows. An enraged Christa used a box knife to cut her rival's throat and a mini meat cleaver to inflict more havoc. Half-naked, Colleen crawled through her own blood begging for her life. In the middle...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 078601086X
• ISBN13: 9780786010868
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

very good

that's my opinion. I like the style of Miss Springer. I was very shocked about the vicious murder by the 3 who committed it. P Springer does know how to tell a story. I could not lay this book aside. Its always nice to read the murderers get their punishment so me too could not believe the "luck" Peterson had. She was the one who told Pike to go for the kill (not that Pike needed that)I have to say I like it better when you hear more of someone's background and the writer did have some parts about that. But I wanted to know more about what had happened the months Colleen and Pike spent together. Why did Pike think colleen was after her boyfriend? so still questions. groetjes Marlene

An Interesting book!

This book was good, but I think they could have left out the pictures of Colleens body. I liked the way it was written. It was like a real story, not just a bunch of facts. I cant believe Christa Pike could do something so terrible, and I have no sympathy for her. She obviously has no remorse for what she did, and I hope she is put to death. Having a bad childhood is no excuse for killing someone, espically in such a horrible way.

Highly recommended

This is a heartbreaking account of how teenage jealousy cost one beautiful innocent girl her life. Christa Pike and her boyfriend worshipped Satan and carved pentagrams on the dying Colleen Slemmer. I found this book strong and realistic (frighteningly so) I do warn you that there are pictures of Colleen's body and skull (made me queasy)This book was well-written and I look forward to more by Ms. Springer. Pick it up, you won't regret it.

A stunning recreation of an actual case.

It's hard for the average, normal mind to fathom the killing of another human being in the name of jealously. But that was the unimaginable motive behind the murder of 19 year-old Colleen Slemmer. The murderer? An equally young 18-year old Christa Pike. In her latest true-crime thriller, "A Love To Die For," Dallas author Patricia Springer brings to light the chilling story of Christa Pike, the youngest woman ever sentenced to death row. Using actual court transcriptions, confessions from the parties involved and interviews with the victim's parents, prosecutors, and others involved in the grusome case, Springer weaves a fascinating tale of the twisted, fantasic life of a very distrubed young woman, and the incredibly hideous crime she committed. In January, 1995 in Knoxville, Tennessee, young Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer went for a walk in the woods surrounding the University of Tennessee campus with fellow student and sometime-friend Christa Pike. Suddenly, Christa turned on Colleen, accusing her of flirting with her boyfriend. The words soon turned to shocking physical blows. Not satisfied with the damage mere fist could cause, Christa then used a box knife to cut her rival's throat, and a miniature meat cleaver to inflict even more horror. Half-naked, the mangled Colleen crawled through pools of her own blood, pleading for her life, to no avail. Rage had filled Christa's already unstable mind, her instability evidenced by the satanic symbol carved on the dying girl's chest during the hour-long assault. When Christa was finally done, and Colleen lay dead, Christa took a piece of her victim's skull as a macabre souvenir of a crime she would later brag about to friends. In this stunning recreation of a case that shocked a nation, Patricia Springer takes her readers beyond just a mere description of a horrible crime and the trial which followed. She takes her readers into the very mind-set of the young murdereress, and attempts to show how Christa Pike's rash actions have brought her to the place where she'll have to pay the ultimate price for the crime of taking someone's life - her very own life in exchange. "A Love To Die For" is something of a depature in scenery for Springer's writing, as she has before only written about Texas-based murder cases, including Ricky Green, Darlie Routier, and Jack Reeves. But she brings to this story her investigative expertise, her compassion for the victim's family and her talent for storytelling to present a fascinating, if not gruesome at times, story of a love gone terribly bad. Springer is currently at work on a book detailing the crimes and trails of Olney, Texas native Fayrion Waldrip, which is expected out in the near future.