Dead But Not Forgotten: The True Story of a Cheating Husband, His Stunning Mistress, and a Murder Case Gone Cold

by Amber Hunt

Barbara and Michael ran a Detroit-area comic book shop, where Renee Kotula was an employee--and Michael's lover. Their torrid affair took a shocking turn when one night Barbara was found dead at the shop, a bullet through her skull. Did Michael kill his wife so that he could collect her life insurance policy...and run off with Renee? With no weapon or witnesses, the police weren't able to arrest Michael...until, eighteen years later, a new district attorney reopened the case and found overlooked evidence that placed him at the scene of the crime. Michael was finally arrested. But after a jury found him guilty of murder, the judge overturned his case. Why? As Michael awaits a second trial, many are left to wonder if justice will ever be served for the woman who is DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN .

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312599048
• ISBN13: 9780312599041
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Insightful and comprehensive

I found the story fascinating, well-written and compelling. Amber Hunt is a gifted writer and is definitely one to watch. I was left wanting to know more details, and I found it difficult to put the book down. The key people were brought to life for me in a way which explained their behavior. It's clear why Dateline chose to feature this crime story in one of their 2 hour episodes. I appreciate Amber Hunt's insightful and comprehensive coverage of this tragedy.

Straight-up reporting, no filler

This book is different from other true crimes I've read in that it begins with the premise police believe (Michael George killed his wife), and then the author introduces the reasonable doubt that makes you realize things might not be what they seem. When the book ended, I had an opinion about whether he was guilty, but I honestly can't tell what the author's opinion is. The writing is clean and effective. You can tell Ms. Hunt is a talented journalist and not a writer who only got into true crime because she couldn't find a publisher for her fiction attempt or something. It's descriptive but clean, and compelling without being overwrought. I've read some other books in the genre, and the court portion is always like a necessary evil, but this one is broken into fast-moving chunks. You can tell the writer was there for the court days, and when I Googled her, I saw that she did cover this case for the Detroit Free Press. The chapters throughout are short, so if you only want to read a few before bed, it's good for that. I won't spoil anything by saying my opinion on the case itself, but this was a really great case and great read.

Great book about a fascinating case!

What a fascinating case! So often these books are about no-brainers, but with this one, I really had no idea whether the cops got the right guy. I felt I got to know the characters thoroughly, too. It gave me insight not only into an interesting case but also into how things work in criminal cases.