Deadly Dose: The Untold Story of a Homicide Investigator's Crusade for Truth and Justice

by Amanda Lamb

Book Overview

The crime was unforgivable. The suspected murderer--unbelievable. One man's pursuit of justice--unstoppable. The death of promising young pediatric AIDS researcher Eric Miller stunned the Raleigh, North Carolina, community, largely because of the horrific way he was killed. For months, Eric was slowly tortured as arsenic consumed his body. No one thought that Eric Miller's wife, Ann--an attractive, demure, educated scientist--could be capable of such...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425221962
• ISBN13: 9780425221969
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great-Must Read!

Couldn't put the book down! Extremely interesting because it's a true story about a manipulative and pure evil murderer who had everyone around her fooled. Despite her sweet deceptive image, she was really an evil tramp that threw herself at guys and used them. Makes you wonder; there had to have been clues to her true nature along the way. Wasn't anyone smart enough to see through her? Your heart will ache for the victim's immediate family, as they were devastated. A book worth reading. Highly recommended.

Who can understand Ann and what she did?

This is a gripping case. The murderer is fascinating because her behavior is so inexplicable. Her husband was so devout he wanted to be a virgin at his marriage. Everyone liked him. Except, apparently, his wife. Who, rather than simply divorcing her husband, fed him arsenic and watched him die in agony. Why? And why, after trying to get pregnant for years, did Ann, after finally getting pregnant, go off on a weekend affair with another man? A weekend the other man was so uninterested in Ann had to pay for everything. The author was never able to interview Ann, so the story instead centers around the police detective who solved the case.

Eric was my schoolmate...

To this day, it's hard to believe that this happened. I had a class with Eric in high school. He was one of those guys that was nice to EVERYONE...not just to certain kids. He enjoyed life to the fullest and he enjoyed teasing and making people laugh. I know I laughed a few times with him. It makes this book even more interesting for me to read. They do a terrific job of detailing every aspect of the case. It makes you want to read the entire book without putting it down. I hope this book can bring some insight for other investigators who need to solve the most difficult crimes. I'm sure Eric would want that as well. May he rest in Heavenly peace.

A great read!

Deadly Dose is the revealing and sometimes-shocking account of longtime homicide detective Chris Morgan's relentless effort to keep alive a seemingly unsolvable high-profile arsenic poisoning death that captivated the Triangle area of North Carolina for years. It's a page-turning tale of intrigue and mystery and is a must-read for any fan of true crime and anyone touched by the heartbreaking and untimely death of Eric Miller -- a young father with a promising future -- or angered by his killer-wife's ability to evade arrest for too many years. Amanda Lamb's portrayal of Morgan and his quest to seek justice for the murder victims he works for and their families will make you appreciate him -- and even more, the thousands other law enforcement officers and criminal justice employees like him across our country who dedicate their lives to helping put murderers like Ann Miller Kontz in prison and keeping our streets a little safer. I highly recommend Deadly Dose -- you MUST read it -- and I eagerly await Amanda's next true-crime book.

Awesome Read!

Crime reporter and author Amanda Lamb has done an excellent job sharing the gripping story of incomprehensible murder. You will be moved by her intelligent, well-thought out re-telling of retired detective Chris Morgan's epic quest to solve the mystery of Eric Miller's tragic murder, murder at the hand of his own wife. You will grieve for Eric's family. And, you will indeed, as another reviewer points out, be deeply, profoundly grateful for the champions of truth and justice like Morgan and others who fight daily to solve and prosecute crime. Lamb and Morgan are a perfect pairing for an unforgettable true tale. You won't be disappointed by this provocative, first-rate account.

I knew Eric

I was a neighbor of Ann & Eric's for about 4 years when the couple lived in Holly Springs. On our very short street they were "the newlyweds" who were just starting out in life. The detective in this book knew Eric's personality amazingly well considering that he never actually met Eric. Eric truly was a pleasure to know. I remember when the movie "Jurassic Park" came out how he laughed as he xplained to me why it was impossible for Dinosaurs to be cloned that way. To give an example of what Eric was like I would often come home late from work, always later than he did. Whenever I did happen to run into him on our street when getting home I would always ask him the same question. With "Tongue in Cheek" I'd open our conversations with "Hi Eric, hey, did you have fun today staring at viruses through your microscope all day?" He would always start laughing, and never once say "Hey Gary, that's really getting a little old." Not once, I was wondering if that would ever happen and I probably asked him that silly question over 30 times. Eric would light up a room at any block party or Pig Picking. He didn't seem to want attention, he was just a very pleasant person to be around. He was trusting, happy, honest, and transparent, know the type? He had a T shirt with a picture of whale on the front with the caption "Save the humans". He was just like he looks in the picture on the top-right side of the book's cover. Ann was always quiet and seemed to always think before she said anything. Once, at a neighborhood party, I remember asking her if she had decided to keep working in the same field that she was studying and she surprised me by saying that she was considering a career in "Criminal Law". The book reveals all of what was happening behind the scene as we were wondering who on Earth would ever want to kill someone like Eric Miller. There was no answer, everyone liked Eric, he had absolutely no enemies. The only thing that I could think of was that maybe Ann was guilty and did it because she couldn't stand being around someone who was so "upbeat" all of the time. Maybe she was someone who needed to vent about her personal problems and maybe he would seem to trivialize them just because he was so easy going etc. It's a great book, and I agree that truth is stranger than fiction. We all miss Eric, we all regret not having spent more time with him when he was here. Gary, Holly Springs,N.C.