The Prom Night Murders: A Devoted American Family, Their Troubled Son, and a Ghastly Crime

by Carlton Smith

In 1989, a shocking tragedy shattered an otherwise peaceful small Indiana community. Much-admired pastor Robert L. Pelley was found slain in his home. In his basement were the huddled, blood-soaked bodies of his wife and daughters, executed by shotgun at close range. The doors to the house were locked, and there were no signs of forced entry. Meanwhile, the pastor's son, Jeff, was nowhere to be found... Police had a hunch that Jeff was responsible...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312947240
• ISBN13: 9780312947248
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

The Prom Night Murders

It got a little tedious with all the details especially the ones about the "clock". It was good though. I read it pretty quickly. I don't agree with the verdict he got.

Great Book.

Great book. Very suspenseful. If I spelled that word right. The book is really good and I enjoyed every moment of it. You will too.

Excellent if Unsolved

I agrre with this being an excellent book...a complete page-turner. And yes, the reviewer who wrote that the story leaves you wondering is right. I really think there was more to the story than the police found out and possibly the wrong person was convicted. Very mysterious goings-on in Florida that cannot be ignored.. How was the author supposed to solve the puzzle when the police disregarded all the dark implications of the Florida link? Too many police/prosecutors want the easy solution and a case cleared, regardless of the wrong person being incarcerated.

extremely interesting story; very well told

I have read at least 100 true crime stories as an adult. Most are good, some are duds and a few are outstanding. This was outstanding. The story is fascinating - and horribly tragic. It really is a whodunnit. Other reviews suggest parts of the book leave the reader without unanswered questions and unsatisfied curiosities. However, that IS part of the story. The police never did investigate EVERYTHING so there aren't answers to everything. This is one of those cases where your own consicence will tug at you as you read it. I rarely leave reviews for books however this story moved me to do so and it is one of the few books I've ever said are must-reads. Hope this helped and I hope you like the book if you invest the time in reading it.

Well written

This one of the best true crime books I have read in a long time. It is well written, it reads like a mystery novel. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is I felt that the author could have told more of the victims. Ann Rule and Carlton Stowers are great about letting the reader know what the victim was like so that you get a true sense of the loss. I found this book to be sad. I almost didn't buy it because I try to avoid True Crime books involving children. In the end, there was no great sense of justice. I am not sure if I am totally convinced that the convicted person commited the crime. There is a lot of questions that were not answered and the evidence was not overwhelming in my opinion. If I had been on the jury I'm not possitive I could convict. If he did do the crime it is still sad, I feel bad for his wife and little boy and of course his sister. I recommend this book. I had a hard time putting it down.