False Victim - Paperback

by Kathie Truitt (Author)

NOW A LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE - The Neighbor in the Window

"One word kept popping into my head as I read this book: horrifying...Hopefully Julie's story will be the wake-up call that will allow new protections to be created." -Margaret Pressler, Reporter, Washington Post

"Suspenseful, page-turning thriller...This is a must-read." -Marsha Barbour Former First Lady of Mississippi

Julie Patterson is a former Miss Mississippi with a successful husband, two wonderful children, and the lavish life that many can only dream about. Her life becomes even better when her husband receives a long-awaited promotion and the family moves to a neighborhood near Washington DC. Julie quickly makes friends with neighbors, except for the woman who lives behind her, who simply stares without acknowledgment of Julie. After a while, though, the woman, Lynn, warms up to Julie, and the two form a fast friendship.

But this friendship quickly turns strange as Julie learns of Lynn's propensity to lie for attention. She and her family also notice that Lynn has gotten the same car as Julie, has begun to dress like Julie, is getting a pool just like Julie, and is consistently attempting to one-up Julie. At first everyone brushes it off, but when one lie threatens Julie's family, she begins to realize Lynn has some unknown agenda, and Julie is her target. No one else takes it seriously, and many neighbors side with Lynn, even as the situation begins to spiral out of control, until one is found on the stand for attempted murder.
Is Lynn a False Victim, or could Julie be guilty?

Is there an end to the madness? Will the story end happily?

You'll be on the edge of your seat as you await the answers in this gripping, psychological thriller based on a true story.

Author Biography

Kathie Truitt grew up in the tiny Ozarks town of El Dorado Springs, Missouri. She started her writing career as soon as she could form sentences, spending hours journaling stories in the Big Chief tablet provided her grandmother. By 6th grade she was writing and producing plays for her class. After graduation she attended Missouri State University - for about 2 minutes - before running off and marrying her high school sweetheart. Kathie thought they'd settle down in El Dorado Springs, raising farm animals and babies, but instead travelled the world living in Texas, Mississippi, England and back to Missouri. She spent over 20 years as a radio personality and when her show first became an Arbitron-rated number 1 show, she publicly thanked her teachers who said she'd never amount to a hill o' beans because she couldn't shut up in class. In 1996 she received the honor of being crowned Mrs. Missouri-in which afterward she promptly went up to her hotel room and changed a dirty diaper. One spring day in 2001, Kathie's husband Jay announced he'd accepted a position on the East Coast and a few weeks later, he dragged her kicking and screaming to that den of iniquity some call Washington, D.C. Those first few years were more than rough when the Truitt's moved to their neighborhood. After being the victim of a crazy neighbor lady that stalked them for 5 years, they were forced to move to another county for their safety. This was the basis for Kathie's first novel, "False Victim" in which she not only sold the movie rights, but it was also a featured segment on Investigation Discovery. Kathie's second book, "The Hillbilly Debutante Cafe" is a much lighter, more fun novel that has been compared to 'Fried Green Tomatoes'. Kathie maintains a blog, aptly called 'Hillbilly Debutante: Adventures of an Aging Beauty Queen'. Kathie now makes her home in the beautiful lakeside town of Rowlett, Texas. You can follow Kathie at: hillbillydebutante.blogspot.com