Product Description

What happens if, after being given up for adoption in childhood, you reestablish contact with your biological family -- only to discover that your newfound brother is a killer?

Anne Bird, the sister of Scott Peterson, knows firsthand.

Soon after her birth in 1965, Anne was given up for adoption by her mother, Jackie Latham. Welcomed into the well-adjusted Grady family, she lived a happy life. Then, in the late 1990s, she came back into contact with her mother, now Jackie Peterson, and her family -- including Jackie's son Scott Peterson and his wife, Laci. Anne was welcomed into the family, and over the next several years she grew close to Scott and especially Laci. Together they shared holidays, family reunions, and even a trip to Disneyland. Anne and Laci became pregnant at roughly the same time, and the two became confidantes.

Then, on Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson went missing -- and the happy façade of the Peterson family slowly began to crumble. Anne rushed to the family's aid, helping in the search for Laci, even allowing Scott to stay in her home while police tried to find his wife. Yet Scott's behavior grew increasingly bizarre during the search, and Anne grew suspicious that her brother knew more than he was telling. Finally she began keeping a list of his disturbing behavior. And by the time Laci's body -- and that of her unborn son, Conner -- were found, Anne was becoming convinced: Her brother Scott Peterson had murdered his wife and unborn child in cold blood.

Filled with news-making revelations and intimate glimpses of Scott and Laci, the Peterson family, and the investigation that followed the murder, Blood Brother is a provocative account of how long-dormant family ties dragged one woman into one of the most notorious crimes of our time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #498122 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-01
• Released on: 2005-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
As true crime books go, this addition to the Scott and Laci Peterson library isn't particularly riveting, salacious or revealing, which is strange considering Bird's unique perspective. Adopted as a child, Bird reunited with her birth mother, Jackie Peterson, Scott's mother, in late 1997. Bird takes every opportunity to stress that she grew very close to the Peterson family, but there's very little evidence of this apart from Bird's own assertions. The reader learns tidbits about Scott and Laci: i.e., Laci loved flowers, and Scott "was a real charmer, the kind of guy who lights up a room." But such details hover on the surface. In fact, this book reveals more about the author's self-delusional behavior than the crime itself. Laci's abduction occurs early on, and for the rest of the book, Bird relates how, despite all evidence to the contrary, she refused to believe her brother could be guilty. Her denial is such that, after Scott's arrest, Bird writes letters to him in which she replaces the word "jail" with "camp." Despite Bird's frequent protestations, one wonders if she isn't disingenuous at times. She professes her love for her birth mother, for example, yet paints her in an unflattering light ("I was beginning to understand why Jackie was so critical of Laci. No one was good enough for her golden boy"). With the help of a therapist, Bird finally accepts the evidence and devises her list of 33 reasons why her brother is guilty. This list-which takes up a mere five pages and offers such banal reasons as Scott "flirted with our babysitter"-is just as superficial as the rest of the book. Photos.
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About the Author

The mother of two sons, Anne Bird lives outside of San Francisco, California.

Customer Reviews

With a mother like that . . .
As much as I admire Amber Frey, her book added little to what was already known about Scott Peterson and his family. Anne Bird's book, on the other hand, tells us lots we didn't know. I won't give away any details, but Scott's mother, Jackie Peterson, is revealed to be just about as big a sociopath as Scott. A very fast read; I read it in one sitting. If you're a Peterson trial junkie, this is a must read!

Blood Brother- Chilling
Thank you Mrs. Bird for writing this book. You have provided a terrific insight to the Latham/Peterson family dynamic. Your account of events leading up to and after Laci's disappearance is chilling. I was stunned at Scott's self centered, spoiled brat behavior as well as Jackies seemingly mean spirited remarks about Laci. I read this book in less than a day. I could not put it down. May God bless you and your family.

An Honest Account
Ms. Bird has written from the heart. The reader who is looking for irrefutable evidence of Scott's guilt or innocence will be disappointed. However, as a Peterson clan insider, Ms. Bird does buttress the circumstantial case against Scott with her own direct observations. The story is all the more compelling because Ms. Bird initially believed in Scott's innocence. Most admirable, Bird does not use heavy-handed tactics to sway the reader to her view of Scott's guilt. Rather, she lets events and circumstances of which she had first-hand knowledge speak for themselves. The photographs included in the book were helpful. Ms. Bird obviously had deep affection for Laci, and we learn more about Laci, the woman. Bird also offers a theory as to how Scott committed the murder which is quite convincing. The book is not meant to stand as the definitive account of the Laci Peterson murder. Instead, it is the tale of how the tragic events impacted one woman close to the epicenter. It's a human story, and the book accomplishes what it sets out to do. I sincerely hope Ms. Bird is healing from this aftermath of her involvement with her birth family.