Product Description

Sleeping with a monster

At first, Linda Bergstrom's marriage to her husband James was idyllic. They were young and in love; he was about to enter the Navy and she was eager to start a family. But it wasn't long before the dream exploded. James became abusive and violent, prone to sudden bursts of anger, long silences, and unexplained disappearances. But Linda vowed to hold on, despite the pain and fear . . . and her disturbing suspicions about her husband's secret life.

Then, not long after their move to Houston, Texas, she made a terrifying discovery: James's hidden cache containing duct tape, a ski mask, and handcuffs. No longer could Linda Bergstrom deny the hideous truth.

The man she lived with, the man she married for love, was a dangerous psychopath. And there was no escape and nowhere to run. Because no one—not her friends, the Navy, or the police—would believe her.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15171 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-01
• Released on: 2008-10-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780061582011
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"Superbly researched and beautifully written. Kathryn Casey joins Carlton Stowers as the premier chroniclers of Texas crime. I devoured this book in one Texas-sized gulp."Gregg Olsen, New York Times bestselling author of Abandoned Prayers (New York Times )

"A true crime classic! A chilling study where both the victim and the stalker are bizarre and inscrutable...by one of the best in the true crime genre." (Ann Rule )

"Never has a book been more aptly titled. Masterfully, Casey weaves a dark and disturbing look into a world of advantaged youths who throw it all away in favor of drugs, booze and bad company, leaving a sordid trail of destruction - and death - in the wake. A troubling tale, indeed." (Carlton Stowers )

"Kathryn Casey is one of the best true crime writers today...This is a 'do not miss' book." (Ann Rule, author of Green River )

"With She Wanted it All, Casey stakes her claim as one of the best in the business." (M. William Phelps, author of Perfect Poison )

About the Author

Kathryn Casey is a Houston-based journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, TV Guide, Reader's Digest, Texas Monthly, and many other publications. She is the author of five acclaimed true crime books.

Customer Reviews

Suspensful! A Real Page Turner!
When this book was initially released under the title THE RAPIST'S WIFE, Kathryn Casey had not yet made a name for herself among True Crime fans. No longer the case, EVIL BESIDE HER can now receive the acclaim and the public support of which it is so derserving. While Casey has never written a book I did not thoroughly enjoy, EVIL BESIDE HER is a truly suspensful spiral into the shadowy world of a psychopathic rapist.

Given the intimate knowledge and information Linda Bergstrom possessed about the habits of her husband of 7 years, it is absolutely terrifying to me as a woman that James Bergstrom spent hours and hours of his free time stalking potential victims, peeping into the windows of unsuspecting women, and planning his eventual rapes. In fact, as is the case with so many rapists who become more and more obsessed and desperate, James Bergstrom was soon leaving work early, reporting for work late, or not working at all to give himself the time he needed to fantasize, stalk, and execute his dark compulsions. (Scary!)

The author suggests early on that if Linda Bergstrom had had adequate information about James Bergstrom, she might not have married him. I disagree. Linda was reared in a home with a controlling, explosive father who emotionally terrorized his wife and children. Prior to marrying James Bergstrom, Linda had already witnessed his irrational jealousy, his need for absolute control, and his frightening displays of anger. When a suitor drives his truck across the lawn of the family home in a rage and then aims the truck at a family member, how much more information does one need? Linda Bergstrom repeated the dynamics of the family in which she was reared... with tragic consequences.

Linda Bergstrom stayed in an incredibyly violent marriage for 7 years, repeating the mantra that James would kill her if she left him. Yet, she had in fact left her husband on one occasion and returned to the marriage, only to find that the promises her husband made were false. Linda Bergstrom was brutally and savagely beaten on many, many occasions. He threatened to kill her on a regular basis because she "...knew too much." And, despite her greatest fear that James would harm their young daughter, she stayed just long enough for these fears to come to fruition. And so, the cycle of domestic violence continued. I wanted so badly for Linda Bergstrom to pack a suticase, collect her daughter and run for her life. The threat of leaving was no greater than the threat of staying.

I do not believe the United States Navy did the community any favors in terminating Berstrom's service with an "honorable discharge." And the state of Washington, knowing they had a rapist whom they could not convict, failed to place a simple and routine telephone call to the Houston Police Department to warn them of the psychopath who was returning home from his lackluster service and questionable conduct as a navy recruit. Unforgivable! Linda Bergstrom had to do the investigative work of several detectives and then some simply because no one in authority felt it necessary to warn the state of Texas and the city of Houston that a psychopath roamed among them.

The arrest and trial of James Bergstrom exposed the dark side of a man who maintained a carefully constructed image of normalcy. I did find the less than expert testimony of one "expert witness" very disturbing and incorrect. One forensic psychiatrist diagnosed James Bergstrom, among other diagnoses, as a PEDOPHILE. As a practicing psychotherapist who has worked with the sex offender population, this diagnosis is absolutely incorrect and without validity. One child victim when the defendant himself was a minor child does not a pedophile make. Pedophiles are primarily and singularly sexually attracted to children. There is absolutely nothing about James Bergstrom's history or conduct to suggest he was anything other than a rapist and hater of women.

Congratulations to Linda Bergstrom for serving as a police detective, a special investigative unit, and informant. Congratulations also to Kathryn Casey for telling a story that is both terrifying and hopeful, and exposing the obsessions and compulsions of man who should NEVER be released from prison.

The Ann Rule of Texas Shines Again!
Kathryn Casey might be the best true crime writer out of Texas so far. Her books are usually gripping and interesting. Although this book doesn't interest me as much as the others but that's okay, she writes the best in the recent batch of true crime books that I read now. Casey writes about Linda Bergstrom and her horrifying marriage to serial rapist, James Bergstrom. In the beginning, Linda describes their marriage and relationship as ideal until James requests and later orders her to do unspeakable things in the bedroom. This book and story is a typical case of a battered spouse and an abusive relationship. Linda would soon learn that she had no choice but to stay and endure. She made excuses for him in order to rationalize her situation. As I kept reading, I wanted to keep telling her to get out of a dangerous situation. The book captivates the reader because it explains how James evolved. Like I said, Casey does a brilliant job in bringing this story into multi-dimensional and visualizations of the reader. You feel like you are in with Linda in her situation and understand how she stayed and why as well as her other actions.

True Crime Books written by Kathryn Casey
I'm a fan of Ann Rule's books and I've often looked for other writers who cover a true crime as well(or almost as well)as she does. Kathryn Casey is the first to impress me with her ability to be thorough and never boring or sensationalistic in her telling of the stories. I would recommend this author and this book to anyone interested in true crime books. Her style is different from Ann Rule's but she also researches and writes extremely well.