by Shanna Hogan
First published 2013
Travis Alexander lived as a confirmed bachelor in Mesa, Arizona. The attractive Mormon worked hard and charmed everyone he met, particularly women. He dated multiple people and avoided serious relationships. Jodi Arias, a photographer with aspirations, began a long-distance romance with Travis. When he ended their relationship, she refused to accept his decision. She abandoned her life in California and relocated within miles of his Arizona home. Jodi forced herself into Travis's daily routine and social circle. Travis was discovered dead in his house with his throat cut and a gunshot wound to his face. The savage killing stunned his community and friends. Police identified Jodi as their primary suspect based on evidence found at the crime scene. She claimed Travis attacked her first and she killed him defending herself. The case raises questions about whether Jodi was truly a victim or a calculating killer who destroyed the man she claimed to love.
Genres: crime, non-fiction, biography-memoir, true-crime
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Mesa, Arizona, California
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Kindle Edition · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: murder, violence