“A nonfiction noir that combines propulsive true crime with stylish writing, Brottman’s account of a murder, a love triangle and small-town secrets in Tallahassee, Fla., makes for an unputdownable read. There’s sex, death and money, yes — but also a smart, sensitive examination of a group of people and what happens when lies take over a life.”
—The New York Times
“This story has it all—adultery, obsession, murder, revenge, betrayal—but Brottman doesn’t settle for the superficial. Rather than a whodunit, Guilty Creatures is a compelling psychological double portrait of what happens when two people are forever bound by a life-altering secret.”
—Becky Cooper, bestselling author of We Keep the Dead Close
“So much more than another true crime story, Mikita Brottman’s Guilty Creatures is a psychological thriller as intricately organized as a Hitchcock movie. And, with its high literary values, it stands with classics of the genre like Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song and Capote’s In Cold Blood.”
—Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Souls' Rising
“An excavation of the luridness and venality underneath a smiling, all-American façade.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Meticulously catalogged... [and paced] with aplomb. Readers won't be able to look away.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Engrossing... [written] with freshness and verve.”
—Shelf Awareness
"[A] compelling… deep dive into human nature.”
—Booklist
“Guilty Creatures could have slinked out of fiction by Flannery O’Connor or Donna Tartt—not to mention James M. Cain—and they come alive in this richly atmospheric, deeply researched, and terrifying true crime book.”
—Betsy Bonner, author of Round Lake and The Book of Atlantis Black
“Propulsive, harrowing, and ironic, Mikita Brottman’s impeccably researched story investigates how, under pressure, morals can twist to justify even the worst actions.”
—Erika Krouse, author of Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation