TYPORAMA
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Today Bestselling author of more than 30 crime books. Gregg Olsen’s thrilling true crime book.
PRAISE FOR THE AMISH WIFE:
“Olsen has a gift for taking mountains of paperwork and interview material and weaving them into a cohesive narrative that is often difficult to put down, especially for die-hard true-crime fans... readers will feel like they’re right there with him as he’s knocking on doors and spinning out on the Midwestern ice. An engaging, well-researched historical excavation!”—Kirkus Reviews, THE AMISH WIFE
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS FOR GREGG OLSEN’S BOOKS:
Praise for IF YOU TELL, the instant #1 Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller: “This riveting account will leave readers questioning every odd relative they’ve known.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Olsen presents the story chronologically and in a simple, straightforward style, which works well: it is chilling enough as is.” —Booklist
“An unsettling stunner about sibling love, courage, and resilience." —People Magazine (book of the week)
“This disturbing book recounts the unimaginable abuse and torture three sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek endured from their own mother, Shelly...the strong bond they form to survive and defy their mother’s sadistic tendencies is inspiring.” —BuzzFeed
“If You Tell accomplishes what it sets out to do. The result is a compelling portrait of terror and a powerfully honest, yet still sensitive, look at survival.” —Bookreporter
ABOUT THE AMISH WIFE:
Discover the riveting tale of Ida Stutzman, a young, pregnant Ohio Amish woman whose death was declared natural but left unanswered questions.
Why was her death dismissed so quickly?
Why did no one investigate further? Olsen takes readers on a journey through two contrasting worlds – the secretive realm of the Amish and the lives of gay men in Eli Stutzman's circle– shedding light on a chilling cover-up that lasted 45 years.
Through unprecedented access and painstaking research, Olsen uncovers the conspiracy of silence that shrouded Ida's death and its chilling connection to her son Danny's demise.
The gripping narrative explores the intersection of fear, secrets, and complicity, shedding light on how inhabitants of vastly different worlds were unwittingly entangled in the tragedy that befell the Stutzman family.
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Q & Q WITH WITH GREGG OLSEN:
THE AMISH WIFE:
Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy That Let a Killer Go Free
Q: You’ve written a number of true crime books set in the Amish community. What draws you and
fascinates you about this culture?
A: In the beginning, I viewed the Amish in the same simplistic manner most people do or did. They lived a quaint, simple, and appealing lifestyle. Everything centered around faith, family, and community. It’s
much more than that, of course.
Q: Most people have preconceived notions about the Amish. How does reality differ from those
stereotypes?
A: Yes, they have rules and a deep faith. But they are, obviously, real people. They have the same hopes, wants, desires and emotions that everyone else has. While they dress alike, share many of the same rules,
they are as diverse in their personalities as the rest of mankind. They are funny, bitter, angry, and loving...just like us.
Q: You wrote about Eli Stutzman in Abandoned Prayers. Is this the first time you’ve returned to a case or
criminal perpetrator for a second book?
A: As a book, yes. But generally, as a nonfiction crime writer I have never felt anything but a lifelong connection with those who have trusted me with their stories. With a very few exceptions, most of the people I’ve written about are still in my orbit.
Q: In a way, you yourself become a major character in this narrative. As you seek the truth, THE AMISH
WIFE chronicles what might seem a personal obsession on your part with Ida Stutzman’s death? Why are
you haunted by this case?
A: It’s complicated. Now in my sixties, I think about what my life as a writer and what it has been to myfamily, my readers, and the people I’ve written about. I want to focus my remaining years – however
long that is –on things that matter to me. Things that I need to resolve.
The stories that must be told. While I still can. Ida and Danny and the victims in Colorado remain at the top of my list.
Q: What was suspicious about Ida Stutzman’s death that made you want to delve into it after so much
time?
A: So many things. You’ll see all of them in the book, of course. It was the phone call from Ida’s brother that gave me the way into something that I knew I had to do. He’s Amish, of course, but he and I share
the same feelings about what happened in Wayne County back in 1977. I just needed the impetus to get back onto the story. He provided that.
Q: Returning to the Stutzmans’ story after many years, what challenges did you face in getting people—
many of whom you interviewed years ago—to speak the truth this time?
A: A lot of things have changed in the decades since I wrote about the Stutzmans – both within the Amish and LGBTQ community. The stigma of being gay has, for the most part, been eradicated. The men I talked
to the first time around held things back, for sure. Now they are able to share more without fear. Same with the Amish. Last time around, they couldn’t even say the words they needed to in order to describe what
they’d witnessed when it came to Eli and his life. Today, while uncomfortable, they were much more forthcoming.
Q: Who was Jim Frost and why is he a key figure in the story you tell in THE AMISH WIFE?
A: Former Wayne County Sheriff Jim Frost is central to Eli Stutzman getting away with killing his wife. I
hate to use the word conspiracy, but indeed that’s what happened. It’s laid out in the book, of course.
Q: Would the events in this story have unfolded differently if it had not taken place among the Amish – if, for instance, it happened in a less circumscribed rural community without such rigid religious and lifestyle rules?
A: Yes, undoubtedly. The Amish community prefers to solve their own problems. They don’t seek out or even want English (non-Amish) involved in their world. Period. If Ida’s death had happened among an
English community, feeling as many and the community did, there is no doubt Stutzman would have been prosecuted. It would not have matter what Sheriff Frost wanted to hide.
Q: Ultimately, do you think that Ida’s death and the ensuing burying of the truth to some degree makes the Amish community itself complicit in the crime?
A: I don’t blame the Amish. I place the blame on the authorities associated with the county. There are lots
of cases of reluctant witnesses being made to help in the pursuit of justice. The circumstances of the night of Ida’s death is awash in red flags. All that was needed was an investigation and a little prodding.
That never happened.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
The #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen has written more than thirty books, including If You Tell, Lying Next to Me, The Last Thing She Ever Did, and two novels in the Nicole Foster series, The Sound of Rain and The Weight of Silence.
Known for his ability to create vivid and fascinating narratives, he has appeared on multiple television and radio shows and news networks, such as such as 20/20, Good Morning America, Dateline, FOX News, NPR, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, Anderson Cooper, and MSNBC.
In addition, Olsen has been featured in Redbook, People, and Salon magazine, as well as in the Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times, and New York Post.
Both his fiction and nonfiction works have received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including prominence on the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.
Washington State officially selected his young adult novel Envy for the National Book Festival, and The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year.
A Seattle native who lives with his wife in rural Washington State, Olsen’s already at work on his next thriller.
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CONNECT WITH GREGG OLSON:
IG @greggolsen and X @Gregg_Olsen.
www.greggolsen.com
www.notorioususa.com/videoshouts to view or listen to Olsen’s previous national broadcast appearances.
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