American Black Widow

In Gregg Olsen’s account of Sharon Nelson, a portrait emerges of a woman who manipulated men into committing murder to satisfy her financial and romantic whims. The narrative centers on the 1976 killing of her husband, Mike Mahoney, and the 1980 death of her subsequent husband, Glen Wright. At the heart of the case is Gary Adams, the lover whom Nelson convinced to pull the trigger in both instances. Olsen details the investigation that uncovered how Nelson utilized sexual influence and psychological coercion to orchestrate these crimes across the scenery of the Pacific Northwest and Colorado.

This book serves readers interested in the mechanics of sociopathy and the specific dynamics of organized domestic homicide. It provides a look at how investigators piece together long-dormant crimes by identifying patterns in behavioral history. Readers gain an understanding of the legal strategies used to prosecute a mastermind who did not personally commit the physical acts of violence. The text offers a study of the intersection between romantic obsession and cold-blooded opportunism, showing the eventual collapse of a multi-year conspiracy under the weight of its own complexity.