Official Review: Better Dead Than Divorced

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 19 May 2015, 19:04

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Better Dead Than Divorced" by Lukas Thanasis Konandreas M.D..]

4 out of 4 stars

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Better Dead than Divorced: The Trial of Panayota by Lukas Thanasis Konandreas M.D. recounts the devastating true story of the murder of an abused wife and the trial of her accused murderers. Set in Greece in the 1950s, Better Dead than Divorced depicts a tale of love, suspicion, conspiracy and murder. A beautiful wife’s is killed long before her time. A town is divided as accusations are made. A courtroom is proven to be corrupt. Panayota’s cousin, Thanasis, is the one man to go above and beyond and ensure justice is served, even as the trial begins to cost him all he has. Readers will be entranced by the facts of the case and will be on the edge of their seats the whole way through.

Lukas does a wonderful job transporting readers to 1950s Kupaki. He easily depicts the conservative nature of the town. A woman’s virtue is everything in Kupaki, and when it is questioned, it leads to whispers, gossip and shame. He ties in the importance of a woman’s virtue to the facts surrounding Panayota’s marriage and murder. Lukas’ decision to include the description of the conservative nature of the town is a really good one. It allows readers to better understand the time Panayota is married and murdered in.

The depictions of the townspeople and community members are very in depth. Panayota is shown to be a kind, loving and loyal wife and family member. Her strength comes through as she finds ways to maneuver through the minefield created by her husband, George. The facts of her murder are all the more devastating after getting to know her so well through the pages of the book. The second character I need to touch upon is Thanasis. I only bring him up because I admired him so much. He is proof that conviction and faith go a long way. There are many more people in this book, who are beautifully depicted, but I will not include them because I fear giving away too much about the book. However, I do need to point out that there are a lot of people readers need to keep straight in this book. A lot of people are a part of the trial, but Lukas does a great job explaining all of the people’s quirks, so readers will not find keeping people straight to be a struggle.

The writing style is fantastic. The words and paragraphs flow together wonderfully. Lukas has a true skill for revealing details and facts of the case in a timely manner, so readers will not be overwhelmed with too much information. He does a great job keeping the pace of the book moving quickly. Some true crime books lag in certain places, but this one does not. Pictures of the town and trial are included in the book, which helps to put faces to names. There are only a select few pictures, which is great because they do not distract from the book.

I am really impressed with the research put into this book. In the afterword, Lukas explains he went to Greece in 2003 and found 360 pages from the original trials. He incorporates all that he found. I commend him for the research he completed.

I give Better Dead than Divorced: The Trial of Panayota by Lukas Thanasis Konandreas M.D. 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well-written and fully researched true crime books. The fast pace of the plot and the fantastic details both earn this book a 4 star rating.

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Better Dead Than Divorced
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Post by **bookowlie** » 21 May 2015, 12:36

Great review! I almost chose this book to read/review a few weeks ago, so I was very interested in your review. I am a fan of true crime books so I may have to add this one to my list.

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 21 May 2015, 15:26

@bookowlie Thanks for the kind words! I really enjoyed reading and reviewing this one. I would give it a go!

bluemel4 · Post by **bluemel4** » 21 May 2015, 15:30

Great review. This sounds like a fun, well paced and interesting read. Going to add this to my to-read list. Thank you.

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 21 May 2015, 17:35

@bluemel4 thank you! The pace was great. I'm so happy you will put it on your to read list!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 21 May 2015, 17:55

Great review! I can tell the author put a lot of effort into this, and it sounds like a great book!

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 21 May 2015, 18:53

zeldas_lullaby wrote:Great review! I can tell the author put a lot of effort into this, and it sounds like a great book!

Thanks! The author put a ton of effort into the book!

H0LD0Nthere · Post by **H0LD0Nthere** » 21 May 2015, 21:16

Sounds like a terrific book about a horrible crime.

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 21 May 2015, 21:34

H0LD0Nthere wrote:Sounds like a terrific book about a horrible crime.

The crime is terrible. I am just so glad someone decided to write the truth!

gali · Post by **gali** » 21 May 2015, 21:53

Devastating story indeed. Thank you for the review.

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 21 May 2015, 21:59

gali wrote:Devastating story indeed. Thank you for the review.

It's such a devastating tale. Thanks for the comment!

Amheiser · Post by **Amheiser** » 24 May 2015, 00:14

The subject of this book makes me a little leery about reading it, but the review makes it sound like a book that I wouldn't want to miss. It sounds like it is very well-written, and the research that was put into the book is impressive. The mystery and fast pace, and the skilled revelation of details and facts interest me. Thanks for the good review!