The Embrace - by Aphrodite Jones (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

With an extraordinary talent for staring evil dead in the eye, New York Times bestselling author and journalist Aphrodite Jones plunges readers into the front lines of a modern nightmare.

On November 25, 1996, in their home in the lakeside community of Eustis, Florida, Rick and Ruth Wendorf were savagely beaten to death with a tire iron. The Wendorfs' new Ford Explorer was stolen, but this was no routine robbery gone bad. This was a crime carried out by one Roderick Ferrell, a sixteen-year-old self-avowed Antichrist. His human sacrifice was a testament to the unique and sinister bond of four brainwashed teens. Heather Wendorf was a straight "A" student, a petite blonde with wide-set brown eyes. Yet she had been heard to wish her parents "off the face of the planet." Heather never dreamed that when she joined her friends for a joyride one fall evening, her wish had already come true.

Including exclusive interviews with every living character involved in the case, The Embrace will forever change the way we look at one of the fastest-growing religious movements in the country, and its most vulnerable fold: our children.

Review Quotes

"Denver Rocky Mountain News" Frank and frightening....

"Denver Rocky Mountain News" Parents of teens may want to read "The Embrace" just to heed the warning signs.

"Kirkus Reviews" Readers...will get some sense of the shadowy fantasy lives of "kids fallen through life's crack."

"Publishers Weekly" Jones provides a good overview of the facts surrounding voyeuristic intensity.

"Sun-Sentinel" (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Jones reports the story carefully....She has obviously done her research....The writing is smoothly competent....For those who question the true story behind the horrific headlines, Jones provides a clear understanding of what moves a "strawberry blond, normal-looking kid, to being this dark figure lurking in the night." Parents would be wise to see "The Embrace" as a cautionary tale: take an active part in raising your child, and know about his or her friends. It may someday save your life.

About the Author

Aphrodite Jones is the author of the New York Times bestseller Cruel Sacrifice; the bestseller The FBI Killer, which was made into an ABC-TV movie titled Betrayed by Love, starring Patricia Arquette; All She Wanted; and Della's Web. She began her professional writing career at age twenty-one, with a nationally syndicated column for United Feature Syndicate. A published journalist for more than twenty years, she has also worked as a radio news director, lectured about writing as an assistant professor of English, and, for the last decade, has devoted herself to human interest and hard-news stories. Born in Chicago, raised in New York, and schooled in Los Angeles, Jones now works from her home in West Hollywood. Visit her Web site at www.aphroditejones.com.