Too Young to Kill - by M William Phelps (Paperback)

About the Book

After leaving her troubled home life in Texas, 16-year-old Adrianne Reynolds hoped for a fresh start as part of her adoptive father's family in East Moline, Illinois, near the banks of the Mississippi River. Seeking acceptance, she was drawn to classmates Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory, who all bonded over their feelings of being outcasts. But eventually teenage jealousy and domination led to Reynolds's brutal murder. In this updated edition, M. William Phelps revisits the alarming and timely saga of a girl who tried to find herself, the teenagers who befriended and then betrayed her, and the heartbreaking problems of bullying and teen-on-teen violence.

Book Synopsis

New and updated anniversary edition!

As daily headlines about bullying and teen violence render it more timely than ever, this shocking true crime tale of a vulnerable small-town girl gruesomely murdered by the peers she called friends is now updated with chilling new details and insights from New York Times bestselling author, investigative journalist, and host of the hit podcast Crossing the Line, M. William Phelps.

After leaving her troubled home life in Texas, 16-year-old Adrianne Reynolds hoped for a fresh start as part of her adoptive father's family in East Moline, Illinois, near the banks of the Mississippi River. Seeking acceptance, she was drawn to a trio of classmates steeped in, and obsessed with, the Juggalo culture--fans of the rap duo Insane Clown Posse. Though they bonded over their feelings of being outcasts, sporting dark clothing, "killer" clown makeup, tattoos, and piercings, Adrianne was ill-prepared to deal with the twisted tangles of jealousy and domination in her new social world. After a brutal murder stunned the community and was traced back to the teens, bonds were severed and loyalties tested . . . as the shocking truth finally emerged.

In this updated edition of a true-crime classic, M. William Phelps revisits the alarming and timely saga of a girl who tried to find herself, the youths who befriended and then betrayed her, and the heartbreaking problems of bullying and teen-on-teen violence that continue to shock and bewilder us.

Review Quotes

Praise for M. William Phelps

"Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers." --Allison Brennan

"Phelps knows how to work it, mainly by fleshing out...character with prurient details...and examples of...maddening game-playing." --The New York Times Book Review on Where Monsters Hide

"Phelps depicts Conley as a narcissist who feared losing control of Adam, and the book stridently calls out social media efforts to overturn her conviction of manslaughter. The author's anger at Conley's glamorization within the true crime community is palpable." --Library Journal on We Thought We Knew You

"Phelps does a good job exposing the way reality TV coverage can influence and indeed corrupt perceptions of guilt and innocence. True crime and popular culture fans will be fascinated." --Publishers Weekly on We Thought We Knew You

"Sometimes truth really is stranger, and scarier, than fiction, as demonstrated by investigative reporter M. William Phelps' Where Monsters Hide...This is narrative nonfiction of the highest order, a sumptuously scintillating tale that greets us with the character types we're used to seeing in the fiction of Lisa Gardner, Harlan Coben or Lisa Scottoline. Superb in all respects." --The Providence Journal on Where Monsters Hide

"A chilling, real-life tale of murder and madness." --BookTrib on Where Monsters Hode

"Phelps is an expert in the world of true crime and the mind of a serial killer." --Library Journal

"Phelps is a true-crime veteran." --New York Post

"Phelps is one of America's finest true-crime authors." --Vincent Bugliosi

"M. William Phelps [is a] master of true crime." --Real Crime Magazine

"M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer." --TV Rage

"Phelps is the king of true crime." --Lynda Hirsch, Creators Syndicate columnist

"Phelps treads dangerous ground like an Amazon jungle guide--fearless, compassionate, insightful." --Geoff Fitzpatrick, Executive Producer of Dark Minds

About the Author

M. William Phelps is an investigative journalist, podcast host, television expert and New York Times bestselling author of over 40 nonfiction books, including the groundbreaking crime memoir Dangerous Ground. Winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New England Book Festival Award, he's spent over 300 hours on television as a true crime expert, appearing on numerous shows, including CBS' Early Show, ABC's Good Morning America, the Today Show and The View. He created, produced and starred in the series Dark Minds and also stars in Deadly Women, Sex, Lies & Murder, Oxygen's Snapped, Killer Couples and KillerPost. He is the creator and host of the hit podcast series Crossing the Line and Paper Ghosts, and has been called "the nation's leading authority on the mind of the female murderer" by Radio America. Touched by tragedy himself through the unsolved murder of his sister in law, Phelps is able to enter the hearts and minds of his subjects like no one else. He lives in a Connecticut farming community and can be found online at MWilliamPhelps.com.