I Killed Sam by Robert A Steadman
Calling all feminist true-crime buffs! This novelized account of the true story of a battered woman and her lawyer should be next on your reading list.
I Killed Sam by Robert A. Steadman (Mission Point Press) is a courtroom novel set in 1957 about the revolutionary defense of a battered woman. Sadly, during this time, the act of beating your spouse was not only legal but often considered a regular occurrence. This story takes place in Flint, Michigan, where we are taken back to the year 1956 when Bob Nichols’ life is turned on its head when his high school sweetheart Betty comes into his office saying, “I killed Sam.” From then on, I was hooked.
Upon her confession, Betty explains that she was forced to kill her husband Sam for fear for her life and the life of her daughter. Bob understood that this wouldn’t be an open-and-shut case of self-defense due to the fact that Betty shot her husband with a shotgun in close range while he was sleeping. Because he knew how difficult this case would be, yet took it anyway, leads me to believe Bob felt a wave of guilt looking at the battered woman Betty had become, especially since he was aware of how Sam brutalized her in their marriage. With the trial in progress, amidst Betty’s life being exposed publicly with intimate details of her volatile marriage on display, old feelings start to rekindle for our high school sweethearts. Is there anything more romantic than falling for the man working to keep you out of jail?
PERFECTLY PINNING DOWN SMALL-TOWN LIFE
This book captures the experience of a small-town lifestyle to a “T.” Everyone knows everyone, has gone to the same schools and is in each other’s business. At the same time it gives us a window into the complexity of the court of law.
Steadman lets his years of trial law shine in this book. While this is based on one of Steadman’s trials during his time as a defense attorney, he brings elements of his career and that trial into this novel, giving a genuine authenticity with all the details and vivid descriptions of the law’s inner workings. I found myself forgetting that this is a work of fiction; he did a great job balancing drama inside and outside the courtroom.
Throughout this novel, you hear of harsh horrors that Betty had to live through, at the same time being comforted by Bob and Betty’s love coming back to life. Often in cases like this, you hear people asking the same questions repeatedly: Why didn’t she just leave? I believe Steadman answered it perfectly with this quote: “If Sam Waterman had not died by a shotgun blast that morning, you know where Betty and her daughter would be now. Don’t you?” I Killed Sam is a story of torture, fear and survival tied together with love. But the real question is, will Bob win the case along with Betty’s heart?
