Lethal Charmer by Patricia Springer (May 2010)

A Couple Days I Can Never Get Back
Review by Kim Cantrell

As a general rule, I like Patricia Springer’s books. While I may not exactly label her my “favorite author,” until now, she did rank higher on the list.

But she blew it with her May 2010 true crime release of Lethal Charmer, about the Stephen Barbee case.

Barbee, recently remarried, had failed to tell his new wife, Trish, about his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Lisa Underwood.

Lisa, however, was not going to go away quietly.

Firmly believing Barbee to be the father, she was insistent that he provide emotional, physical, and financial support for the baby that was expected to arrive in early April.

After arriving at Lisa’s home one night to discuss the situation, a verbal and physical dispute erupted that resulted in the murder of Lisa Underwood.

And if the murder of a seven-and-a-half month pregnant woman wasn’t dispicable enough, Barbee killing Lisa’s innocent seven-year-old son, Jayden, to eliminate a witness, was.

The first 87 out the 339 pages of this book are intense, fast-paced reading. The remaining 252 pages, however, simply flat out boring.

If Springer isn’t writing directly from Court transcripts, I’d be surprised. Well, at least when she doesn’t appear to be drumming up sympathy for Stephen Barbee and his family.

I was personally disgusted and appalled by such an attempt.

In my opinion, I don’t care how many head injuries you’ve suffered or how many of your siblings have died at an early age, when you can function in the dating, marriage, and working world as Barbee did, there will be NO acceptable excuses for killing a third trimester fetus, a little boy, and a pregnant woman.

As for the pros, I can only name one: the epilogue. Categorized by person and up-to-date (as of publication), this was a nice touch.

My recommendation? If you enjoy long, monotonous Court trials, then Lethal Charmer is for you. For the rest of you, read about the case online, saving yourself time and money.