Family Blood

Gerald Woodman, an Englishman and an Orthodox Jew, came to American penniless and hungry for the good life. By 1980 he had gained and lost two fortunes, had built his plastics company into a cash cow that supported his large extended family in great luxury. Killed in 1985 along with his wife Vera, the police asked Vera's sister if the Woodmans had any enemies, she replied , "Yes, their sons." Family Blood follows the investigation of these murders and reveals a story of the American Dream gone wrong. Gerald, behind his facade of charm, piety and filial warmth, was a ruthless, amoral businessman, a philandering husband, a ferociously abusive father, and a compulsive gambler. His sons, Neil and Stewart, inherited his charm and business principles. This is the story of the hidden dynamics of an outwardly successful American family that came to a shocking and violent end. It is also the story of a clan of whose menfolk guarded a dark secret from their wives - and everyone else - for three generations. Further it is the chronicle of two dogged police detectives who exposed the Woodman's sordid secrets to the light of justice.

REVIEWS

"Family Blood takes us through the morass of one clan's creed, jealousies, manipulations, and tantrums. Long before murder entered the picture, tax evasion, theft, insurance fraud, and racketeering were accepted family practices. Dapper, dishonest granddaddy perfects a scheme to fool auditors. His son-in-law, Gerald Woodman, is a scam artist. Gerald's two sons, Neil and Stewart, gamble in Vegas and rub elbows with the mob. If you need the insurance money, is killing Mom and Dad such a stretch? The question is really this: Does a book about despicable people make good reading? Well, yeah, it does. The authors do a fine job of showing motivation and psychology. We also see good detective work as the police peel away onion layers of information to expose sordid facts. The title is perhaps a misnomer because it implies a strong religious connection, and religion doesn't play into these people's lives."
Library Journal

"The authors write with the urgency and clarity of seasoned journalists with a good yarn to tell. The story itself is colorful and compelling, a true-crime whodunit that also amounts to a portrait of a tragically dysfunctional family, a primer in how to run a crooked business, and a kind of cracked version of the Horatio Alger story."
Los Angeles Times

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