A Cold-Blooded Business
Adultery, Murder, and a Killer's Path from the Bible Belt to the Boardroom
By Marek Fuchs
Reissued in paperback with a new afterword in 2018, updating the twisting narrative of Mark Mangelsdorf after his conviction.
In 1959, Olathe, Kansas, was made famous by the murder of the Clutter family and Truman Capote’s groundbreaking book on the crime, In Cold Blood. But fewer know that Olathe achieved notoriety again in 1982, when a member of Olathe’s growing Evangelical Christian population, a gentle named David Harmon, was bludgeoned to death while sleeping—the force of the blows crushing his face beyond recognition. Suspicion quickly fell on David’s wife, Melinda, and his best friend, Mark, student body president of the local Bible college. However, the long arms of the church defended the two, and no charges were pressed.
Two decades later, two Olathe policemen revived the cold case making startling revelations that reopened old wounds and chasms within the Olathe community—revelations that rocked not only Olathe, but also the two well-heeled towns in which Melinda and Mark resided. David’s former wife and friend were now living separate, successful, law-abiding lives. Melinda lived in suburban Ohio, a devoted wife and mother of two. Mark had become a Harvard MBA, a high-paid corporate mover, a family man, and a respected community member in a wealthy suburb of New York City. Some twenty years after the brutal murders, each received the dreaded knock of justice on the door. A Cold-Blooded Business provides fascinating character studies of Melinda and Mark, killers who seemingly returned to normalcy after one blood-splattered night of violence. Featuring a new afterword by the author covering the events of the past five years, this fast-moving true crime narrative is a chilling exploration into the darkest depths of the human psyche.
Marek Fuchs (Courtesy of Sarah Lawrence College)
Marek Fuchs is a teacher, journalist, and volunteer firefighter. After six years as a stockbroker, he became a journalist, in which role he has written columns for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, and TheStreet. Fuchs speaks regularly on business and journalism issues, and currently serves as chair of the writing faculty at Sarah Lawrence College. He lives in a loud house with three children in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Visit him at Marekfuchs.com; follow him @MarekFuchs.
Reviews
“Readers will be riveted … a breakneck pace is maintained right up to the final pages.” —Kirkus Reviews
“THIS BOOK IS EXCELLENT. BUY IT. … A fascinating first-person observation of a very fascinating trial.” —Mickey Sherman
“In the tradition of In Cold Blood, this yarn is WONDERFULLY REPORTED, with a terrific sense that only business writer Marek Fuchs can bring to the narrative.” —Jim Cramer, star of Jim Cramer’s Mad Money
“A killer of a story—tight, relentlessly compelling, and superbly reported. Heartbreaking, too. Bravo to Marek Fuchs.” —James Kaplan
“READERS WILL BE RIVETED … A breakneck pace is maintained right up to the final pages. Justice prevails in this FOCUSED TRUE-CRIME DRAMA.” —Kirkus Reviews
“An unbiased but enthralling account of love and betrayal.” —Examiner.com
“One of the most amazing stories I have ever heard.” —Burl Barer, Edgar Award–winning author, speaking on True Crime Radio
“A PENETRATING PORTRAYAL of twisted lust, eager betrayal, a savage murder and a small town’s long memory. WITH THE DRAMA OF A NOVEL and the nuances of a seasoned reporter, Fuchs delivers a sober, blood-splashed narrative about justice delayed, but not denied.” —Ron Franscell
“A RIVETING STORY OF LOVE, DECEIT, AND MURDER. He brings to life the conflicts in the lives of the central characters … Fuchs delves into minute detail without ever becoming boring and his research was meticulous.” —Metro Feature Syndicate
