Almost Paradise: The East Hampton Murder of Ted Ammon FROM THE PUBLISHER
"On October 22, 2001, handsome multi-millionaire financier Ted Ammon was found bludgeoned to death in the magnificent East Hampton mansion he'd built with his beautiful - and volatile - wife, Generosa. She stood to make millions, but it wasn't the money that made Ted's friends suspicious: Generosa Ammon had a history of violent outbursts and bizarre obsessions." "A talented decorator, Generosa had fashioned a lavish lifestyle for her husband and their two children, divided between Fifth Avenue, the Long Island estate, and a manor house in England. But when Generosa discovered Ted had a mistress, her demons were unleashed." "She began a very public affair with Danny Pelosi, a strikingly handsome womanizer who was also her electrician. She called him her "tool belt guy." He was also an ex-con with a mile-long rap sheet and was suspected of playing a pivotal role in Ted's murder and the final destruction of a once-perfect family." In Almost Paradise, Kieran Crowley re-creates the three tumultuous lives that intersected fatally in East Hampton that fall. He tracks Generosa's lonely transformation from angry teenager - orphaned, unwanted, and abused - to temperamental Manhattan artist and society wife. He follows the rambunctious odyssey that transformed Danny Pelosi from banking executive's privileged son, to street fighter and down-on-his-luck alcoholic, to unsuccessful contractor charged with murder. He also chronicles the charmed and tragic life of Ted Ammon, whose money and status couldn't save him from the machinations of those around him and his ultimate brutal demise.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Crowley, a New York Post reporter and veteran true crime author (The Surgeon's Wife), has written a fast-paced account of the sordid circumstances surrounding the brutal October 2001 bludgeon murder of multimillionaire Ted Ammon. With interweaving narratives, Crowley presents the stories of the three principal players in this drama: Ammon; his estranged wife, Generosa; and her blue-collar lover, Danny Pelosi. None of the three is likely to engage readers' sympathies, although Generosa, whatever her involvement in her husband's death, if any, is clearly the villain of the piece. Possibly scarred by sexual abuse she claimed occurred in her youth, she became a cruel, manipulative and imperious woman who treated others like chattel, and who inflicted horrific emotional damage on the twins she and her husband had adopted. Her rants and threats escalated as she began to suspect that Ammon was cheating on her and looking to end the marriage that had elevated her into high society. She struck back by beginning her affair with Pelosi, who was charged with the murder earlier this year. As Pelosi's trial on that charge began on November 1, this readable but not particularly deep book may well be regarded as dated soon after publication and be superseded by an account that incorporates the trial's revelations and outcome. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
An in-depth investigation into the grisly murder of leveraged-buyout financier Ted Ammon, from New York Post reporter Crowley. No need to pump up the material to give this story of vulgarity and murder epic proportions, and the author doesn't, maintaining a steady keel throughout. Which is not to say that Crowley (The Surgeon's Wife, etc., not reviewed) isn't relentless in uncovering the protagonists' sleazy doings. The miscreants include Ted Ammon, an arbitrageur who ruined many a life as he enriched a few (including himself); his shallow and snobbish socialite wife Generosa, sarcastic, arrogant, rude, and cheap with people in a way she would never be with objects; and ne'er-do-well Danny Pelosi, Generosa's married lover. Each of three was the kind of person who touched other's lives in all the wrong ways, but in Crowley's estimation Generosa was queen of this nasty hill. The merest perceived slight would send her into a screaming fit, making even close friends cringe. When she discovered that Ted was having an affair, she gave him his walking papers and commenced secret surveillance of his home. But before the divorce could be finalized, he was beaten to death with a poker while Taser shocks were administered. (The surveillance equipment was removed by the killers.) Generosa had told her husband on more than one occasion, "I'll have you killed," and Pelosi owned a Taser. He got a quickie divorce and they got married shortly after Ted's death. Yet Pelosi-who publicly commented of Generosa, "She's wacko, but she'll do anything for me"-was a relatively decent father to his kids and also good with her kids, the real victims of this story. After Generosa died of cancer, he was arrested forTed's murder, unconvincingly if this version is correct. Crowley writes in measured, albeit frightening terms, making no call, letting the facts and his investigative reporting speak for themselves. Truly appalling all around: a story seemingly without goodness, except in the telling. (8-page b&w photo insert, not seen)Agent: Jane Dystel/Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
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