--This is the third book by crime historian Eve Lazarus that we've published, following Cold Case Vancouver (2015) and Blood, Sweat, and Fear (2017). --Eve's fascination with true crime continues with this book, which deals with a specific case that captivated Vancouver in the 1960s. Esther Castellani, the wife of colorful radio personality Rene Castellani, was hospitalized with a mysterious illness in 1965; when she died, it was discovered that the cause was arsenic. Rene, who had been having an affair with Lolly, a 26-year-old widow and the receptionist at his radio station, was tried for her murder&e-under the belief that he fed Esther the arsenic through her favourite milkshakes and hamburgers. Circumstantial though it may have been, the evidence against him was strong. He and Lolly had applied for a mortgage as "Mr. and Mrs. Castellani" two weeks before Esther's death.

And the day after his wife's funeral, Rene packed up Lolly, his daughter Jeannine and Lolly's son Don in the company car and took off for Disneyland. Despite this, Rene rigorously proclaimed his innocence, and got his young daughter to testify on his behalf. --The book also paints a lively portrait of mid-sixties urban life. As a radio personality, Castellani was hired to increase the station's ratings through outrageous promotions, including one where he dressed up as the "Maharajah of Alleebaba" and hired models as his harem girls. Another promotion had him living on top of a neon car dealership sign for days; it was during this time that it was determined that Esther's arsenic levels returned to near-normal levels, suggesting that he wasn't able to feed her arsenic while he was absent. --The book includes numerous B&W photographs of the Castellanis as well as newspaper clippings from the period. --The book will appeal to true crime and history buffs for its depiction of a notorious and fascinating crime, and for its 1960s setting.