Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read and Listen for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $2.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $21.88

Save: $14.39 (66%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Alan Prendergast
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Poison Tree: A True Story of Family Terror Kindle Edition

by Alan Prendergast (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 685 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you borrow the Kindle edition of this book with your Kindle Unlimited membership. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Edgar Award Finalist: The shocking account of a Wyoming father who terrorized his family for years—until his children plotted a deadly solution.

One cold November night, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, fifteen-year-old Richard Jahnke Jr., ROTC leader and former Boy Scout, waited for his parents to return from celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the night they met. When his father got out of the car, the boy blasted him through the heart with a twelve-gauge pump-action shotgun. Richard’s seventeen-year-old sister, Deborah, was sitting on the living room couch with a high-powered rifle—just in case her brother missed.
 
Hours later the Jahnke kids were behind bars. Days later they made headlines. So did the truth about the house of horrors on Cowpoke Road.
 
Was it cold-blooded murder? Or self-defense?
 
Richard Jahnke Sr., special agent for the IRS, gun collector, and avid reader of Soldier of Fortune, had been subjecting his wife, Maria, and both children to harrowing abuse—physical, psychological, and sexual—for years. Deborah and her brother conspired to finally put a stop to it themselves. But their fate was in the hands of a prejudiced and inept judicial system, and only public outcry could save them.
 
Written with the full and revealing cooperation of the Jahnkes, this finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime is “the ultimate family nightmare, played out in the heartland of America. . . . From the night of the murder through both trials, convictions and both youngsters’ eventual release . . . it’s gripping reading” (Chicago Tribune).
 
Previous page
  1. Print length
    378 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    November 22, 2016
  6. File size
    3483 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prendergast, who for Rolling Stone covered the trials of teenagers Richard and Deborah Jahnke in Wyoming for the 1982 murder of their father, has produced an objective, affecting account of the case. A borderline psychotic, Jahnke senior subjected his wife and children to abuse both physical and psychological and, for a time, made sexual advances toward his daughter. Their residence became a house of terror, with the mother the most terrified of all, according to Prendergast. The children's feeble and intermittent attempts to acquaint outsiders with their situation were of no avail. Finally, with his sister's semiconnivance, Richard shot his father. The trials of the two, held separately, showed American justice at its worst: a prosecutor more interested in convictions than in finding the truth, and two inept and hidebound judges, one of whom would not admit evidence of child abuse. Deborah's sentence has now been commuted to one year of probation and Richard has been released on parole. A searing, convincing indictment. Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

After suffering years of paternal abuse, 16-year-old Richard Jahnke, aided by his sister, Deborah, shot his father to death at their Cheyenne, Wyoming home. This case received national attention as a segment on 60 Minutes and as a TV movie, Right To Kill? The Jahnke children won the sympathy of many, including the author. They were both convicted of voluntary manslaughter but are now free. Prendergast had the full cooperation of the Jahnkes in writing this thorough account. Essentially, it is a story of a brutal father who drove his son to murder and of the failure of the community to respond to cries for help. This readable book should be a popular choice for most libraries. Literary Guild alternate selection. Gregor A. Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MG8EZ63
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media; Reprint edition (November 22, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 22, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3483 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 378 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 685 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Alan Prendergast

Alan Prendergast

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Alan Prendergast is an award-winning journalist and author of the true crime book THE POISON TREE and GANGBUSTER: ONE MAN'S BATTLE AGAINST CRIME, CORRUPTION, AND THE KLAN. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Outside, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Westword, and other publications, as well as THE BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITING and THE BEST AMERICAN CRIME REPORTING. He lives in Colorado and writes frequently about the justice system, historic crimes, and high-security prisons.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
685 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Douglas Terry
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good, Detailed Story
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a complex story. The book goes into great detail but in the end it's hard to say for certain just what the total truth really was. Under the circumstances, it's ultimately hard to justify the son's killing of his dad as self defense though it's easy to say the guy had it coming. It's a long book and too much detail for some readers though for the most part I enjoyed the detail and insight. It's a worthwhile read.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Schuyler T Wallace
4.0 out of 5 stars INTRIGUING WITH MASTERFUL COURTROOM DRAMA
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
Alan Prendergast has written a thoughtful and riveting account of a horrendous act of patricide. “The Poison Tree,” first published in 1986, tells of a battered wife, two horribly abused teenagers, and a brutal bully, the father who could not control his temper. This is the story of the two children who, having survived years of abuse, finally kill him.

The Richard Jahnke family lived in many places because of the father’s army service and subsequent job as an IRS special agent. His wife, Maria, slightly older, was the early focus of his anger that he later focused on the children, beating them over the slightest breach of his orders. He sexually abused Deborah, the daughter, when she was very young, the frequency seeming to abate as she got older, but the beatings continued. Richard Jr., her younger brother, was beaten almost continually since he was an infant.

Their family life was secretive and secluded. Almost no one knew much about them. They were the true embodiment of the poison tree. In general, the poison tree (also known as the poisonwood tree) just wants to left alone. To accomplish that, it excretes a substance that stings and causes discomfort. People that intruded on the Richard Jahnke family would feel the sting and uneasiness.

On a cold November evening Richard and Maria were returning home from an evening out. As they walked up their driveway, a fusillade of gunfire through the garage door met them, killing Jahnke almost immediately. There was no doubt the shooter was Richard Jr., with sister Deborah inside the house holding her own weapon in case of a miss and as protection from her father should he survive the initial shooting. So begins the long trials and search for appropriate justice for the two juveniles.

Writers often have trouble portraying the vocal drama of the courtroom. The reader usually cannot detect the crusty judge’s impatience with dithering attorneys, the outrageous bellow of a defense attorney who detects some slight towards his client, or the sarcastic aside of the prosecution over a witness fumbling for an answer. These verbal moments are about all that bring life to an otherwise staid environment. This author, with his journalistic background, is masterful in his depiction of the trial proceedings and search for appropriate punishment.

Prendergast is never judgmental or biased in his presentation. He leaves it up to the reader to absorb his facts as determined by his immense research and interviews and then render their own opinion. It is masterful and immensely readable.

Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES
19 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Tom R
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
The first half was interesting, but I felt the second half was rather repetitious.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. Myers
5.0 out of 5 stars I learned a lot from this.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
I only bought this book because it came up at a sale price. I am glad I bought and read it. If you wonder why mothers don't protect their kids, this helped me understand. It's complicated; she didn't feel that she could resist while it was going on and afterward she wasn't able to really see it. I think it was just too hard for her to accept. It reminded me of the story of Buck Brannaman and his brother. Buck acknowledged his abuse and worked through it, with the help of a loving foster home. His brother, as I understand, denies that it was so bad.

I know many families protect kids too much, and don't let them learn from less-dangerous experiences when they are young. (Yes, that is a very small part of raising a child.) But I think often a parent with some sort of enforcement training can treat a child in a way that might be appropriate in military or police training. participants in those sorts of training either graduate from that program in a few months or wash out. In either case, it is over and they have had a chance to test themselves and decide if they are capable of working tha and inescapablet way. For kids, they are not only not ready for this but it is interminable.

In the family described in this book, it seemed to me like the father channeled most of his personalty though his military mindset. I think some people are susceptible to this. I think knowing that it is o.k. in the military may make it easier for a person to accept acting that way when they do not know how to do something better.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Texaspup
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good info on how the justice system works
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Interesting subject, thought provoking. Kept my interest right up until final chapters, then it just kinda of petered out. Pretty good info on how the justice system works, although it jumped around a bit in explanations of why something occurred, which made it confusing at times. Even as a Law Enforcement member, some things had me scratching my head as to why something happened. It was tough to determine if it was described out of order, or were police agencies really messed up or was this, 'writer's license'. Otherwise, pretty good book.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Muriel
5.0 out of 5 stars Behind This Door
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
"The Poison Tree" is probably the most detailed book I have ever read.......and I am a 96 year old avid reader.

I enjoyed reliving this crime (well, from a historical point of view!). In 1947, My husband was sent to Fort Francis Warren. He was in the 382nd Engineer Corps, and, at that time, Warren was an army post. We were Pennsylvanians who had never been west of the Ohio and we fell in love with Cheyenne. We enticed my sister and her husband to "come west". They did. We were transferred...they stayed for seventy years.

I recall the national furor over this tragic situation. It certainly did bring the subject of spousal and child abuse into the living room....hey, a responsible citizen employed by the government...in Cheyenne, of all places..who knew? Now we do...and is anything different?
A must-read for doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs...oh, and parents, grandparents, teachers, and ministers. All of
us must pray for innocent wives and children hidden from a compassionate society.

Excellent!
51 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

T. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Good but sad book
Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book is very sad but it is a great look inside an American family gone haywire. The book was in good shape and the shipping was fast. A++++
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report