The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction. In 1984, MacDonald sued McGinniss for fraud, claiming he misrepresented his intentions, making Fatal Vision an incredibly compelling story and an excellent example of the complex questions surrounding free speech and journalistic integrity. Fatal Vision, published in 1983, has become a true crime classic, but not without controversy. MacDonald invited writer Joe McGinniss to write a book about the case. The prime suspect was Colette’s husband, a charismatic military doctor and Green Beret named Jeffrey MacDonald. Colette MacDonald, then pregnant, and her two young daughters were beaten and stabbed to death in their home.

In 1970, the country was gripped by a brutal triple-murder at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Joe McGinniss, seen here in 1993, was the author of The Selling of the President 1968 and Fatal Vision, a controversial book about the Jeffrey MacDonald murder case in the 1970s. Historical context Section-by-section overviews Detailed timeline of key events Important quotes Fascinating trivia Glossary of terms Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work This short summary and analysis of Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss includes: Read Stalking the Criminal Mind (Note: if your browser does not display the article properly, simply click on the button in the upper right hand corner of your browser to view the document in Adobe Reader.So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Fatal Vision tells you what you need to know before or after you read Joe McGinniss’s book.Ĭrafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. McGinniss concluded that MacDonald was guilty of the. For those who are interested, we reprint the article, with permission from Harper’s Magazine. Joe McGinniss: McGinniss collaborated with Jeffrey MacDonald for the 1983 book Fatal Vision, an account of the Fort Bragg murders. My article focused on the philosophical conflict between free will and determinism in trying to understand criminal actions.

The August, 1985, issue of Harper’s Magazine published my article “Stalking the Criminal Mind.” A reflection on efforts to explain crime, the article discussed a number of prominent books, but foremost among them was McGinniss’s Fatal Vision, a “true crime” account of Jeffrey MacDonald, an army doctor convicted of murdering his wife and two young children.Īs I wrote to McGinniss afterward, “Of all the nonfiction crime narratives I have read, including In Cold Blood, I thought yours was the most exhaustive and compelling.” We corresponded for a while, and he included some of my observations in the Afterward to 2nd edition of his work, particularly the connection I drew between his characterization of MacDonald and the work of criminal psychologist Stanton Samenow.