Death on the River: A Fiancee's Dark Secrets and a Kayak Trip Turned Deadly

Written by Diane Fanning

Narrated by Callie Beaulieu

In Death on the River, bestselling true crime author Diane Fanning recounts a tragic kayak accident that left one man dead-and his fiancee arrested for his murder.

A DREAM GETAWAY. A REAL-LIFE NIGHTMARE ...

It seemed like the perfect romantic afternoon: a kayaking trip for two on the Hudson River. But it ended in tragedy when beautiful, blonde Angelika Graswald called 911 to report that her fiance, the handsome and athletic Vincent Viafore, had fallen into the choppy frigid waters. Authorities assumed it was an accident. But when the bereft bride-to-be posted videos of herself doing cartwheels on social media-shortly before Vincent's body was found-suspicions of murder rose to the surface . . .

After hours of questioning, Angelika made several shocking admissions. She said she felt "trapped" and fed up with Vincent's "demanding" sexual lifestyle: the nightlife, the strip clubs, the threeways. "I wanted him dead," she had said, even though she insisted that she didn't kill him. But as more lurid details emerged-including a $250,000 life insurance policy-a killer question remained: Did Angelika remove the plug of her fiance's boat . . . and knock away his paddle as he sank?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781541402997

Diane Fanning

Diane Fanning is a journalist and an Edgar Award Finalist, author of twelve true-crime books and, from Severn House, the Lucinda Pierce series. She has been featured on numerous TV channels as well as countless radio stations across the States. Diane was born in Baltimore, Maryland and now lives in Bedford, Virginia.

Reviews for Death on the River

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I used to read a lot of true crime but quit reading it for some reason. After reading and enjoying this book, I think it's time to start reading more in this genre. I find it interesting to find out the story behind the news story and to try to understand the mind of a person who feels that murdering another person is ok. In this case, she murdered someone that she was engaged to which made the crime even more unimaginable.The story begins on a perfect day when Angelika and Vincent go on a kayaking trip in the Hudson River. They were both experienced kayakers but something went wrong at the end of their day. The water got rough and she called 911 to try to get help after his kayak turned over. The authorities considered it an accidental death until they questioned her. Her story kept changing and she didn't seem too upset over the death. In fact, she seemed almost happy that he was gone. As the police questioned her, they kept getting more and more honesty from her and finally had information to charge her with murder. As more details emerged—including a $250,000 life insurance policy—a killer question remained: Did Angelika remove the plug of her fiancé’s boat…and knock away his paddle as he sank?I hadn't heard anything about this crime before I read the book and found it all very interesting. Since I finished the book, I have watched several videos about Angelika and her life today.I thought that this was an well written and deeply researched book and recommend it to readers of true crime.Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.