Book excerpt: The bestselling author’s “auspicious debut in the true-crime genre . . . [a] sensitive and searching story of the murders of at least six nursing home patients” (Publishers Weekly). Outside the dining hall of the Alpine Manor nursing home, there is a sign that reads, “This is Grand Rapids, Michigan,” a reminder for those who can no longer trust their own minds. For months, Cathy Wood has fed these residents, bathed them, and even moistened their eyes with artificial tears. To her, they live in a state worse than death—and she has decided to relieve them of their pain. Wood and her lover, Gwen Graham, make a pact to kill those whom they were hired to care for. No one notices when an elderly person dies a quiet death, but as these two slip deeper into their plan, the terrible secret becomes unbearable. Lowell Cauffiel’s account of the Alpine Manor murders is a chilling saga of true crime and the twisted lengths to which some will go in pursuit of justice.