Rude Awakening-Manuscript Overview

Lisa Whedbee wanted out. Since her daughter Brittany's birth, she had never been able to accept the loving little girl with profound physical and mental disabilities. Selfish and narcissistic, Lisa considered the child to be an embarrassment and a burden; one who had destroyed the perfect life she took great pride in presenting to the world. Brittany's care had created growing discord between Lisa and her husband, Rob, and was slowly decimating any love they may have once shared. Lisa was ready to break the fetters which bound her to him. Rob was no longer an asset, and with him gone, she would have the means to live the life she believed she deserved. Finally, there was the pawn-- just a means to an end. His moments were also numbered in her murderous plot. The horses were at the gate, and Lisa Whedbee was poised for a perfect trifecta.

 

Her plan unfolded in the early morning hours of June 8, 1994, when a flyspeck of a man dressed in black, covetous and possessed by passion, clutched a large knife in his gloved hands and stood above his sleeping prey. He could not know, as the blade arced towards its target, how many lives would be forever changed by his crimes.

Breaking dawn would reveal aspects of the odd and multifaceted case, and the minute the story hit the AP Wire, the media descended upon Knoxville, Tennessee, a charming city in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains. CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and People Magazine were just a few of the news outlets vying for interviews with anyone who might have a connection to the case. The reporters said it was a "sexy" story--church, greed, adultery, blood, and a defenseless, profoundly disabled child, all the elements that garner column inches and ratings, spurring readership and attracting viewers.

 

Even when the O.J. Simpson case fired up several days later, media interest in the attempted murder of a respected Knoxville businessman remained high. Tabloid news outlets saw a good story and, before long, the cameras were rolling for segments on A Current Affair, City Confidential, Dateline, Hard Copy, and Snapped. For the first time in Tennessee legal history, the doors of justice swung open for Court TV and legal pundits lined up to provide commentary about the unusual proceedings. Despite the high profile coverage of the case, the whole story, what really happened, has yet to be told

A true crime chronicle, The Rude Awakening of Rob Whedbee, explores the bizarre account of attempted murder, recounts the events leading up to the crime, and provides an in-depth post-mortem of the legal fiasco that followed. The book discusses some of the psychological behaviors that drive ultimate betrayal and exposes some of the gross inequities sometimes found in the judicial system. It also reveals how a courageous spirit can learn to move forward, rebuild lives, and rediscover trust.

Rude Awakening, explores the events leading up to the crime, the bizarre account of the attempted murder, and an in-depth post-mortem of the legal fiasco that followed. The book exposes the traumatic impact of the crime on the victims, Rob Whedbee, and his children, and follows how Rob courageously rebuilt a good life for his family.