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Notes on a Killing: Love, Lies, and Murder in a Small New Hampshire Town
Their friendship would kill her�
Weaver and fiber artist Edith “Pen� Meyer knew her friend Sandy Merritt’s relationship with a married man was wrong. She had even urged Sandy to take out a restraining order against Kenneth Carpenter. Which was why her call to Sandy on February 23, 2005, seemed to come from out of the blue. During it, she told Sandy to drop the restraining order and get back together with Ken.
Pen was never seen again.
One man stood to gain from Pen’s Ken Carpenter. But evidence was no blood, no DNA, no body. Until detectives found notes hidden beneath a leather chair that turned out to be a playbook for murder�
INCLUDES PHOTOS
Weaver and fiber artist Edith “Pen� Meyer knew her friend Sandy Merritt’s relationship with a married man was wrong. She had even urged Sandy to take out a restraining order against Kenneth Carpenter. Which was why her call to Sandy on February 23, 2005, seemed to come from out of the blue. During it, she told Sandy to drop the restraining order and get back together with Ken.
Pen was never seen again.
One man stood to gain from Pen’s Ken Carpenter. But evidence was no blood, no DNA, no body. Until detectives found notes hidden beneath a leather chair that turned out to be a playbook for murder�
INCLUDES PHOTOS
448 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2013
42 people are currently reading
629 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Flynn
7books103followersKevin Flynn is the author of four true crime books: "Wicked Intentions," "Our Little Secret," "Legally Dead," and "Notes on a Killing," as well as the nonfiction book, "American Sweepstakes." He has appeared on such TV shows as "Unusual Suspects," "Deadly Women," "Killer Instinct," "Deadly Sins," "Pretty Bad Girls," "Nightmare Next Door," and "On the Case with Paula Zahn." He has also written for such publications as Playboy and playboy.com.
Kevin's primary writing partner is his wife, best-selling author and public radio producer Rebecca Lavoie.
Kevin is a native of Holyoke, MA. He got his start in journalism at the age of 19 working as a news writer for News Radio WHYN-AM in 1989. In the subsequent twenty years, Kevin has become an award-winning journalist and respected author.
He rose through the ranks of WZID-FM in Manchester, NH, starting off at 8 hours a week until he eventually became News Director. During his decade at WZID, he won more than 50 awards for broadcast journalism, including multiple New Hampshire AP awards, several Golden Mike awards from the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters, and four Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio and Television News Directors Association. The award winning pieces covered a diverse set of topics, including features on gang intervention, secret government meetings, opening day at Fenway Park, and a visit to Ground Zero in New York City. Kevin was also three-time winner of the AP Contributor of the Year.
In 2002, Kevin joined the staff of WMUR-TV as a general assignment reporter, again winning several honors for himself and the station. For the first feature piece he ever did for television, Kevin won a New England Emmy Award - the first reporter from his station ever to do so. Kevin excelled at both hard news and soft news features. He covered deadly floods, the murder of a police officer, and presidential politics as easily as his fun stories about spelling bees, karaoke, and dodge ball. He was named "Best TV Reporter" three times by the readers of New Hampshire magazine.
Kevin's primary writing partner is his wife, best-selling author and public radio producer Rebecca Lavoie.
Kevin is a native of Holyoke, MA. He got his start in journalism at the age of 19 working as a news writer for News Radio WHYN-AM in 1989. In the subsequent twenty years, Kevin has become an award-winning journalist and respected author.
He rose through the ranks of WZID-FM in Manchester, NH, starting off at 8 hours a week until he eventually became News Director. During his decade at WZID, he won more than 50 awards for broadcast journalism, including multiple New Hampshire AP awards, several Golden Mike awards from the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters, and four Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio and Television News Directors Association. The award winning pieces covered a diverse set of topics, including features on gang intervention, secret government meetings, opening day at Fenway Park, and a visit to Ground Zero in New York City. Kevin was also three-time winner of the AP Contributor of the Year.
In 2002, Kevin joined the staff of WMUR-TV as a general assignment reporter, again winning several honors for himself and the station. For the first feature piece he ever did for television, Kevin won a New England Emmy Award - the first reporter from his station ever to do so. Kevin excelled at both hard news and soft news features. He covered deadly floods, the murder of a police officer, and presidential politics as easily as his fun stories about spelling bees, karaoke, and dodge ball. He was named "Best TV Reporter" three times by the readers of New Hampshire magazine.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 17, 2013
I loved it. But then again, I wrote the book. Your mileage may vary.
April 16, 2013
I gave this book 3 stars but I would have given it 3 1/2 if I could have. It was an interesting story of how one man could manipulate so many people. He told so many lies to cover up his sins that he didn't even know the truth after a while.
I think part of why I enjoyed this book was because I live in NH and am aware of some of the areas talked about in the book. It's also kind of creepy to know someone that evil and deranged lived so close by.
I thought the book was well written and worth reading.
I think part of why I enjoyed this book was because I live in NH and am aware of some of the areas talked about in the book. It's also kind of creepy to know someone that evil and deranged lived so close by.
I thought the book was well written and worth reading.
January 17, 2016
I live in NH, but I don't really remember this story.
Essentially the story is about Ken Carpenter, who has an affair with a woman he meets at AA, Sandy. He tells her his marriage is coming to an end. When Sandy realizes that he's still with his wife, she breaks it off with him. He gets angry and blames her friend, another AA participant, Pen, for encouraging her to get a restraining order against him. One day Sandy gets a strange call from Pen, advising her to drop the order and get back with Ken. She says she's running away, and that they should move in together in her house. After that call, no one sees or hears from Pen, and her remains are eventually found on Ken's property.
I love true crime, but this one just didn't do it for me. There was a lot of background fluff that really had nothing to do with the book, like they were struggling to write enough to warrant a novel. They also brought up details and then failed to explain their resolution. There were grammatical errors, where the proper word was spelled incorrectly, leaving a valid word, but not the one intended. Many sections had to be read multiple times before I could figure out what the authors were trying to say. At one point, when they're demonstrating the contents of the typewriter ribbon by showing the stream of text backward, they even left out a word. I just thought it was sloppy.
Essentially the story is about Ken Carpenter, who has an affair with a woman he meets at AA, Sandy. He tells her his marriage is coming to an end. When Sandy realizes that he's still with his wife, she breaks it off with him. He gets angry and blames her friend, another AA participant, Pen, for encouraging her to get a restraining order against him. One day Sandy gets a strange call from Pen, advising her to drop the order and get back with Ken. She says she's running away, and that they should move in together in her house. After that call, no one sees or hears from Pen, and her remains are eventually found on Ken's property.
I love true crime, but this one just didn't do it for me. There was a lot of background fluff that really had nothing to do with the book, like they were struggling to write enough to warrant a novel. They also brought up details and then failed to explain their resolution. There were grammatical errors, where the proper word was spelled incorrectly, leaving a valid word, but not the one intended. Many sections had to be read multiple times before I could figure out what the authors were trying to say. At one point, when they're demonstrating the contents of the typewriter ribbon by showing the stream of text backward, they even left out a word. I just thought it was sloppy.
March 8, 2017
God this book was a slog to get through. I picked it up after hearing the author mentioned multiple times by several of the true crime podcasters I'm obsessed with. But reading it proved to be an almost insurmountable task. The details of the crime itself felt like they were repeated a million times over from different points of view, but unlike the podcasts that use that method to increase drama and confusion, there never feels like there is any doubt about how the crime was committed or who did it, so the repetition just felt exhausting. e
December 31, 2016
After reading Legally Dead, I picked this one up as quickly as possible. I once had a boyfriend who was in Narcotics Anonymous, so I was familiar with the culture around the Whatever Anonymous programs. As soon as the characters of the people involved in the murder were laid out and the scene set, the hair rose on the back of my arms. I didn't need the title or the genre to know what was coming. If someone had handed this to me in a plain brown cover with no other information, I would have known someone was going to end up badly hurt at a minimum.
Lavoie and Flynn have a number of strengths, and among them is the quality of their research. They are meticulous and sensitive to the people in the community. Further, they always seem to understand those who just don't want to talk to them. In a situation with so many people bound by anonymity, the fact this book could be written at all is a testament to the quality of their work.
Highly recommended. And sad.
Lavoie and Flynn have a number of strengths, and among them is the quality of their research. They are meticulous and sensitive to the people in the community. Further, they always seem to understand those who just don't want to talk to them. In a situation with so many people bound by anonymity, the fact this book could be written at all is a testament to the quality of their work.
Highly recommended. And sad.
July 6, 2013
I picked this book up largely because it was written about events so close, (too close), to where my family lives and travels daily. It was written in such a way that I had to remind myself at times that it wasn't a fitional murder mystery, but the accounting of a two year investigation leading to trial and a string of lives changed forever.
March 12, 2018
Great book. I loved the way you kept it personal rather than clinical. I felt like I knew everyone and it just flowed. Not too much on the court case. I haven't been disappointed yet with one of your books.
April 12, 2013
An excellent true crime novel. I greatly enjoyed it!
Read
November 7, 2021Solid true crime that reads like a whodunit.
I enjoyed the way the authors handled the material and told the story.
I work for Penguin, but that did not influence this review.
I enjoyed the way the authors handled the material and told the story.
I work for Penguin, but that did not influence this review.
April 26, 2025
Reads like an investigative report with the addition of quotes from the people involved. I loved this, I couldn’t put it down. I live in the local area and knew of this story and knew of several of the people involved.
December 25, 2015
I had heard of neither the case or the author before reading this book. I read the entire book in a 24 hour period and found the author's style in his presentation of the case very readable. I was thoroughly engaged. It is presented almost in the structure of a mystery novel. These are the types of true crime books I find truly interesting to read. I don't want to know everything in the Prologue or the first couple of Chapters. I want to know at the end of the book.
The author does alternate back and forth between things that happened prior to the crime itself, and the investigation after the crime. I find this style allows for the author's storytelling abilities to shine and allows this true account to read like a mystery novel. I did get lost for moment or two in one portion of the book because I was thoroughly engaged and interested in the portion of the investigation I was reading about and was very abruptly taken back to before the crime. I had to reread the four or five pages prior to this to get my bearings again, but most of the time transitions in the book felt more natural.
The author does plug a couple of his other books, which I didn't mind at all since I found this book so interesting and easy to read, I just stopped and marked his other books 'To Read'.
I think this is a solid 4.5 star read for True Crime fans and I can be pretty stingy with those stars sometimes.
The author does alternate back and forth between things that happened prior to the crime itself, and the investigation after the crime. I find this style allows for the author's storytelling abilities to shine and allows this true account to read like a mystery novel. I did get lost for moment or two in one portion of the book because I was thoroughly engaged and interested in the portion of the investigation I was reading about and was very abruptly taken back to before the crime. I had to reread the four or five pages prior to this to get my bearings again, but most of the time transitions in the book felt more natural.
The author does plug a couple of his other books, which I didn't mind at all since I found this book so interesting and easy to read, I just stopped and marked his other books 'To Read'.
I think this is a solid 4.5 star read for True Crime fans and I can be pretty stingy with those stars sometimes.
March 21, 2014
It was an odd phone call that Sandy Merritt received from her friend, weaver and fiber artist Edith “Pen� Meyer on February 23, 2005. One for the time, Pen never called when Sandy was feeding the dogs, and for the content. Pen wanted Sandy to drop the restraining order against Ken Carpenter and move in with him. It was a bombshell, Sandy wanted to call Pen back at a better time and discuss her change of heart. She wasn’t able to contact her. No one was able to, Pen had vanished.
This was a really bizarre case. Normally when a stalker kills, its the person he was stalking. That didn’t happen here. Not trying to give anything away here but it’s difficult to write a review without mentioning some details not included in the synopsis.
Let me just say, Kevin Flynn does not disappoint. Well written and thoroughly researched, with interviews of Pen’s friends, her family declined to be interviewed, which happens. Still we get all the facts, the relationship that started all this, the actions of Ken Carpenter that were simply mind boggling, showing his truly unstable personality and unsound thinking. Also how at times he was able to manipulate people and how sometimes when he thought he was running the show, people did the exact opposite of what he wanted. I highly recommend this book.
This was a really bizarre case. Normally when a stalker kills, its the person he was stalking. That didn’t happen here. Not trying to give anything away here but it’s difficult to write a review without mentioning some details not included in the synopsis.
Let me just say, Kevin Flynn does not disappoint. Well written and thoroughly researched, with interviews of Pen’s friends, her family declined to be interviewed, which happens. Still we get all the facts, the relationship that started all this, the actions of Ken Carpenter that were simply mind boggling, showing his truly unstable personality and unsound thinking. Also how at times he was able to manipulate people and how sometimes when he thought he was running the show, people did the exact opposite of what he wanted. I highly recommend this book.
July 21, 2013
This is an interesting true case which happened in a small town in New Hampshire in 2005. All of the principal characters were members of one AA group, which made it even more unique. One member, a married man, was having an affair, with a single female, who thought he and his wife were split up. When one of the other members found out, she told the woman who immediately ceased seeing the man. He became enraged and blamed it all on the friend. The friend ended up disappearing and the details and trial make for fascinating reading.
July 7, 2017
A riveting murder case....from peeking into the life and personality of not only the victim Pen Myer, but all the people around her - her family, her friends in the AA group, her struggle with the man responsible for her 'disappearance', and the push and pull of the detectives who also struggled to find the evidence of a killer who thought he had committed a crime worthy of a CSI TV episode he watched every Thursday night. This one was nicely written, incorporating the emotions of the people involved, as well detailed forensic facts in the case.
July 30, 2017
For a first timer this was a great job, covered all the material with clear details. I especially liked the ending where the author updates you by letting you know what is happening with everyone involved in the case. The story also is extremely good at honoring the victim. Even though the family did not want to be involved in this process I think they would be very happy how the author portrayed the victim.
March 4, 2017
A very sad case of obsession, stalking and control, that ultimately ended in murder and several lives destroyed. The murder victim was such a special person that she affected people even after her death.
There are several photos included, though I wish there were more of those involved.
There are several photos included, though I wish there were more of those involved.
October 19, 2013
Well written, very sad. Many of friends from Newport knew this woman and one previously owned the home she lived in.
November 12, 2013
A very good read. Hard to put down! Sounds a lot like fiction or a soap opera. Hard to believe this really happened.
November 28, 2015
Not as interesting as I thought it would be, I had to let it go.
October 4, 2015
a very good book to read
August 12, 2017
I can't believe they actually got a conviction. I was really hoping for one but the evidence didn't seem like much.
February 2, 2017
Very interesting, well researched.
May 1, 2018
True crime story. An ok read.
December 10, 2020
The authors did a great job telling this story. True crime books sometimes become dry, especially during the courtroom portion but that isn’t the case here. It was a real page-turner and read like a novel. Edith Pen Meyer certainly didn’t seem like someone who would become the target of a killer. She lived a simple life in the country. She tried to be a good friend to the people in her life and it was that quality that caused her to become entangled in a situation that would ultimately cost her life. The players in this drama were fully brought to life by the authors. It was mentioned that Pen Meyer’s family chose not to participate with the book. That’s very understandable. Hopefully, they know that the story was told with compassion and dignity.
Want to read
March 15, 2013Can't wait to read it!
October 29, 2021
This was an excellent book. I was living in New Hampshire when this case happened and followed it closely as the events transpired. The authors did a very good job of putting the facts out there.
Weaver and fiber artist Edith “Pen� Meyer knew her friend Sandy Merritt’s relationship with a married man was wrong. She had even urged Sandy to take out a restraining order against Kenneth Carpenter. Which was why her call to Sandy on February 23, 2005, seemed to come from out of the blue. During it, she told Sandy to drop the restraining order and get back together with Ken.
Pen was never seen again.
One man stood to gain from Pen’s disappearance: Ken Carpenter. But evidence was bleak: no blood, no DNA, no body. Until detectives found notes hidden beneath a leather chair that turned out to be a playbook for murder�
Weaver and fiber artist Edith “Pen� Meyer knew her friend Sandy Merritt’s relationship with a married man was wrong. She had even urged Sandy to take out a restraining order against Kenneth Carpenter. Which was why her call to Sandy on February 23, 2005, seemed to come from out of the blue. During it, she told Sandy to drop the restraining order and get back together with Ken.
Pen was never seen again.
One man stood to gain from Pen’s disappearance: Ken Carpenter. But evidence was bleak: no blood, no DNA, no body. Until detectives found notes hidden beneath a leather chair that turned out to be a playbook for murder�
August 16, 2019
This story was interesting, but I felt that it went on too long. This true crime story is about the murder of a woman named Edith "Pen" Meyer in a small New Hampshire town. She was the friend of a woman named Sandy Merritt who was having an affair with a married man named Kenneth Carpenter, who she met through Alcoholics Anonymous. Pen was interfering, trying to get her friend to stay away from Kenneth and end the relationship, even convincing Sandy to get a restraining order against Kenneth. Pen then suddenly disappeared, and when Kenneth became suspect, he was charged with shooting Pen and then burning her body.
March 7, 2019
I was actually surprised that this case warranted a book; it was very open-and-shut and not much of a whodunit at all.
Ken Carpenter was the extreme far-spectrum BPD with a sense of entitlement and utter disregard for his human target selection of vulnerable women to manipulate. He was clearly the Bad Guy from the start, so I struggled to feel any sense of urgency or suspense in this recount.
Glad this total creep is in prison, though, and actually wish his wife, "Harv" (ugh) would have landed there too for her apparent callousness and seeming complicit behavior in his crimes.
2 Stars
Ken Carpenter was the extreme far-spectrum BPD with a sense of entitlement and utter disregard for his human target selection of vulnerable women to manipulate. He was clearly the Bad Guy from the start, so I struggled to feel any sense of urgency or suspense in this recount.
Glad this total creep is in prison, though, and actually wish his wife, "Harv" (ugh) would have landed there too for her apparent callousness and seeming complicit behavior in his crimes.
2 Stars
October 29, 2019
I was interested in this mainly because the murderer grew up in my hometown, but I didn't remember hearing about the case when it happened, in New Hampshire in 2005. Men kill their exes all the time, but this guy was different- he killed his ex's FRIEND, because he thought she was the reason his ex broke things off with him. It's okay, but it's longer than it needs to be, and unlike in a lot of true crime books, there's really no doubt about who committed the murder.
November 30, 2020
This was well researched, well written, and shows that real life crime solving is much more tedious than fiction. (So reading it was a bit tedious, too.)
The audiobook reader was just ok - her "man voice" really grated on me. It bothered me any time she was reading a quote, actually, including the breathy female-character voice. Just talk normally! I don't need an audiobook to be theater, just reading.
The audiobook reader was just ok - her "man voice" really grated on me. It bothered me any time she was reading a quote, actually, including the breathy female-character voice. Just talk normally! I don't need an audiobook to be theater, just reading.
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