Her Alibi has been chosen by Author Shout as a Recommended read for 2024! Nice way to end the year.

Visions of her Cherokee grandmother, Cordie, flashed through Mary’s mind as her mother, Marguerite, informed her that her stepfather shot himself and was in the hospital. Oh no! Did she use me last night? She’d never use her scapegoat! No, she couldn’t! Even Marguerite wouldn’t sink that low! Or would she? Marguerite had always been abusive and vile to most people, and especially to her children and husbands, but would she shoot Harold? Chills raked Mary and triggered her shuddering. Was she more shocked that her mother shot her stepfather with murderous intent, or that she left Mary as her alibi?

Her Alibi – .99 cents only. On her third marriage to this man who didn’t deserve the traumas my mother dealt him. “Chills raked Mary and triggered her shuddering. Was she more shocked that her mother shot her stepfather, or that she left Mary as her alibi?”  #TrueStory #TrueCrime #HerAlibi #murder in real life. Living with a murderer! Finally, the truth comes out about the psyche of a woman known as the “Black Widow”! I, @MaryLSchmidt , had the bollocks to write this story from the perspective being her daughter. The psyche of Marguerite is one for the books… just like the psyche of #BTK and others, I never knew the REAL danger living with this woman. No slander or libel to family as the only one who could sue me has been dead for 10 years! #RealLife #LivingWithAKiller #memoir

I just want to say that the book “Her Alibi” had to come out. Harold mattered! Everyone matters! But Harold mattered, especially to his three children, Alan, Scott, and Darrel. I don’t know your faith or what you believe, but I know what I experienced yesterday morning. I had a Heavenly visit while in my recliner. Without words, no physical anything seen, my right foot was touched with pressure for several seconds. It was Harold letting me know he felt validated, finally. He appreciated my hard work (bad memories) and effort to get this book out. I’m NOT doing this for money. I have money and I donate to many things, causes, and to people in need. But this story needed to be told. Harold mattered. If family are offended, well, not the first time, nor the last time. HAROLD MATTERED! And I hated being used as her da#m alibi. The TRUTH had to come out!

Reviewed by Astrid Iustulin for Readers’ Favorite
Stories of abuse and domestic violence always shock you when you read them. This happens to anyone who reads Mary L. Schmidt’s book, Her Alibi. Here, the author tells the story of her family, focusing in particular on the abuses of her mother, Marguerite, who had always treated her as a scapegoat. After divorcing her husband, Marguerite marries Harold (she will marry him three times, to be exact) and is most likely responsible for his death. Is it possible she used her daughter as an alibi? And how will relations between Marguerite and her children develop? Her Alibi tells a disturbing story of an abusive mother and the consequences her mental condition and behavior have on her family and children, especially the daughter she treats as a scapegoat. Mary L. Schmidt tells us this story in a way that clearly depicts the world of abuse that characterized her childhood and gives the reader a precise understanding of what she and her siblings went through. Marguerite is represented in such a way that her personality deeply impresses the reader, especially considering what she may have done to Harold and her daughter, the alibi. I appreciated that Schmidt included many photos of her family because this makes you know the people she describes and makes you even more sympathetic to what they have experienced. Her Alibi is not a book for the faint of heart, and I recommend it to readers who have the courage to read it, to match the courage the author had in writing it.

Amazon Number One Bestseller – 2022

Literary Titan – Gold – 2022

SoCal Book Awards – Honorable Mention – 2022

Reader’s Choice Book Awards – Finalist 2023

London Book Awards – Honorable Mention 2023

Los Angeles Book Awards – Honorable Mention 2023

Author Shout Reader Ready Award Winner – Recommended Reads 2024