
The Pale-Faced Lie: A True Story


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(as of Oct 12, 2025 02:15:12 UTC – Details)
A violent ex-con forces his son to commit crimes in this unforgettable memoir about family and survival.
Spur Award Winner for Best Western First Nonfiction Book • Spur Award Finalist for Best Western Contemporary Nonfiction • IPPY Silver Award for Best Memoir • Next Generation Indie Award for Best Memoir (Overcoming Adversity) • International Book Award for Best True Crime • Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal, Nonfiction Drama
Growing up on the Navajo Indian Reservation, David Crow and his three siblings idolized their dad, a self-taught Cherokee who loved to tell his children about his World War II feats. But as time passed, David discovered the other side of Thurston Crow, the ex-con with his own code of ethics that justified cruelty, violence, lies—even murder. Intimidating David with beatings, Thurston coerced his son into doing his criminal bidding. David’s mom, too mentally ill to care for her children, couldn’t protect him.
Through sheer determination, David managed to get into college and achieve professional success. When he finally found the courage to refuse his father’s criminal demands, he unwittingly triggered a plot of revenge that would force him into a deadly showdown with Thurston Crow. David would have only twenty-four hours to outsmart his father—the brilliant, psychotic man who bragged that the three years he spent in the notorious San Quentin State Prison had been the easiest time of his life.
Raw and palpable, The Pale-Faced Lie is an inspirational story about the power of forgiveness and the strength of the human spirit.
“Cinematically gripping.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Empowering missive about the long shadow cast by an abusive parent.”—Publishers Weekly
“For fans of Tara Westover’s Educated, The Pale-Faced Lie . . . is a disturbing yet captivating memoir about how one man’s psychotic delusions can imprison an entire family.”—New York Journal of Books
From the Publisher


















Publisher : Sandra Jonas Publishing
Publication date : October 14, 2019
Language : English
Print length : 356 pages
ISBN-10 : 0997487151
ISBN-13 : 978-0997487152
Item Weight : 15.8 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.89 x 8.5 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #38,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #27 in Child Abuse (Books) #140 in Murder & Mayhem True Accounts #678 in Memoirs (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 24,630 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find this book to be a heart-wrenching story of survival with a happy ending, written in an engaging style that draws readers in from the first page. Moreover, the book effectively illustrates the power of forgiveness and demonstrates the human spirit’s ability to overcome adversity, with one customer noting how it shows the importance of mentors in life. Additionally, customers describe it as a riveting read that moves them emotionally, with one review mentioning how it kept them spellbound from start to finish.

