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Not a Very Good Murderer

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Not a Very Good Murderer

Written by: Ronan Farrow
Narrated by: Ronan Farrow
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Kidnapping plots, arson, jewel heists, attempted murder–just another day in Paradise...Valley, Arizona.

In this wild, genre-bending audio documentary, New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Ronan Farrow dives deep into the strange and storied life of high-society socialite and former Miss Arizona Celia (Cece) Doane.

As a well-to-do ex-beauty queen in the 1970s, Cece had no trouble attracting husbands. She did appear to have some trouble getting rid of them, though. Under seemingly perpetual investigation for attempted murder plots against two of her spouses, she has been a “person of interest” to Arizona law enforcement for decades but never arrested. Did she actually conspire to have her husbands killed? And if so, how has she managed to elude detectives for so many years?

Through countless hours of interviews and painstaking investigative legwork, Farrow examines Cece’s checkered past, exposing a web of half-truths and omissions that shed new light on this shocking and confounding case. But what happens when he realizes that his most important source may also be his most unreliable?

Part true crime thriller, part captivating character study, Not a Very Good Murderer is a fascinating exploration of what it takes to uncover the truth and what it means to keep it buried.

©2025 Ronan Farrow (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC.
Best of 2025 Editors Select Heists & Robberies Murder True Crime
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Editorial Review

The journalist and the not-very-good murderer
I knew Ronan Farrow’s first Audible Original was going to be juicy, but even I wasn’t prepared for CeCe Doane. A former Miss Arizona and Rolls Royce-driving fixture of wealthy Paradise Valley, AZ, Doane first caught Farrow’s attention when she tweeted about a story he was working on, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist soon found himself with a fascinating new subject. Had this eccentric woman really tried to kill her husband with Viagra, as a witness claimed—and if so, why was the couple still together more than two decades later? In this riveting character study-meets-true crime investigation, Farrow gradually reveals a nesting doll of family secrets, high-profile politics, scandalous gossip and one unreliable woman at the centre of it all. I loved hearing Farrow’s deep reporting and CeCe’s larger-than-life persona take shape in this voice-driven documentary, which adds needed nuance to the current obsession with female villains, con artists and shades-of-gray criminals. —Kat J., Audible Editor

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didn't want to believe the reviews. I enjoy Mr. farrow, but they were quite accurate. nothing happens. so much more could have been done here. as an upside farrow's voice is lovely and I always listen to true crime to lull me to sleep,

a lot of nothing

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I enjoyed this story. Very well told.
it is very much the story of too many who run from accountability....yet love to demand it from others.

what's a life for?

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Fascinating. Ronan Farrow is a stellar investigative reporter and shows how it can be done thoroughly with sensitivity and kindness. His eloquence and superior writing adds to one’s enjoyment,

Couldn’t stop listening

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Ronan Farrow is a skilled investigative journalist and handles even mundane issues with empathy and nuance.

Ronan Farrow is delightful

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Although I really enjoyed listening to Ronan and the topic was interesting, I really did not enjoy hearing what is going to happen next at the end of the chapter and the beginning of each chapter. It was like they were trying to make the book longer. I definitely would listen to his book regardless.

excellent narration

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