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One Breath Away: The Hiccup Girl - From Media Darling to Convicted Killer
"Phelps is a true-crime veteran."-- New York Post
"Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers." --Allison Brennan
When she was 15, Jennifer Mee developed an unrelenting case of the hiccups--hiccupping as many as 50 times a minute for months. Soon the Florida teen's strange story went viral. Dubbed the "Hiccup Girl" by the media, she gained international sympathy and appeared on a slew of popular TV shows. Eventually, Jennifer's hiccups went away--and so did her fame.
Depressed and craving affection, Jennifer hooked up with the wrong people and slipped into drug dealing and street life--a downward spiral that led to the murder of an innocent young man. Now, renowned investigative journalist M. William Phelps expertly recounts Jennifer's shocking true story of thwarted desires, betrayed trust, and deadly manipulation.
"Phelps is the king of true crime." --Lynda Hirsch, Creators Syndicate columnist
"Phelps dares to tread where few others into the mind of a killer." -- TV Rage
Includes 16 Pages Of Dramatic Photos
"Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers." --Allison Brennan
When she was 15, Jennifer Mee developed an unrelenting case of the hiccups--hiccupping as many as 50 times a minute for months. Soon the Florida teen's strange story went viral. Dubbed the "Hiccup Girl" by the media, she gained international sympathy and appeared on a slew of popular TV shows. Eventually, Jennifer's hiccups went away--and so did her fame.
Depressed and craving affection, Jennifer hooked up with the wrong people and slipped into drug dealing and street life--a downward spiral that led to the murder of an innocent young man. Now, renowned investigative journalist M. William Phelps expertly recounts Jennifer's shocking true story of thwarted desires, betrayed trust, and deadly manipulation.
"Phelps is the king of true crime." --Lynda Hirsch, Creators Syndicate columnist
"Phelps dares to tread where few others into the mind of a killer." -- TV Rage
Includes 16 Pages Of Dramatic Photos
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 23, 2016
About the author
M. William Phelps
69 books1,032 followersCrime, murder and serial killer expert, creator/producer/writer and former host of the Investigation Discovery series DARK MINDS, acclaimed, award-winning investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 30 books and winner of the 2013 Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award and the 2008 New England Book Festival Award. A highly sought-after pundit, Phelps has made over 100 media-related television appearances: Early Show, The Today Show, The View, Fox & Friends, truTV, Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, Good Morning America, TLC, BIO, History, Oxygen, OWN, on top of over 100 additional media appearances: USA Radio Network, Catholic Radio, Mancow, Wall Street Journal Radio, Zac Daniel, Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Channel, EWTN Radio, ABC News Radio, and many more.
Phelps is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative on Sexual Crime and Violence (MCSCV), also known as the Atypical Homicide Research Group (AHRG) at Northeastern University, maintained by NU alumni Enzo Yaksic.
Phelps is one of the regular and recurring experts frequently appearing on two long-running series, Deadly Women and Snapped. Radio America calls Phelps “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” and TV Rage says, “M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer.” A respected journalist, beyond his book writing Phelps has written for numerous publications—including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant—and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter.
Phelps grew up in East Hartford, CT, moved to Vernon, CT, at age 12, where he lived for 25 years. He now lives in a reclusive Connecticut farming community north of Hartford.
Beyond crime, Phelps has also written several history books, including the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, THE DEVIL’S ROOMING HOUSE, THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND, MURDER, NEW ENGLAND, and more.
Phelps is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative on Sexual Crime and Violence (MCSCV), also known as the Atypical Homicide Research Group (AHRG) at Northeastern University, maintained by NU alumni Enzo Yaksic.
Phelps is one of the regular and recurring experts frequently appearing on two long-running series, Deadly Women and Snapped. Radio America calls Phelps “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” and TV Rage says, “M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer.” A respected journalist, beyond his book writing Phelps has written for numerous publications—including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant—and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter.
Phelps grew up in East Hartford, CT, moved to Vernon, CT, at age 12, where he lived for 25 years. He now lives in a reclusive Connecticut farming community north of Hartford.
Beyond crime, Phelps has also written several history books, including the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, THE DEVIL’S ROOMING HOUSE, THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND, MURDER, NEW ENGLAND, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 11, 2022
Jennifer Mee, at 15 years old, started hiccuping as many as fifty times a minute for months. Her mother searching for a cure for her daughter contacted the media to find an answer. Jennifer instantly became a media darling and dubbed the "Hiccup Girl". Suddenly one day her hiccups stop and so did her fifteen minutes of fame. Depressed, she falls into the wrong crowd and starts running the streets. After her first failed relationship with an abuser, who was shipped off to prison, she started seeing Lamont Newton. Lamont and his best friend LaRon Raiford are not guys you take home to meet the parents. Jennifer sets up a robbery with these two knuckleheads, where the victim ends up dead. Under Florida law, you are guilty of murder whether you pulled the trigger or not. Jennifer becomes infamous for her actions that night and will pay for it for life.
November 4, 2017
A book about a teenager Jennifer Mee, who gains notoriety because of a strange and curious condition where she had intractable hiccups for weeks and weeks. She becomes a sort of instant celebrity on social media when her mom goes looking for help for her and they both have a couple of appearances on the Today show. The story kind of kicks up after she is arrested a year or so later after the hiccups finally have stopped. The family gets a phone call from Jennifer in jail, telling them she's been arrested for murder and something about her setting it up. She's later connected to the previous story and it turns into a media circus again. Quite a heartbreaking story that was such a waste of several lives. Thanks for reading.
March 18, 2021
Some of his earlier ones are not even 3 stars. This is one. I sped read at least 1/2 of it but I did read it all.
This could have been well detailed in 1/3rd of the words used. It was a terrible set up robbery for very little which went horribly wrong and ended in murder. The girl herself was, IMHO, close to the bottom ends of any normal in IQ and in maturity of any description- so there's not much there to keep repeating on top of it. Her short, short independent life choices earned her a lifetime in prison.
Sad and a tragedy for the poor young male murdered. And for her. But not at all worth the length of pages or the redundancies of celeb supposed identification that this author gives it.
This is so repetitive and redundant that I do not recommend it.
I may cut off most of this author's work from my TBR. He got much better but he published many cases that are not holding the amount of information worthy of book length telling. Especially in the prose skill he holds. He goes around and around the same circuitous paths too many times to get crux to the middle in the psychological sense that instructs.
This could have been well detailed in 1/3rd of the words used. It was a terrible set up robbery for very little which went horribly wrong and ended in murder. The girl herself was, IMHO, close to the bottom ends of any normal in IQ and in maturity of any description- so there's not much there to keep repeating on top of it. Her short, short independent life choices earned her a lifetime in prison.
Sad and a tragedy for the poor young male murdered. And for her. But not at all worth the length of pages or the redundancies of celeb supposed identification that this author gives it.
This is so repetitive and redundant that I do not recommend it.
I may cut off most of this author's work from my TBR. He got much better but he published many cases that are not holding the amount of information worthy of book length telling. Especially in the prose skill he holds. He goes around and around the same circuitous paths too many times to get crux to the middle in the psychological sense that instructs.
July 26, 2017
I had never heard of the Hiccup Girl but apparently she was a big deal when she was about 14 years old. She appeared on television and newspapers for a while. She had the hiccups for several months and when they suddenly went away her 15 minutes of fame was over. After that it was all downhill. The book raises the question: Did her fleeting fame have anything to do with her problems afterwards. The front cover tells us that she was later convicted of murder.
March 9, 2016
I won this book from one of the GoodReads giveaways. I was excited to start this book. I remembered seeing this young girl on tv when she had the hiccups and was curious about how she ended up in jail. It's an interesting story. The book gives great insight and details of the story however, it's very repetitive. Yes, I understand people thought she was faking! How many times do you need to say it? Anyway, I felt like it dragged on a little bit. Could have wrapped it up about 100 pages less. Good story though. I'll probably read other stories by this author.
Thanks for the book!
Thanks for the book!
March 10, 2016
What a great read. M. William Phelps does not disappoint with this account of the "hiccup girl" - Jennifer Mee - who ends up setting up someone she met online to get robbed by her gangster friends and things go horribly wrong. Jennifer Mee had a low IQ and learning disabilities combined with a dysfunctional home life and poor supervision which contributed to the wrong choices she made in life. This book was well researched and is well written. I highly recommend this book.
October 29, 2016
A two-bit robbery by some 'gangsta' wannabes turns into a homicide when the victim fights back. That's about it for nearly 400 pages, so we hear a lot of information two or three times. The only reason we're hearing about it at all is because one of the perps was briefly 'famous' for having a severe case of the hiccups. The 'hiccup flashback' was actually the most interesting part of this sorry saga.
September 3, 2020
I remember back in 2007, the NBC Today show had a story on about Jennifer Mee, age 15, who had continually had the hiccups for a few weeks. Jennifer became famous worldwide in a short period of time.
By age 22, Jennifer is convicted of murder in the first degree because she set up a robbery along with boyfriend Lamont and friend Laron. All three ended up in prison for life for robbery gone bad by bringing a gun and robbing a young man named Shannon Griffins age 19 for $60.00.
By age 22, Jennifer is convicted of murder in the first degree because she set up a robbery along with boyfriend Lamont and friend Laron. All three ended up in prison for life for robbery gone bad by bringing a gun and robbing a young man named Shannon Griffins age 19 for $60.00.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
June 15, 2016I tried but Jennifer "Hiccup Girl" Mee's mother started getting on my nerves insisting on Jennifer's naivety and lack of smarts. When she got to the lead homocide detective's supposed "vendetta" against her daughter, which is extremely ridiculous and unbelievable, I just couldn't take it anymore. I feel for her but she needs to face facts about her daughter: she ain't that stupid.
May 21, 2023
Such a sad case but felt like everyone was trying to downplay Jennifers role in the murder. She even admitted she had set up the robbery and by all accounts her and Laron had robbed other men before. She is exactly where she deserves to be.
April 5, 2017
Another good book by M. William Phelps. This one centers on Jennifer Mee, known as the Hiccup Girl, and the murder she was involved in. The murder of Shannon Griffin, who was enticed to a meeting with Jennifer that was really a ploy for a robbery. The book is mostly about Jennifer and her life, especially during the time when she had the hiccups and could not stop. The story is very interesting. The book was well-written and well researched. It is obvious that Mr. Phelps did a lot of research for this book. I really liked this book and do recommend it!
July 25, 2016
Has anyone else ever wondered what is up with that weird photograph of M William Phelps on the back cover of all his books? It looks like he has a painful hemorrhoid.
Anyway...mediocre story of a teen girl gone wrong. Several (several!) bloated chapters on the various hiccup cures the family tries.
"Lite" reading for sure
Anyway...mediocre story of a teen girl gone wrong. Several (several!) bloated chapters on the various hiccup cures the family tries.
"Lite" reading for sure
September 17, 2016
Normally I really enjoy this author's books, but man, this one dragged. Not to take away from the victim or his family, what was a horrific and needless murder, but I think I just found the main perpetrator extremely boring. It was a definite fight to get through this one.
July 26, 2021
Meh... this was only okay. Jennifer Mee's mother seems very much in denial about what her daughter was responsible for.
November 5, 2017
I love M. William Phelps books, I really really do. I am obsessed.
This book was absolutely 100% mind blowing and super strange. The story kind of dragged on in certain places but it was a good book overall.
Jennifer Mee is known as the "hiccup" girl. When she was 15 years old, she developed hiccups that wouldn't stop. She went from doctor to doctor and nobody could figure out what was wrong with her. She was put on medications that made her like a zombie and she suffered with hiccups for weeks. She couldn't go to school or be a normal teenager. She became very depressed and felt like an outsider in her own family.
Jennifer Mee was always a rebel since her teenager years. She beat to her own drum and didn't like rules. Jennifer's mother calls the today show and they set up an interview. Everyone thinks that Rachel is making money off of Jennifer's condition but Rachel is claiming that she is trying to find a cure to help her daughter. Jennifer's cure to the hiccups seems to be being hypnotized. The first time it works for a while and then Jennifer develops the hiccups again.
Everyone now believes that Jennifer just wants attention and she's causing the hiccups herself. She tries to go back to school but once nobody plays attention to her, she gets mad. The hiccups are distracting to others and Jennifer Mee quits school. She didn't even finish high school.
Skip a few years and Jennifer is involved in a murder of an innocent guy who just wanted to meet her for a date. Jennifer and her boyfriend set up to rob him for $60.
What happened to this poor innocent girl with hiccups?! Where did her family go wrong..
This book was absolutely 100% mind blowing and super strange. The story kind of dragged on in certain places but it was a good book overall.
Jennifer Mee is known as the "hiccup" girl. When she was 15 years old, she developed hiccups that wouldn't stop. She went from doctor to doctor and nobody could figure out what was wrong with her. She was put on medications that made her like a zombie and she suffered with hiccups for weeks. She couldn't go to school or be a normal teenager. She became very depressed and felt like an outsider in her own family.
Jennifer Mee was always a rebel since her teenager years. She beat to her own drum and didn't like rules. Jennifer's mother calls the today show and they set up an interview. Everyone thinks that Rachel is making money off of Jennifer's condition but Rachel is claiming that she is trying to find a cure to help her daughter. Jennifer's cure to the hiccups seems to be being hypnotized. The first time it works for a while and then Jennifer develops the hiccups again.
Everyone now believes that Jennifer just wants attention and she's causing the hiccups herself. She tries to go back to school but once nobody plays attention to her, she gets mad. The hiccups are distracting to others and Jennifer Mee quits school. She didn't even finish high school.
Skip a few years and Jennifer is involved in a murder of an innocent guy who just wanted to meet her for a date. Jennifer and her boyfriend set up to rob him for $60.
What happened to this poor innocent girl with hiccups?! Where did her family go wrong..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2017
I rarely give five stars
but this was a most unusual case. I'd never heard of "the hiccup girl" and after having read this extremely well covered case by Phelps, I'm still stunned. I totally agree and love the way Phelps calls them as he sees them. The truth about pop reality stars, the media and the ridiculous way our society today makes news out of nothing, thereby instilling in our youth the least important values in life, the me-isms....I feel badly for the victim, I feel sorry for the mother's, and I wonder about the accountability involved...this book makes one think, and continue to ponder...wow
but this was a most unusual case. I'd never heard of "the hiccup girl" and after having read this extremely well covered case by Phelps, I'm still stunned. I totally agree and love the way Phelps calls them as he sees them. The truth about pop reality stars, the media and the ridiculous way our society today makes news out of nothing, thereby instilling in our youth the least important values in life, the me-isms....I feel badly for the victim, I feel sorry for the mother's, and I wonder about the accountability involved...this book makes one think, and continue to ponder...wow
September 4, 2019
A hiccup away...
How does a media darling at 15 go to a convicted murderer at 22? The answer, of course, is not simple, but M. William Phelps does his usual masterful job of intertwining narrative with the personal stories of victim and actor. In this case, Jennifer Mee went from a celebrity because of her extraordinary case of hiccups, to the mastermind of a robbery that turned into murder, landing her in prison for life. Kudos to Mr. Phelps for another fantastic true crime book, written in his usual style of fairness to all parties.
How does a media darling at 15 go to a convicted murderer at 22? The answer, of course, is not simple, but M. William Phelps does his usual masterful job of intertwining narrative with the personal stories of victim and actor. In this case, Jennifer Mee went from a celebrity because of her extraordinary case of hiccups, to the mastermind of a robbery that turned into murder, landing her in prison for life. Kudos to Mr. Phelps for another fantastic true crime book, written in his usual style of fairness to all parties.
July 9, 2023
*** 3.5 stars rounded up ***. This particular book by Phelps was so drawn out I almost stopped never to return. It is such a crazy story. At the age of twenty-two, Jennifer Mee is sentenced to life imprisonment for her participation in an ambush robbery that led to murder. She was not the trigger “man” but the one who set it up as well as the bait. The infuriating part of this horrible crime is that to this day she is not remorseful nor does she take any ownership in the taking of Shannon’s life.
July 1, 2022
Jennifer Mee did not kill anyone. Yet the felony murder rule made her a convict. This is a true story of a reckless young woman who lost her way, got into bad company and created a mess for herself and her family. I enjoyed the book for giving a proper context in terms of the life histories of all the characters involved in this real life saga.
February 14, 2018
I will read anything by M William Phelps. I would rather have read this one rather than listened on audio... the fellow wasn’t TERRIBLE, but I felt like if I had a grandpa who was also a billy goat that liked to read true crime novels out loud, it would be him.
October 10, 2017
I would give it a 2 because Phelps' repetitious writing drives me nuts, but I had never heard of the Hiccup Girl and was intrigued by the story.
June 29, 2018
Tragic.
October 28, 2018
Not one of his better books. Maybe it’s just because Jennifer Mee is so unlikable.
January 31, 2019
lots of info, limited insight.
June 28, 2019
Fantastic true crime! I'm not familiar with Jennifer Mee as The Hiccup Girl. The author pulled me in from the beginning with all the details leading up to the murder.
November 24, 2019
Repetitive and boring.
February 5, 2021
I found this too repetitive.
September 30, 2021
A sad but fairly straightforward story stretched out way too long without any especially interesting personalities to keep you interested.
January 8, 2023
Piers Morgan is insufferable but unfortunately his 45 min episode on Mee/this case covered as much as this book did in nearly 450 pages.
April 23, 2023
Mind blowing
Liked how open this book was with the story as a whole. Really gave you a true insight on what and how things happened
Liked how open this book was with the story as a whole. Really gave you a true insight on what and how things happened
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews