Police in Bryan, Texas, this month might have thought they were in the middle of some pulp fiction when they arrested the author of a crime novel after she allegedly attempted to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband. The woman was charged with solicitation to commit capital murder and was being held on $75,000 bond.

The woman and her husband were estranged and apparently planning to divorce, but were still living in the same house, according to the Brazos County Sheriff. During the course of the investigation, the sheriff's office notified the husband that his wife might be trying to harm him. The woman told the sheriff's deputy who arrested her that her husband was cheating on her and that their home was in foreclosure. She had earlier posted on Facebook that she had come home and found him cheating; she also said they were divorcing but still living together.

The woman allegedly gave the deputy, who was posing as a hit man, her wedding ring as collateral and told him he would later receive $60,000 from her husband's $180,000 life insurance policy. According to police, she also gave the deputy two photo ID's so that he would be able to identify her husband. The woman's book "Temporary Amnesia" is about a man who escapes from prison and becomes the ringleader of a gang of prostitutes who rob banks.

Fortunately, most divorce cases are not so sensational. Texas residents who prefer a more collaborative and focused approach to divorce often seek the advice of an experienced family law attorney who can guide them toward a resolution in their cases.

Source: CBS News, "Cops: Texas crime novelist tried to hire hit man to murder estranged husband," Dec. 19, 2011