Truth stranger than fiction? We’ve all heard the phrase. Actually, it’s a bit of a falsehood. Invention acting as truth. Reality always wins out in the end. Doesn’t it? But, in the case of Valerie McDaniel, truth runs even the most bizarre fiction close. <br>Had Valerie survived her darkest days of 2017, she may well now be serving time behind bars. Certainly, prosecutors in Houston, Texas, have little doubt about that. Then again, it is the prosecutors’ job to believe in the guilt of those they are employed to accuse. It would be hard, for all but those completely lacking in any moral compass, to attempt to put somebody they believe to be innocent away in prison. Wouldn’t it? <br>We shall never know the absolute truth regarding whether or not veterinarian Valerie McDaniel did actually commit a crime, because her trial never took place. Nor shall we know, with certainty, whether there were any mitigating circumstances to be taken into account when judging any wrongdoing she did undertake. We can though, tell her story. We should do so fairly and in a balanced way that allows the reader to make up their own minds in this unusual case. Because Valerie’s story is important. She leaves behind a young child, a daughter, who will grow up without her mother. If, one day, that daughter decides to investigate for herself what happened to her mother, it is essential that she can access information untainted by both opinion and interest. <br>This is a tale of two parts. The first, and overwhelmingly longer one, tells of a woman whose life, career and family seemed successful and happy. The second covers just a few weeks, and sees the personality of the protagonist apparently change, making decisions that caused her to throw away that career, that reputation, that loving daughter and, finally, her life itself. <br>Did a once respected veterinarian suddenly decide to become the head of a murder for hire scheme? This is the story of Valerie McDaniel.