Gun Alley by Kevin Morgan is about the murder of Alma Tirtschke (12) a.k.a. the “schoolgirl murder.” It is a cold case, a wrongful conviction, the rape-murder of a child, sloppy police work, jailhouse information, and a rush to judgment that led to the botched execution on April 24, 1922 of an innocent man. Collin Campbell […]
Book Reviews
The Second Girl by David Swinson
The Second Girl by David Swinson is the first in a series featuring retired cop Frank Marr. He is damaged like the cop in Swinson’s first book “A Detailed Man.” Marr is worse though. Marr is a junkie. Even when faced with a chained scarcely clad teen his mind drifts. Whether it is the pain in […]
Damn his blood by Peter Moore
Damn his blood by Peter Moore tells us the story about the 1806 murder of Reverend George Parker that happened in Oddingley, UK. I happened upon this book while on vacation in London. We were in Waterstones, Islington, when I saw this book on the £0.99 cart. The woodcut and the different fonts on the […]
The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson
The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson is a splendid début novel. I love it when an author can describe the filth dripping from the walls so that I get an instant itch and the urge to check my room for anything decaying. Antonia Hodgson’s work is murder for your eyes (you will exhaust them) and […]
“Chase Your Shadow; the trials of Oscar Pistorius”
“Chase Your Shadow; the trials of Oscar Pistorius” by John Carlin is a must read. The title is well-chosen. We learn about Oscar, his family, his disability, and his career. His life was indeed filled with trials and they started well before 2013. Carlin clearly wrote this book with compassion in his heart. Some might […]
Rightful Owner by Hemmie Martin
Rightful Owner by Hemmie Martin is an interesting, fast read. A preview of the first chapter is available here for free. As you can read there, we are dealing with a closed club for a select few. They go through a routine to assume anonymity when they pick their pleasure partner for the evening. A club […]
Blood of the Rose by Kevin Murray
One evening over an excellent dinner, my friend David Swinson and I were complaining about mistakes made in TV shows related to cops, crime, and corpses. Our families wholeheartedly agreed that we both spoil movies for them and gladly send us out of the room so they can watch in peace. With this background information […]
Jack Absolute
Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys was not a targeted purchase. I bought it on sale when Books-A-Million was still alive here. The cover art appealed to me. It may be difficult to see on the picture but the cover is a three-fold piece of art. The bottom is a map that portrays part of the […]
In Light of the Madness by Hemmie Martin
In Light of the Madness by Hemmie Martin starts slow but once the story unfolds, the author does not hold back. Every parent’s nightmare is to survive your own child. To see them die before your eyes. To see them in the morgue after an autopsy. To answer questions to which you frankly have no answer […]
The Skeleton Crew by Deborah Halber
The Skeleton Crew by Deborah Halber gives you insight in all the armchair sleuthing and obstacles they face(d) trying to help others. These crews have one thing in common with the cops: the desire the serve and help others especially those who cannot speak anymore for themselves. Reading the book makes you aware how far […]