Trixie and her tight knit group solved mysteries together, and their original series carried them throughout their high school years. Trixie’s best friend, Honey, was rich and very much opposite her, but I loved the way they brought out the best in one another. And I loved the budding relationship between her and orphan Jim.

Don’t get me wrong – I loved Nancy, too, and she was definitely a big part of my original interest in mysteries. Both series stand up today in terms of red herrings and whodunits. But Nancy was the perfect girl, the rich girl, the beautiful girl. While I loved her, I never found myself nodding in agreement and feeling whatever the latest sense of injustice Trixie was going through.

It’s been many years since I’ve read the books, but it’s the first three that really stick out to me, along with a few select others.

The Secret of the Mansion (1948)

The Red Trailer Mystery (1950)

The Gatehouse Mystery (1951).

The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963)

The Mystery at Saratoga (1979)

The Mystery of the Midnight Marauder (1980)

There are a ton more Trixie books, and you can learn more about them here. These are timeless classics your kids will love, and I can’t wait until Grace is old enough to read them.

What about you? Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, or The Hardy Boys?

I’ve had an amazing week! Tin God is on sale for just .99, and thanks to my amazing readers, it became an Amazon bestseller for the second time. It also reached number 8 at Barnes and Noble, which was simply incredible! Thank you so much for helping to spread the word about the sale. You guys are awesome!

If you haven’t had a chance to start the Delta Crossroads Trilogy, now is a great time to pick up book one for just .99!

Nick longed to touch her face, caress her cheek in the way lovers so often did. He fisted his hand against the console. “All we can do is wait.”

“Please give me the phone.”

“She’s not going to answer.”

“I know.” Jaymee held out her hand. “Do you trust me?”

The question took him off guard. Did he? All this time he’d been working to earn her trust, but he’d never stopped to think if he could count on her to do the right thing. She was young, emotionally invested. Broken. Frankly, he didn’t know how she’d kept her sanity all this time. He’d have done more than go off on Paul Ballard at church. He’d have stalked the man to a private spot and tortured him until he talked. Ended up in jail. Yet Jaymee persevered, waiting for the right moment.

He handed her the phone.

She hit redial and then took a deep breath before speaking. “Elaine, this is Jaymee Ballard again. I know you’re scared. I’m scared, too. For myself, for you, your family. But I’m also scared for all the other women whose lives are going to be destroyed by this man’s scheme. How many innocent babies has he stolen since yours? How many kids are out there who will never have a chance to find their biological parents because of his lies? What if your son gets sick and only you can help? There’s no way to find you, is there? He’ll have to suffer. Doesn’t he deserve to have the choice to find you one day? Doesn’t my Sarah?

“Don’t the countless other babies who’ve been taken? Yes, Lana was murdered for this secret. So was another friend of mine, just last week. Maybe we’re in danger, too. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to back off when I know those kids need me.” She let out a long, shuddering breath. “I know you’ll do the right thing, Elaine. For your little boy. We’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

She hit “end” and handed the phone back to Nick. This time, he couldn’t resist. He reached out, cupped her face. Ran his thumb beneath her bottom lip. She flexed, moving forward an inch. Her eyes flamed.

God, he wanted to kiss her.

“That took a lot of strength.” He dropped his hand. She caught it in her own.

“Let’s hope it works.”

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/Zkn9KH
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/10yWUmH

“Riveting, exciting, amazing! This murder mystery is a must read!”

TIN GOD has received it’s 42nd Five Star Review in just ONE MONTH of release. Thank you all for your support!

He needed to pay.

Barbecue. The rich aroma filled the air. Light glowed from her parents’ backyard. The family was outside, no doubt enjoying some of Sonia’s excellent home cooking. Paul would have nothing less.

She reached the fence, pushed it open. Her hand fisted in her pocket. Control, she reminded herself. This was her moment, her one chance.

The front door now, adorned with a wreath of fake roses. Unlocked. She twisted the brass knob and pushed the door open. Front room dimly lit by the lamp sitting next to her father’s recliner. Sonia’s knitting next to hers. A new television. Flat screen. How modern.

Her eyes strayed down the hall. The guest room was close. She could pilfer through his things and leave, not cause a scene, go on to fight another day.

Too bad that’s not what she came for.

Through the kitchen now. Lights were on, food spread out on the butcher-block counter. Daisies in a vase on the table. He always brought her mother daisies.

Laughter outside. His. Bold, contagious. Sickening. Her pulse charged. She was really going to do this. Bring the pain–the shame–to him. Her family probably wouldn’t believe her, but at least the truth would be out there, oozing like an infected wound and impossible to ignore.

Jaymee saw him now. Six foot tall, swimmer’s body, still in shape. Dark, wavy hair peppered with gray and always in place. Tan skin complementing a white smile. He stood near the grill talking with Darren. Her brother would be disappointed in her for causing such chaos.

Eli laughed. A brief pang of discomfort. She was counting on Mary to get the little boy out of earshot as soon as she started slinging the mud.

Time. Now. She breathed deeply. Honey barbecue mixed with summer flowers and humidity. Lovely.

Jaymee slid the screen door open and stepped out onto the Ballard’s weathered deck.

“Hello, family.”

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Jaymee went back to scrubbing the table. Her fingernails dug into the Formica. “Detective Charles had more questions for me. He offered a ride, I took it.”

“You like taking rides, don’t you?”

“What are you talking about now?”

“Day you found the body, you got picked up by the town whore.”

Jaymee laughed. “Why do you care, anyway?”

“Your name’s being tossed around with a whore’s and a dead woman’s. You’ve already embarrassed us enough. Now our family name’s being desecrated by your lifestyle.”

“And what lifestyle would that be?” Jaymee whipped around to face him. His crooked mouth warped into a sneer, and she felt the familiar stab in her heart. Why did he hate her so much? She couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t look at her with scorn.

“Living out there with the damned city trash. I’m sure you’re in the same line of work as your friend. After all, once you’ve allowed your body to be used, what’s the difference? Might as well make some money off it, right?”

“That’s enough, Paul,” Gereau said. “You wanted to know why she came to work in the police car. You got your answers. Let’s leave before this escalates further.”

She’d heard this all before. The repetitiveness should have dulled the pain, but the words sliced through the layers of armor Jaymee had built around her heart. Her lips shook as her eyes began to fill. Then she saw the corner of her father’s lips perk up. Bastard. He was enjoying this. She chewed back the sob and responded with as much venom as she could muster.

“I don’t prostitute. Not that you care.”

“I don’t. I gave up on you a long time ago. But I won’t allow you to drag my family back into the mud. You almost gave me a heart attack back then. Trying to kill me now?”

“All I did was tell the church what a hypocrite you are. But one day, Dad,” Jaymee emphasized the word with thick sarcasm, “the truth will come out. Life has a way of making things right. Don’t you agree, Reverend Gereau?”

Gereau took a step back as though Jaymee pushed him. Deep creases lined his forehead as he searched her face, presumably looking for forgiveness.

She didn’t have any left.

Buy Tin God for Kindle, Paperback, and at Amazon UK.

What the reviewers are saying about TIN GOD:

“Stacy Green has written an emotionally charged, thought-provoking and stunning mystery/suspense that will capture and hold you hostage until the last page is read. Set in the small tourist town of Roselea, Mississippi, the decisions and consequences of the past emerge and threaten to immerse this community in murder and uncertainty.”
–The Kindle Book Review

“A story with a great female character.” –F.J. Giordano

“Gritty and well written.” — Cynthia Thomas

“A perfect Southern Mystery.” — S. Henke

http://amzn.to/ZaZpIX

The Kindle Book Review called TIN GOD “an emotionally charged, thought provoking, stunning mystery suspense,” and my wonderful advanced readers have fallen in the love with the book. Thank you all for your support and encouragement!

Click on the image to see the book on Amazon, or visit this LINK.

And we’re having a Facebook party today to celebrate the launch. I’ll have signed paperback copies up for grabs, as well as cool swag and gift cards. Stop by at 10 a.m. central to join in the fun!

Between 1968 and 1969 in Glasgow, Scotland, three young women were murdered after meeting a mysterious man at the Barrowland Ballroom.

Victims

25-year-old Patricia Docker was found strangled to death on February 23, 1968. She’d told her parents the night before she was going dancing at the Majestic Ballroom, but instead went to the Barrowland, a club catering exclusively to the over 25 crowd. By the time police found this out, her murder was eight weeks old and most of the patrons didn’t remember her.

Her handbag was later found in the River Clyde, leading authorities to speculate her killer may have been from that area of Glasgow.

Jemima McDonald, 32, disappeared on August 15, 1969. She’d also gone dancing at the Barrowland. Her body was discovered in an old tenement building by her sister after hearing rumors of a dead woman having been dumped. Jemima had been strangled, raped, and beaten to death.

This time, police were able to question witnesses at the Barrowland, and many stated they saw Jemima leaving at midnight with a tall, thin man with red hair. They also interviewed a woman who remembered screams coming from the building, but she couldn’t pin down the time.

A few months later, on Halloween, 29-year-old Helen Puttock was found murdered. She’d been the Barrowland Ballroom the night she was killed with her sister, and had met two different men named John. One said he was from the nearby town of Castlemilk. He later left to get a bus, while Helen, Jen, and John got a taxi. Jean got out and then the taxi continued to Earl Street where Helen lived. Her body was found the next morning in her back garden. Like the others, she’d been raped and strangled. Her handbag was missing. Grass stains on her feet indicated she’d tried to escape.

A bite mark and semen were left with Helen’s body and would later become the focus as DNA testing came into its own.

When Jean was questioned about the man her sister had been with, she clearly remembered his ability to quote scripture, leading the media to assign him the “Bible John” moniker.

There were several similarities between the victims: all three had been strangled with their own pantyhose, all were menstruating, and all three had sanitary napkins or tampons near the bodies. All three were also missing their handbags.

This, along with the killer’s mode of operation and pattern, made Peter Tobin, a (later) convicted Scottish serial killer and rapist who was known to have abducted in the Barrowland Ballroom area, a suspect.

Peter Tobin

Peter Tobin’s ex-wives all gave accounts of being beaten and raped by Tobin. There are also similarities between Tobin during the years when the crimes were committed and artist’s renditions of Bible John. He also met his first wife at the Barrowland. All three former wives said their menstrual cycles drove Tobin to violence, a suspected motive in the Bible John murders.

A man known only as John M. was another suspect and viewed by Helen’s sister for possible identification. He also bore remarkable resemblance to the police sketch and he continued to be a prime suspect even after his suicide in 1980.

In the 1990s, DNA results failed to link John M. to semen left with Helen’s body. When the news broke, Helen’s sister Jean told the media she’d always known John M. wasn’t the killer.

Police are actively collecting DNA and claim science will solve the killings.

What do you think? Will DNA eventually solve the case, or has too much time passed? Could Peter Tobin be the real killer?

For much more in depth information on the case, visit TruTV’s Crime Library.

TIN GOD has earned amazing reviews from early readers, and I’m giving away three signed print copies via Goodreads. Contest ends the 7th, so be sure to sign up!

Tin God’s release date is April 8th, and I’m excited to give you the exclusive cover reveal by Night Owl Reviews.

The inspiration for Tin God’s cover

Tin God is set in the fictional town of Roselea, Mississippi, modeled after Natchez. It’s loaded with historic antebellum homes, and the first big event in the book takes place inside the town’s showpiece, Evaline Hall.

My first real introduction to the Old South and Civil War history came in 1985. I was eight years old, and ABC aired a miniseries called North and South. I fell in love with everything the show represented, including Mont Royal Plantation.

Boone Hall outside of Charleston, South Carolina was used for the Mont Royal exterior shots, and when I created Evaline, that house was all I could see. Click here to see Boone Hall.

Now, I couldn’t use stock photography unless I wanted to deal with copyright issues, and I wanted the cover for TIN GOD to be all original. So I contracted artist Kimberlee Ketterman Edgar to paint what would be come the wraparound for the book.

In my head, I saw a blazing sunset representing the Mississippi heat, with Evaline standing proud on the hill and flanked by live oaks. But we needed to add the suspense, so I suggested Kimberlee highlight the bloody planter found by the main character, Jaymee, in the books first few pages. And then there was the religious aspect of the book, as well as the heartbreaking journey Jaymee goes on as a mother in search of her child.

The result was a gorgeous painting of the vision I had for TIN GOD. The cover represents every key element in the novel, and I could not be more grateful to Kimberlee for sharing her amazing talent with me.

So do you want to see the cover? Head on over to Night Owl Reviews!

To read the first two chapters of TIN GOD for free and be notified of early bird pricing, sign up for my mailing list. You will only be notified when I have exclusive offers.

]]> https://stacygreenauthor.com/archives/2399/feed 24 2399 https://stacygreenauthor.com/archives/2390 https://stacygreenauthor.com/archives/2390#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:30:22 +0000 https://stacygreenauthor.com/?p=2390 Read the rest →]]> Today’s Thriller Thursday is about history-one of my favorite topics. March is a month full of interesting criminal history, and here are a few of the events that stand out to me.

On a side note, today is Einstein’s birthday. Happy 134th!

This Month in Criminal History

March 1, 1932: Charles Lindbergh’s son is kidnapped from his home in Hopewell, New Jersey. A $50,000 ransom is paid, but the boy’s body is found on May 12. Cause of death is believed to be an accidental fall as his kidnapper, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, carried him down a ladder at the Lindbergh’s private estate. It’s likely the child died instantly.

March 1, 1974: Watergate scandal is revealed. Nixon’s former chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, aide John Erlichman, and former attorney general John Mitchell are indicted with four other high ranking officials.

March 3, 1913: 5,000 women participating in a suffrage march in Washington D.C. were attacked by onlookers while police stood by. Many were spat on and struck, and soldiers were called in to restore order. Remember what our predecessors fought for, ladies.

March 5, 1770: The Boston Massacre. A group of Americans harassed the British soldiers who then opened fire. Five men were killed. British Captain Thomas Preston and eight of his men were charged with murder. The Captain and six of his men were acquitted, while two were found guilty of manslaughter, branded, and then released.

March 6, 1836: Remember the Alamo. Fort Alamo fell to General Santa Anna. Beginning on February 23th, Santa Anna and his soldiers attacked. The Texans and their reinforcements held the fort until March 6. Davy Crockett is believed to have been killed in the battle, with some stating he was surrounded by no less than 16 dead Mexican officers, but others say he surrendered.

March 13, 1943: A plot by German Army officers to kill Hitler failed.

March 15, 44 B.C.: Julius Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and other conspirators.

March 16, 1968: In what’s known as the My Lai Massacre, American soldiers of Charlie Company murdered 504 Vietnamese men, women, and children. They were charged but later pardoned by President Richard Nixon.

March 20, 1995: A Japanese religious cult unleashes a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system during rush hour. 12 were killed and 5,000 injured. Members of the cult were eventually arrested.

March 30, 1981: President Reagan is shot in the chest in Washington, D.C. After surgery to remove the .22 caliber bullet from his lung, Reagan joked, “I should have ducked.” Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, was shot in the forehead but survived. He is permanently disabled and a supporter of gun control.

SOURCE

Did you know some of these events occurred in March? What is your favorite time in history?

Read the first TWO chapters of TIN GOD (April 2013) for free!

A mystery set in the heart of the deep South, TIN GOD is getting amazing early reviews.

The book’s official release is April 8th, and I’m doing something special for mailing list subscribers: sign up to read the first two chapters for free. Subscribers will also be exclusively notified with the book’s early release and special 24 hour discounted price.

Sign up to read the first two chapters HERE!

If you’d like to know what the early reviewers are saying, check out TIN GOD on Goodreads (cover reveal is March 28th.)

Your book, ONLY THE INNOCENT, was an indie sensation and recently re-launched through Amazon’s Thomas and Mercer imprint. Tell us where you got the idea for the book.

The idea for Only the Innocent was buzzing round in my head for many years. It all started when I heard that a woman had been accused of murder – a pretty rare thing and probably the first I had heard of in the UK. It made me wonder if there was any set of circumstances that would cause me to think that murder was the only option. I had to come up with a scenario in which there was no other sensible way out for the murderer – but I also wanted the killer to be somebody that the reader would empathise with. That’s why I added the strapline – Can murder ever be justified? Should the guilty be punished, or the innocent protected?

We can talk marketing strategies all day, but your book clearly gained a following by word of mouth and great reviews. What is it about your book that strikes such a chord in people?

That’s a really hard question, and if I knew the answer for sure, I would be able to replicate it! I think it’s the fact that the story is about the ‘why’ of murder, and not just the ‘who, when and how’ – if that makes sense. Personally, I’m not a fan of typical detective driven murder mysteries where the emphasis is on the evidence, with the police following procedures to eventually capture the perpetrator of the crime. I want to get inside the head of the killer – or in my next book not necessarily the head of the killer, but understand the motivations of the main characters – to see what drives them. So I think that makes it a book that people can associate with. It allows them to ask – “What would I do if this happened to me?”

Your life has no doubt changed exponentially in the past two years. What’s been the biggest change, and how did you cope with the demands of your success?

It has certainly been a very interesting period! I had effectively given up work some time previously. I used to run an interactive media company, and we sold it a few years ago. I carried on doing odd bits for the company, but not that much – so I suppose I was ready for the next challenge.

The biggest change has been that I am permanently attached to my computer! I am either writing – which I really, really love – or plotting, or marketing.  Nearly every day is different. One thing that has changed, though, is that I’ve put on a ton of weight – which I am less than happy with! That’s due to being welded to my chair – and when I need inspiration I tend to eat biscuits. Not a good outcome – but everything else that has happened has been terrific.

I’ve also had amazing support. My husband has completely taken over the running of the house, and does everything. When I’m writing, I barely leave the house. I do cook, though. I still enjoy that – thank goodness!

Authors around the blogosphere want to know: why did you decide to sign with Thomas and Mercer after your indie success, and how has the experience been? What’s been the best part?

Thomas and Mercer contacted me quite early on – when Only the Innocent had been at number one in the UK for around two weeks. I had managed somehow to make an impact in the UK, but less of one in the US. That was partly down to time zones – I was never tweeting when the US market was active, for example. The same was true to a large extent with forums. The book was selling – it wasn’t totally dire – but although it was steadily selling in low double figures each day, it wasn’t getting close to its UK success.

Thomas and Mercer have been absolutely excellent. It was one of the best decisions that I ever made, to be honest. I have heard from so many indies that have gone on to get publishing deals that there has been no marketing budget to put behind their books at all, and they are expected to just get on and do it – much as they did before, but for a fraction of the retruns. T&M were quite clear: we want you to write – leave the marketing to us. And they have done a great job. Only the Innocent went into the top ten in the first week after launch, and although it’s dropped now, it’s hovering around the 250 mark, which is great. Their initial push got it noticed – now we need people to start talking about it so that there is more ‘pull’ than ‘push’ if that makes sense. So the marketing has been a huge positive.

I have a two book deal, and the T&M editor has just done the dev edit on my new book, The Back Road, which is due out in the US in October. She did a great job, as did the copy editing team for Only the Innocent. I’ve found them to be totally professional, and a pleasure to work with.

In this ever changing publishing era, what do you think the most important marketing tool is for the new author?

I’m not sure I would call this a ‘tool’ but there are two things that a new author needs: a marketing plan, and a willingness to do the work, even when they don’t want to!

A marketing plan is essential. I have a very detailed plan that works on a couple of different levels. The first level is the target setting. I work out what I want to achieve in terms of the key ‘discoverability’ options in the various channels where people can buy my book. Some of my actions to achieve the target might involve using Facebook or Twitter – or engaging on forums. That’s where the second level of my plan comes in. At this level, I have a strategy for each of the different routes to engagement – so my action plan might say that I need to increase the number of likes on Facebook, or the number of interactions with readers, but my strategy determines how I am going to go about doing that for each of the social networking sites.

I have a daily time plan for marketing (which I have been ignoring for the last few weeks while I finished my second book – VERY bad behavior, and I’m totally ashamed of myself) – but I know which days I should engage with readers on each of the different platforms, and I have a strict number of minutes before I move on to do something else. It’s the only way I can avoid getting caught up on any one thing.

Tell us what you’re working on now.

I have just – literally in the last 24 hours – put book two, The Back Road, to bed. It is being uploaded to Amazon in the UK, and it will be released in the US in October.

So for the next few days I will focus on marketing and redrafting some sections of my plan, but at the same time my mind is going to be whirring as I think about book three. I already have the main idea, and I am really, really pleased with it. But my books are always complex, and so there’s quite a lot of background that I need to research.

You live in Italy, and that’s one of my dream vacation spots. Any suggestions for the tourists other than the famous must-see landmarks?

At the moment I live part time in Italy, but mainly I am living in Alderney – one of the Channel Islands. It’s a tiny island – only 3.5 miles by 1.5 miles. There are less than 2000 people, and absolutely zero crime. I leave my door permanently unlocked, my keys in the car – it’s wonderful. However, our main home – as you say – is in the Le Marche region of Italy. It is a beautiful part of Italy, with friendly people and scenery to rival Tuscany. The difference is that the towns still retain their original charm – there are very few tourists, and it’s very ‘Italian’. We love it there. Anybody coming to Italy who wants to see the ‘real’ Italy should consider Le Marche – whether its walking in the Sibillini mountains or staying closer to the Adriatic coast. Mind you, I would avoid that in the peak holiday season.

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I’m not sure whether this is a quirk or not, but I do have a tendency to add the odd line which is meant to be funny. My agent always reads my work before it goes to the editor, and she scrubs them out. She says (quite rightly) that this is supposed to be a thriller! Why am I trying to make people laugh? It’s okay when it’s dialogue that’s in character, but it’s often in my description of people. I sometimes wonder if I should write a funny book and get it all out of my system.

Let’s do some fun stuff. Favorite candy? One material thing you couldn’t live without? Home cooking or eating out? Wine or champagne?

Favourite Candy (not that we would call it candy in England!) would be, without a shadow of a doubt, chocolate gingers. Lovely pieces of ginger coated in a thick, dark chocolate. I’m salivating at the thought of it! One material thing that I couldn’t live without? That’s harder. I guess if we’re talking extravagance here, I would have to say my Crème de la Mer face cream. Massively extravagant, but I have used it for twenty odd years now, and whenever I try something else, my face just dries up and goes blotchy (I’m painting such a lovely picture – with this and the biscuit eating obsession!). Home cooking – definitely. I love to cook, and in fact there are loads of recipes on my website because food plays a big part in my writing. Wine or champagne? Both please!

What’s the one question you’ve never been asked but would love to answer, and what’s the answer?

I would love somebody to ask me “If I could wave a magic wand to change one thing about you today, what would it be?” And my answer would be “make me a person who can eat anything at all, and stay slim!”.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with me today, Rachel. Your story and positive attitude have been an inspiration to me.

I hope you all enjoyed the interview, and don’t forget to check out ONLY THE INNOCENT!

Rachel Online:
Twitter
Amazon
Website 

Between 1964-65, six women were murdered, their bodies found around the Thames River. All were prostitutes. All had been strangled and left naked. Because of their locations and similarity to the Jack the Ripper case, the unidentified assailant was given the nicknamed Jack the stripper.

The Victims:

Hannah Tailford, 30. Found dead February 2, 1964 near the Hammersmith Bridge. Hannah was strangled and several teeth were missing. Her underwear had been forced down her throat.

Irene Lockwood, 26. Found April 8, 1964 near the same area where Hannah’s body was found.

Helen Barthelemy, 22. The third victim and first break in the case, Helen was found on April 24, 1964 in an alleyway. Flecks of paint used in car factories.

Mary Flemming, 30. Found July 14, 1964 in an open street. The paint spots were found on the body.

Frances Brown, 21. Found November 25, 1964 after missing for a month. A friend was with Brown when the man believed to be her killer picked her up, and a composite sketch was created.

Bridget O’Hara, 28. Found dead behind the Heron Trading Estate. Again flecks of paint were present.

The paint pattern was found near a paint spray shop on the Heron estate, near the location of Bridget O’Hara’s body. Investigators realized this was where the bodies were stored before being dumped. 7,000 people were questioned.

Police announced the suspect list was being narrowed down in the hopes of causing the killer to make a mistake, but an arrest never happened.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Du Rose was in charge of the investigation, and in his book, Murder was my Business, Du Rose states the prime suspect committed suicide before an arrest could happen.

We had done all we possibly could but faced with his death no positive evidence was available to prove or disprove our belief that he was in fact the man we had been seeking. Because he was never arrested or stood trial, he must be considered innocent and will therefore never be named. – John Du Rose

Writer David Seabrook later identified this suspect as Mungo Ireland. Ireland gassed himself with exhaust on March 3, 1965. He left a note behind:

“I can’t stick it any longer… PS. To save you and the police looking for me I’ll be in the garage.”

Opinions vary on whether or not this man was actually the killer, and the case remains unsolved.

What do you think? Is the suicide note enough? Could Du Rose have been reaching to cover a failed investigation?

For more detailed accounts, visit here. For an entirely new theory, check out this interesting post.

Coming Soon: TIN GOD.

The official blurb for my second novel, TIN GOD (April 2013) is below! 

If you’d like to read the first chapter for FREE, visit my website.

TIN GOD
Mystery/Romantic Thriller

Getting pregnant as a teenager and being coerced into giving her baby up for adoption left a festering scar on Jaymee Ballard’s life. Trapped by poverty and without many allies, Jaymee nearly gives up hope of getting her daughter back after her best friend is murdered. Now, four years later, a wealthy woman with legal connections hires her as a housekeeper, and Jaymee gathers the courage to seek her help. But Jaymee’s last chance ends up in a puddle of blood in one of the historic antebellum mansions in Roselea, Mississippi.

I just murdered your wife…again.

An unsigned letter consisting of six horrifying words turns Nick Samuels stagnant life upside down. Stuck in emotional purgatory since his wife’s unsolved murder four years ago, Nick is about to self-destruct. The arrival of the letter claiming credit for his wife’s murder and boasting of a new kill sends Nick to Roselea, where he and Jaymee’s worlds collide.

Jaymee and Nick realize exposing the truth about her daughter’s adoption is the only way to solve the murders. Up against years of deception, they rush to identify the killer before the evidence–and Jaymee’s daughter–are lost.

But the truth doesn’t always set the guilt-ridden free. Sometimes, it destroys them.