As of February 1988, the Helen Wilson murder investigation was in need of a fresh set of eyes - like a psychic, perhaps? By 1988, more than a hundred potential suspects had been interviewed, examined and excluded. Mostly these were southeastern Nebraska residents, but some were out of state serial rapists from the likes of Kansas and Colorado as well. It didn't matter. Wherever the Beatrice Police Department seemed to go looking, … [Read more...]
“Making A Murderer,” FAILURE OF JUSTICE Shine Light on Wrongful Convictions
Millions across the globe have watched 'Making a Murderer' on Netflix. It's the story of Wisconsin's Steven Avery. He goes to prison in the 1980s. He's a victim of a wrongful conviction for a brutal rape. Years later, he goes back to prison for murder and people are now debating whether he was victimized by a broken criminal justice in Wisconsin - again. My new book chronicles the terrible saga of Nebraska's Beatrice 6. FAILURE OF JUSTICE is … [Read more...]
Colorful Characters Brought To Life In Ferak’s True Crime Book On Beatrice 6 Case
Winters in Wisconsin can be downright frigid. Except for shoveling the snow off the driveway and the sidewalks, there isn't much motivation for going out. But back in January of 2014 I was looking forward to venturing outside for a change, even if it was for just a brief moment. It pertained to the infamous Beatrice 6 murder case. God bless the U.S. Post Office. The package arrived on time. Inside the small box was a small computer disk. … [Read more...]
The Double: Richard Godwin On the Idea of Split Personality
In The Pure And The Hated the idea of split personality is a central theme. It relates to what identity is and how irrational impulses may drive a character. As I trace the roots of horror fiction in Gothic and look at how it has evolved, I want to look at some of the themes of the genre. The theme of the double occurs early on in works such as Poe’s story William Wilson, in which the protagonist encounters his negative doppelganger. It is … [Read more...]
Using Human Scent Dogs to Track Down a Killer
One of the ways the feds were able to track down Joshua Wade after he had already evaded conviction in the murder of Della Brown, was to use human scent dogs. I had never written about Bloodhounds before writing ICE AND BONE, and what I discovered astonished me. The dogs were able to pick up Wade’s scent two whole weeks AFTER he had used the ATM card of one of his victims. This video, which the FBI shared with me, picks up as a dog named … [Read more...]
Frank Girardot Discusses A TASTE FOR MURDER on Crime Time
Frank Girardot Jr. discusses his and co-author Burl Barer's new true crime book, A TASTE FOR MURDER, on Crime Time with host Allison Hope Weiner. A TASTE FOR MURDER details the case of Frank Rodriguez, who aside from being dead, was in perfect health. Watch the full show below to find out why this case was chosen, how Burl and Frank conducted their research, and get an inside look into Frank's murder. Get your copy of the hit true crime A TASTE … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin on the Gothic Roots of Horror
There is much that is Gothic in The Pure And The Hated, my novel about the past, about revenge and lawlessness. In many ways revenge may be seen as lawless justice. As I examine what horror fiction means to us and how it relates to crime fiction, I want to trace its roots. I want to show that the two genres are not that distinct. In the latter part of the eighteenth century there was flowering of Gothic literature in England that ran … [Read more...]
Listen to the F.B.I. Interview of the Serial Killer Featured in ICE AND BONE
Here is an audio clip I obtained from the F.B.I. of an interview with Joshua Wade shortly after his arrest in connection with Mindy Schloss’s disappearance. The interview appears in Chapter 40 of ICE AND BONE. What you obviously can’t see is Wade’s reaction when Agent Thoreson claims they “talked to Mindy.” Both Agent Thoreson and Detective Perrenoud, who were in the room, told me that a devious smirk came over Wade’s face: From Chapter … [Read more...]
New York Times Bestselling Author Steve Jackson Reflects On An Unexpected Reward From Writing SMOOTH TALKER
Writing true crime books has it's ups and downs. It can be a dark road through hell researching and writing about the terrible things human beings--if some killers can be classified as such--do to other human beings. It also has its rewards, some of them quite unexpected, as I was recently reminded. Anyone who reads my books knows that I'm not big on going into the gory details, or including the more "shocking" photographs included in … [Read more...]
True Crime Author Steve Jackson Discusses SMOOTH TALKER Picture Puzzle Pieces
I've been asked why I chose to write SMOOTH TALKER: Trail of Death, especially as I have already written about serial killer Roy Melanson in the past. In 2002, I published a book called NO STONE UNTURNED: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators, which was about the history and some of the best early cases involving NecroSearch International. NSI is a group of scientists, as well as former and current law enforcement … [Read more...]
