Help Us Finalize A New Cover For Burl Barer's True Crime Book MURDER IN THE FAMILY Please vote on the cover for Edgar Award Winner Burl Barer's updated edition of his August 2000 New York Times bestselling true crime classic, MURDER IN THE FAMILY, that you think works best for the synopsis below. The synopsis: On March 15th, 1987 police in Anchorage, Alaska arrived at a horrific scene of carnage. In a modest downtown apartment, they … [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...]
Author Monte Francis’s Upcoming Media Appearances
Monte Francis has recently had multiple media appearances to discuss his new true crime book, which was released by WildBlue Press on April 19th and has been receiving excellent reviews since. ICE AND BONE is the chilling true account of how a demented murderer initially evaded police and avoided conviction only to slip back into the shadows and kill again. Monte's Media Appearances: The House of Mystery Radio Show with host Alan Warren on … [Read more...]
John Ferak’s FAILURE OF JUSTICE Cover Contest
Help Us Finalize A Cover For John Ferak's New True Crime Book FAILURE OF JUSTICE Please vote on the cover for the John Ferak's true crime book, FAILURE OF JUSTICE: A Brutal Murder, An Obsessed Cop, Six Wrongful Convictions that you think works best for the synopsis below. The synopsis: Feb. 5, 1985 marked one of the coldest nights on record that winter in small-town rural Nebraska. That chilly evening, tenants in one downtown … [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...]
Check Out Preview of Steve Jackson’s New True Crime Book SMOOTH TALKER on Investigation Discovery’s Epic Mysteries
New York Times bestselling author Steve Jackson's latest true crime book, SMOOTH TALKER, will be featured on the Investigation Discovery's Epic Mysteries show on April 9th, 2016, at 9pm ET. SMOOTH TALKER is the story of serial rapist Roy Melanson, his depredations, and the intrepid police work that went into bringing him to justice. Check out this preview. From The Preface of SMOOTH TALKER: He’s just a fat old man rotting away in a Colorado … [Read more...]
Listen To A Sneak Preview of Steve Jackson’s New True Crime SMOOTH TALKER
Check out this sneak peek of the audiobook version of New York Times bestselling author Steve Jackson's new true crime book, SMOOTH TALKER. SMOOTH TALKER will be available for digital on April 7 and print April 9. Then be looking for the audiobook in early May. … [Read more...]
Monte Francis on the Cases Behind His New True Crime Book ICE AND BONE
I began reporting on crimes and murder trials as a TV reporter for the NBC affiliate in Fresno, California, KSEE in 1999. During the five years I spent in California’s Central Valley, I had the opportunity to cover a number of high-profile cases. Among them was the trial of Scott Peterson, who was ultimately convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Laci in 2004. Two years prior, I covered the trial of Cary Stayner, the hotel handyman responsible … [Read more...]
