The Inside Story , two

Tomorrow is the big day. My second book in the Kate Nash Mystery Series is to be released.
I wrote the books so they will stand alone. In other words, if you didn't read Finding Lizzy Smith,
you will still be able to follow the second one, Who's Roxy Watkins? without feeling lost or that we all have a secret you don't know.

Of course, with each  book, you learn a little more about the characters, their likes and dislikes,  favorite foods, clothes, and who thinks what about who.

Readers are asking when book three will be done. Honestly, I'm not sure. I have a title, The Untimely Death of Ivy Tucker (I've been known to change my mind).

My brain is still swirling around Murder in Madison Woods, so for the first time I am writing two books at once.

Since I can't buy groceries without a list, remember where I put my glasses, car keys, or the TV remote, this will be a serious challenge.

How many of you read my crime book, The Twisted Mind of Cletus Compton?  I guess that was a silly question since I can't see a show of hands. Anyway, the two most popular characters in that book will make another appearance in Murder in Madison Woods. Can you believe no one wanted to run into Cletus Compton or his brother Warren again?

Okay, two of the characters everyone seemed to like, or from the comments, loved, are Tony Massey, the six- feet -six dark haired shy and single sherrif of Ash County and Dr. Boo Jordan, retired FBI profiler and phychiatrist. Yes, her name is Boo. Want to know why?

When my daughters were in high school the quarterback of one of the local teams was named Boo Champange. I decided if I ever had the opportunity to use the name Boo, I would.

Until we meet again, turn off the TV and read a book. It's impossible to think about all of your problems, politics, the laundry and most everything else if your mind is in Africa, chasing a bad guy, trying to figure out who the killers, finding out the neighbor next door is a spy, or spending the night at the Scary Inn.

Some key words and hints from my new crime novel: The Twisted Mind of Cletus Compton.

Psychopath
Sociopath
Murder
Kidnapper
Brother

Mama
knife
Sheriff
FBI
Psychiatrist
Children
Chains
Fire

The on line launch is Tuesday August 16th from 7 to 8:30 P.M.
Lots of swag to give away.
E book edition is on pre-order now.
Link to launch party: Facebook,com/events/151163698647171

   Hope to see you at the party.


http://tinyurl.com/j55ae2s

LET''S TALK NUMBERS

 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

467,000 children missing per year.

86% Are Runaways
10 % Are family abductions
2% Are lost/ injured or otherwise missing.
1% non Family abduction
1% critical missing young adults

 Most cases solved within 2 hours.

VIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN -33%

rape down 43%

There is only 1 child abduction in every 10,000 missing children reports.

THE WORLD IS NOT FALLING APART!

Facts About the FBI Most Wanted List

Things you didn't know about the FBI MOST WANTED LIST


The First person on the list was Thomas James Holden back in 1951.

17 cases have been solved directly because of the television program America's Most Wanted.

Victor Manuel Gerena has been on the list longer than anyone, since May of 1984.

He stole $7 million from a securities company. There is a million dollar reward for his capture.

On the other hand, Billie Austin Bryant was on the list 2 hours. He robbed a bank and murdered 2 FBI agents.

153 Fugitives have been caught because of tips from the public.

Only 8 women have ever made the FBI Most Wanted List.

The most common crime in murder.

The largest reward ever offered was $25 million. for the capture of Bin Laden.

The largest for a domestic criminal was $2 million for Whitey  Bulger.

The current Most Wanted List includes: Jason Derek Brown : murder and robbery of an armored car.

Simon Mogilevich: Mob boss, swindled investors
out of $150 million.

Eduardo Ravelo: head of a prison gang. Drugs

Robert Wm. Fisher: killed wife and 2 children, then blew up the house.

Of Course, Victor Manuel Gernea who took hostages in a robbery were he stole $7 million dollars.

Joe Luis Saenz: Mexican drug cartel. Committed 4 murders in 10 years.

Glen Steward Jordain, Narcotics

Alexis Flores, Kidnapping and murder.

Eric Justin Tota  Private school teacher. Child porn.

The criminal mind is fascinating!

Once you meet Cletus Compton, you will sleep with the lights on.

Law and Order.

 I would not want to be a law officer. The thought of walking up to a car, not knowing who or what is in it, is above my bravery level. Even worst would be to get a call and go to a house where a domestic quarrel is in progress. Nine times out of ten, the battered woman sides with the husband or boyfriend, after the anger subsides, and the officer becomes odd man out.
That being said, there is a lot to be learned from the Sheriff.

Let me say, it is my belief, that most people who commit a violent crime would do just about anything to take back that 15 minutes where they lost their temper or made a very bad decision.
I am not talking about serial killers or whackos. I am talking about the average joe who is 40 or 50 years old,and goes to work everyday. His life goes south after a divorce or another of life's missteps he can't handle. He begins to drink or starts doing drugs and his since of right and wrong jumps out the window.

Then there is the other type of criminal who believes the world owes him something. He breaks into cars to steal computers and stuff he is too lazy to earn because he wants drugs or whatever and he doesn't care how hard you worked for anything. How dare you drive a new car, live in a nice house with the lawn mowed and eat three meals a day while he was beaten and battered by a drunk uncaring father and a mother too scared to make a move. I am NOT defending this scenario.  I firmly believe some people are what they are because of the way they were raised and others are the way they are in spite of the way they were raised.

But, I am not telling you what I learned. So here is some of it.
Always treat the criminal with respect. It goes much easier when you want to talk to them to find out what actually happened. They will open up more to the guy who lets them smoke a cigarette and have a coke than the guy who pushes them around and treats them like scum.

The faster you can get a suspect isolated and get him to talk, the more likely you are to get the true story. The longer they sit alone or with someone else involved in the crime, the more time they have to think about what they can say to justify what they did and make it seem not as bad as it is.

One man I met should have been protected by the Castle Law. The law says if you are in your home and someone comes in to harm you, you can shoot them and not be charged with a crime.
In this case, the intruders came in, harassed the home owner.  He had a gun on is coffee table.
Dumb, it think. Anyway, the situation was defused and the guys left but the homeowner was so angry he followed them out and got into a scuffle with one of the men. Subsequently, someone was shot and now the man is charged with murder.

Another man shot a guy in the eye because he "didn't respect" a pick-up truck he borrowed several years before and since then the man let it fester and fester until when the guy came to his house he shot and killed him.

Anyway, we didn't have much to do the night I rode with the Sheriff. We helped a motorist who was stranded on the highway and patrolled. I heard lots of war stories and how people make a bad situation worse by lying and saying things that just could not have happened.
I plan on incorporating these stories into my next novel.

Any law officer who reads this will probably think I am being simplistic or off the mark, but comments are always welcome and discussions are good for the soul.

Dumb Criminals

 Dumb Criminals
I must share this.  It is so funny, so sad and so dumb.  I am sure you have all heard of the FBI virus.  If not, here is a quick explanation.
A virus takes over your computer.  It says," the FBI has found pornography on this computer.  You must call within three business days and pay $200 to have this warning removed. If not, you will be  visited by the FBI and charges will be filed."

Well, a guy from one of the small towns around here actually had  porn on his computer when he also got the virus.  So he called the FBI and turned himself in thinking he would get a break.

They found disgusting things on his computer.  He was charged and is now serving 15 to 30 years in prison.   

It might now be a tried and true way to catch criminals, but in this case it worked.

Would be great if they could target people they knew were a menace and catch a few more.