Missouri Books

Poignant story of a brother and sister who find love and courage amidst a recent trauma they can't escape. Touching, heartfelt, sure to sting an eye or two.

I came across a new memeber of a msn group and thought I'd take a look at her work... after reading the synopsis, I ordered the book. Fantastic! It isn't overly literary, it isn't pretentious, it's a wonderful story, plain and simple. Ms. Scott captures the emotions and personalities of her characters with such insight, you feel as though you can hear them speaking. Catagorized as a romance, it holds enough mystery to tempt a much larger audience. This is an author definitely worth keeping an eye on. Best POD book I've ever read!

Missouri in a Suitcase is a great story with appeal for everyone. When Lizabeth and Tommy's father suddenly dies, they pack up and move to Colorado, leaving bad memories - and secrets - behind. But, as often happens, bad memories - and circumstances - tend to creep up on you, particularly when you least expect it. Of course, so does romance. Enter Gabe, the ruggedly handsome neighbor with a secret of his own. Mystery piles upon mystery, as Lizabeth attempts to unravel the story behind the death of her father, her little brother's emotional problems and a budding romance. This book will keep your interest well past the first few chapters! A crackling good read!

Lizabeth Porter thinks her life has come together until the day her father dies. When her brother refuses to speak and her fiance becomes unbearable, she moves to her grandparents house in Colorado with her brother and his battered yellow suitcase in tote, looking for a new beginning. She finds more than the new beginning she hoped for when she meets Gabe, her good looking neighbor who possesses the power to help her put her life together, or tear it apart. Gabe is exactly what her brother needs to overcome the hurdles of his life, but how much does she need him? A real page-turner sure to bring out your emotional side!

This series just keeps getting better and better! And I do hope it continues. The relationship between Meg and Sarah is engaging and realistic. The mystery becomes secondary to me when these two are together. Meg's niece makes for a nice character to play off of, as does Patrick again. But nothing beats Darcy and Lindstrom!

....as do the authors of this series. I enjoyed this book so much that I dug out the first two books of the series to reread. Meg and Sarah are the perfect foils for each other. If you haven't read any of this series yet, start with "Cemetery Murders" and work your way through. They are worth reading.

This series just keeps getting better and better! And I do hope it continues. The relationship between Meg and Sarah is engaging and realistic. The mystery becomes secondary to me when these two are together. Meg's niece makes for a nice character to play off of, as does Patrick again. But nothing beats Darcy and Lindstrom!

The writing in this series just gets better! The characters are feisty and funny! . Meg and Sarah are a couple to be reckoned with and even the secondary characters are interesting. Do yourself a favour and read this series. I just hope we do not have to wait another two years for the next book. This series is a rival to J.M. Redman and Jaye Maiman for great lead characters.

Schlafly's story has something for everyone. He is a gifted story teller. A real renaisance man, he brings disparate bits of knowledge together to tell the story of his brewery and so much more. His wit reminds me of Mark Twain. Schlafly is a keen student of history and culture and it shows throughout his entertaining book. Once you start, it is hard to put it down.

This book is tons of fun and is filled with lots of St Louis History that I was never aware of prior to reading it. It's the kind of book that is hard to put down, you can read it in one sitting, by the time you finish you feel like you know more about beer and are a personal friend of Toms! As a business major, I also found it to be a wonderful case study in all the economic good businesses can provide to a community(while turning a profit). Restoring areas that had seen better days by setting up shop and making them vibrant thriving "places to be" again is something to be admired and commended. As a beer fan, I can't speak highly enough of this book, it has piqued my interest in homebrewing and I hope to try my hand at it very soon. God Bless Tom Schlafly! I hope he can bring his "Beer the way it used to be" to the Dallas market!

After about 10 years of indulging in Tom Schlafly's products and enjoying the fine food they serve at his restaurants I was excited to see that he had written a book of his David versus Goliath journey in the St Louis beer industry. I was even more excited this Friday night to get to meet him at a book signing event and have a sip with him of his new "No. 15" brew to commemorate their 15th anniversary in St Louis.

Anyway enough of how I came into the possession of this fine book, which can be read in a matter of hours, and on with the review. Not only is Tom a great person and business man but he also has incredible writing talents. As the story unfolds and you are taken on journey of not only Schlafly's rise in the St Louis brewing arena but a historical recount of his beloved town, family, partners, and even his rivals at AB (or the Brewery as it is called in St Louis). Readers of biographies as well as many other reading genres will enjoy this great account of an American business triumph by the little beer company that could! Good luck Tom we hope to enjoy your products and wit for years to come!

This memoir is an interesting and often amusing look at the entrepreneurial spirit of someone who turned his love of beer and entertainment into a thriving business. The book is an easy read and makes you feel as though you just sat down for a couple of beers with Mr. Schlafly and you listened to his story, with lots of sidebars. It helps if you are familiar with St. Louis and the people and workings of medium sized mid-western cities.

I loved Ola'Wake as it brought me back in time to my own fond memories as a child. While reading with my two daughters, we laughed and cried feeling closer to one another as we related to characters in the story.

B.J. Stone writes with so much feeling and enthusiam she touches each and everyone of us in our hearts. We arelooking forward to her next novel.

Ten-year-old Josie never got to know her great-grandma, Ola, when Ola lived. Josie, who lives in Texas, is disconnected from extended family. Her father left to dodge the draft during the Vietnam war. Her grandmother died. All Josie has is her mother, whom she calls Ginny. When Ola dies, Josie and Ginny travel back to the Osarks in time for Ola's wake. This travel becomes a metaphorical, as well as actual, travel back in time for both mother and daughter. Josie learns much about herself, as she is introduced to her great-grandma, Ola, during this journey from past to future.

Reading this book is like visiting my Aunt Ola in the Ozarks! It's all there...the sounds, the sights, the smells, the adventurous spirit. From the overnight trip up into the mountains, to the rusty milkcan by the cabin door, to the scent of my aunt's perfume and facial powder---this brief novel registers authentic. But its greatest strength is the way it conveys her joy of life, surprisingly, in a book named for her wake. One neat by-product, for young and old, is that this adventure motivates us to think of the meaning of death and life.

B.J. Stone did such a wonderful job keeping the story exciting and ending each chapter with intriguing thoughts that made me want to keep reading. I enjoyed the book so much! I cried and laughed at the descriptions, knowing and seeing and remembering so many things. What a deep-deep, dig into your heart and soul, moving thought B.J.'s ending phrase was! Everybody who reads it will be able to relate. I know I did....

This book is fascinating to read if you are interested in the subject. It is probably one of the most important books available if you want to learn about the men who served on the boats. Descriptions of Captains, Clerks, and Engineers, are comprehensive, as well as the activities of other members of the boat crews. I cannot think of many subjects regarding steamboating that the author did not touch upon.

There are a number of parallels between the lives of Samuel Clemens (i.e., Mark Twain) and George Merrick. Both grew up in towns along the Mississippi River, both first worked as typesetters, and both became river pilots. And Merrick's writing is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Twain's "Life On the Mississippi" gives us a pretty full picture of steamboating from St. Louis to New Orleans. Merrick's "Old Times on the Upper Mississippi" does the same from St. Louis to the head of navigation at St. Paul, and it does so in a readable and personable style that keeps the reader interested. And there are none of the long, tangential stories like those Twain stuck into his book in order to bring it to the number of pages promised by the book agents who sold it door to door before it was published.

Long out of print (I searched for a decade for my first edition copy), "Old Times on the Upper Mississippi" is once again available. It belongs in the library of any serious student of river history.

A mine of information about the "Golden Era" of Steamboats on the Upper Mississippi River. One of those rare books that does not leave the reader with more unanswered questions than when one started reading. With no wasted words one gets a real feeling of how it was living between 1840 and 1870 as a "Riverman". Along with Charles Edward Russell's "A-Rafting on the Mississip" I would recommend it as a base for anyone doing research on the subject. For true adventure lovers it is exciting reading in it's own right...

Thank goodness someone has had the good sense to reprint this classic book about steamboating on the upper Mississippi! George Merrick relates his personal experiences as a steamboat pilot during the heyday of steamboating with stories about the boats, towns, and people of the stretch of river between St. Louis and St. Paul. I grew up in that area, and found his recollections fascinating. I learned a lot about the history of the towns along the river, and about the rich tradition of steamboating. Imagine piloting a 500 ton boat down a winding, wild river in the dead of night with no headlight, moonlight, or navigation aids!! Captain Merrick tells how he did it! A must for anyone who is interested in steamboating or the history of industrial expansion to the West.

When the six Kelly children are split up Danny then sees a fake doctor he heard about in New York while at a medicine show out West. When he reveals the phony doctor's secret to everyone there, the doctor decides to hunt Danny down. It is a race to catch each other first before the other one catches you. A dramatic, heart-warming story filled with love, joy, and the importance of family.

It will break your heart but it will make you want to read more.

It was souch a great book I finished it in one night! Although it was sad, It was very interesting. You really got to know the characters. I hade to get the three other books as soon as I could! One night I stayed up till one in the morning to finish one of the books!

This is a great book. I wouldn't recommend reading this book before: A Family Apart, Caught in the Act, and In the Face of Danger. It is the last book a Quartet about the Kelly children. Unless you don't want to read the first three I suggest you read A Place to Belong last.

Roy Harris has done a thorough and masterful job telling the stories of how the most worthy of all Pulitzler Prizes have been won.
Revealing how the winning newspapers deployed their resources, made courageous decisions and maintained journalism's highest ideals -- often against great odds and determined foes -- makes for inspiring reading.
In this, perhaps the most challenging time ever to be practicing journalism, "Pulitzer's Gold" is a vivid reminder of the pivotal role of selfless, dedicated, professional journalism in America.
Every journalist -- every citizen -- should read this book. These days, the role of a free press in the United States often is challenged, even ridiculed; Harris' book is a reminder of the critical importance of a free press in a democracy.
We crown heroes easily in our culture; the people Harris writes about in Pulitzer's Gold really are heroic, and this book serves a great public service in elevating the work of journalism's finest.

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Roy J. Harris Jr. presents Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism, an in-depth account of the ninety-year history of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, especially the most exalted prize of the Joseph Pulitzer Gold Medal. From accountings of the distinguished journalistic coverage that exposed sexual predators among Catholic priests, to the New York Times' role in helping the community cope after the September 11th attacks, to the Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's uncovering of the Watergate scandal, to the Boston Post's revelation of swindling schemes hatched by Charles Ponzi and much more, Pulitzer's Gold takes the reader on a one-of-a-kind historical tour. A distinguished tribute to the journalists who labored to bring the truth to light and help make America better place to live, as well as a studious history of journalism's most prestigious award.

Pure Gold---Five Shining Stars for "Pulitizer's Gold"

"river run, past Eve and Adam's," so begins Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" that boisterous tale tracing through time and space the story of Anna Livia Plurabelle, the Liffey, and her people. As we reach the sea, the last words of the last chapter, ("A way a lone a last a loved a long the") return to the first. "Pulitzer's Gold" has that grand cycling sweep. Beginning in Chapter 1 with the heart-holding, eye-catching stories of the two 2006 prizes (for coverage of Hurricane Katrina by the Sun Herald and the Times Picayune), the book's close celebrates the 200l award to the Oregonian for uncovering U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service abuses.

The 21 glorious chapters interweave three eternal golden braids, as intricate as any described by Hofstadter in Escher, Gödel, and Bach. These are (1) the story of the Pulitzer Prize itself, a story of growth, change, challenges, and evolution, (2) the individual stories of the newspapers, publishers, editors, and investigative reporters on whose walls shine the gold medals, and (3) the winning stories themselves, an archive of democracy in America, 1917 to the present.

Written tautly, wittily, masterfully, Pulitzer's Gold represents in itself a monumental investigative expedition. Archival research, yes, but also years of meetings, interviews, conversations, verifying and expanding what was being discovered. As good a read as a novel, this is equally a work of scholarship, each chapter detailing the sources, and illuminated by a comprehensive appendix of all the Pulitzer journal awards.

The bigger story is told through the individual stories, an approach that is endlessly fascinating. This is, in a way, the Vietnam Memorial Wall of courageous, high risk, public service journalism. The names and to a good extent the personalities whose best and brightest work may have gone into each Gold Medal award live again in this book. They are spoken of with the respect, honor, and appreciation that one outstanding journalist---Harris--- can give to another, a discerning, differentiating, discriminating honor someone outside of journalism probably could not fully catch with a guide such as Harris.

Equally valuable is the mother lode of information most of us may not know about the prizes: for example, that the applicants self-nominate and have to prepare portfolios showing why the story they propose should be recognized. For example, that consequences---results, impacts, actions---are one of the three criteria for the award, anticipating by many years the expectation that claims for merit have to be backed up by evidence of good effects.

Indeed, this book had its beginning in a presentation given by author Roy J. Harris Jr. on the one hundredth birthday of his father, Roy J. Harris Sr, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. In this presentation, Harris Jr. not only honored his award-winning father but also reflected on the newspaper's then unique record of receiving five Pulitzer Gold awards. "What," he asked then, "was happening in this paper, at this time, that raised the St. Louis Post Dispatch to such a level of achievement?" The St. Louis Post Dispatch was among the journalistic homes of the Pulitzer family, but there was more happening---actually, the procedures of the award intended to reduce favoritism may have acted against specific recognition. What was that "more? Harris shared with us in this presentation what he learned about the way in which courageous public service journalism is created.

Now, seven years later, we are fortunate to have a full picture, across all the winners, that offers a basis in evidence for consideration of the organizational qualities and the individual qualities encouraging the risks of public service investigations. Pulitzer's Gold is a grand panoramic picture, a grand book to study, and a grand book to read.

If there is a "but" to this marvelous book, it may be a yearning for a closing chapter tracing the meaning of the strands and putting together an initial overall answer to what makes for a great newspaper (by Pulitzer standards) and where we are today. For example, the Pulitzer strand shows many changes: are the forces that drove these needed changes still vital? What may be ahead for the Pulitzer Board (and committees) in the changing future?

In contrast, there is splendid detail about each winning story but less sense of growth and more sense of a stasis in that the stories are mostly about: corruption and catastrophes. Some hard-hitting, exceptionally courageous stories about the Ku Klux Klan helped do their good work, and the Klan has disappeared in gold award winners in the last decades. Environmental issues can be seen expanding in passion and depth. Bad government is an enduring topic. Few investigative, award-winning stories seem to honor what works. Is this apparent pattern because public service journalism as anticipated in the Freedom of Speech clauses is essential to telling truths to power, particularly its inconvenient, bad, and ugly sides? Having worked for the U.S. General Accountability Office, I fully appreciate the need for as many trust-worthy feet as possible to jump into that scale of justice, but a last chapter really getting into Harris's ideas about the grand themes would be, well, grand.

The "but" is minor relative to all that is excellent in "Pulitzer's Gold." From the
elegant, appropriate cover designed by Kristie Lee, to the beautifully typography and layout, to the superb contents, this book is highly recommended. Applause to RJH, Jr., who has continued the noble legacy of the "century of those who mined the gold" and in doing so, help us honor the courage of those who are writing next year's award winning story.

Roy Harris has done a tremendous job bringing much forgotten history alive with his eloquent book Pulitzer's Gold. In the tradition of great historical writers like Barbara Tuchman, Harris weaves together rich strands of narrative to tell the compelling stories behind the most influential journalism of our times like the publishing of the Pentagon Papers, the year-long investigation into the Watergate break-in by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and the outing of the Boston Diocese's shocking cover-up of the sexual predators in its midst. These stories and others are already familiar to us but what's not familiar are the stories behind the stories, and by filling in these details, Harris does a tremendous service not only to journalists but to anyone for whom history is a dynamic, urgent teacher. In reading Harris' gripping accounts of how these stories unfolded, I was reminded how vital good historical writing is to our understanding of what's going on today. This book is sure to attract a readership outside the communities of journalists and historians for whom these stories will be engrossing; I suspect anyone with a thirst for understanding our contemporary culture will find his writing invaluable. Maybe even more importantly, they'll find the stories just a good read. After all, how many of us knew that both the New York Times and the Washington Post were almost bypassed for the Public Service gold medal by the Pulitzer committee for their respective work on the Pentagon Papers and Watergate? And for the Watergate affecianado, Harris' interviews with Bob Woodward and others provides entirely fresh accounts of those pivotal events from the people that were there.That's living history.

I have to laugh at the attitudes of these two - Malachi Slater and Shannon McCahy.
It took them a long time to realize that it was them fighting their hormones instead of true hate of one another. They both felt the attraction from the start. But, of course, Shannon had to mouth off at almost every encounter. She was very nieve about the attraction and Malachi was only used to sex without love.

Cole had taken off when Malachi shows up at the ranch but Shannon doesn't know at first that it is him and not some maurader.
Then the ranch was invaded by a group of men from Kansas who grabbed Kristin. And, of course, Shannon blows up and wants to charge the 20 some men who have her sister. Malachi starts by having to save her from her own foolish actions. She could have gotten him killed.

Shannon is bound and determined to follow Malachi in the rescue of her sister. Yeah! right! Way out on the trail she once again gets caught and leads Malachi in the opposite direction where Justin Waller lays claim to her. He is determined to have her any way it takes. The more brutul the beter.

Captain Malachi Slater rescues her [again] and of course it leads to seduction [or sex if you will] and finally they make it to the town of Haywood.
Where Malachi meets up with Iris Andre, a former lover, who offers to get word of Kristin for Malachi. Of course, Shannon is up to her old tricks, of mouthing off before she even knows what is going on.

Mr. and Mrs Haywood, practically own most of this town and they decide, from what they could see, that Malachi and Shannon should get married.
Oh boy, more trouble. A saloon girl gets murdered. One thing leads to another and suddenly Shannon gets abducted [again] in her nightgown.

Malachi gets sidetracked again. Dumb female!
Matthew shows up and so does Jamie. They all converge on Fitz's town and plan to hold up a train. Well, she does it again, Shannon and Iris get caught for Fitz when Bear recognizes Shannon. Fitz is determined to kill Cole and his brothers then the women.

See what the train hold-up leads to - and how the Slater families get together, leaving Iris and Matthew back at the ranch. And the Slaters heading for Texas.
Great plot - dumb, emotional female - libertine men - and nasty villians.
Excellent read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- M -- moral attitudes out the window.

The sequel to Dark Stranger - the story continues. Shannon McCahy (a yankee supporter) and Malachi Slater (a rebel soldier) pull together to look for Shannon's sister Kristin Slater, Malachi's sister-in-law, who has been kidnapped in hopes to draw her husband cole Slater out. The Civil War is over but the Slater brothers have been put on the Wanted List as murderers due to Cole Slater gunning down the man bushwacker that murdered his first wife and left Cole for dead. In Dark Stranger (the story of Kristin McCahy and Cole Slater) Shannon and Malachi couldn't be in the same room together without breaking into arguments- they hated each other that much or so it seemed. How are they going to be able to cooperate and work together to find Kristin and get word to Cole to stay put? They say the line between Love and Hate is very thin. Malachi spends as much or more time getting Shannon out of trouble because of her loud mouth and hot-temper. But when there's a threat of losing Shannon to bushwhackers Malachi realizes that he has crossed over from hate to love. All 3 brothers come together to save Kristin. It is great seeing them all together again. The characters are all powerful. It's a good read!

The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the title. I thought it was a very catchy title standing out among all the other books on the shelf. I haven't read too many books that take place during or after the Civil War, but I was really impressed with this book. The characters were wonderful and fit well together, although I thought Shannon was a bit too agressive when facing enemies. And aside from Malachi having to rescue her over and over again and giving the reader the feeling that you were reading the same thing over again, it was an entertaining book. I read it in one day. It's definitely worth reading if you're a romance buff.

As the sequel to "Dark Stranger," I eagerly picked up this book. In my opinion, it was much better than the first. The heroine, Shannon, acted accordingly in response to events from the first book, including the horrible death of her fiance by bushwhackers. She had alot to overcome to believe in love again. Between the two books, you see her growth into a woman. Malachi, the hero, was just that in my mind--a hero. Although he was stuck into a situation by Shannon's doing, he still protected her always.

The author, Helen Crabtree, is a noted horsewoman. She's won the AHSA Horsewoman of the Year Award and the United Professional Horseman Associations's Trainer of the Year award. She has trained over 75 World Champions with her methods. This book shares her expertise. The book deals with the mechanics of riding Saddle Seat, proper tack, and rider attire, but does not deal with judging Saddle Seat. The emphasis is on showing.

This is an absolutely superb treatise on Saddle Seat Equitation, particularly for those new to the sport. Even for experienced Saddle Seat riders, there is probably no clearer explanation of the basics of showing the saddle horse anywhere, and we all need a bit of review ocasionally! The book covers a wide scope of subjects connected with the training of horse and rider to enter the world of riding and showing in the Saddle Seat discipline. Crabtree adresses such critical but sometimes overlooked subjects as the role a rider's parents can and should play at shows, beauty in the pairing of rider and horse, and teaching the adult show rider. What it offers in scope, it lacks in depth - and this is deliberate, since it is aimed at the new rider/trainer. Although every rider would benefit vastly from reading this book, especially the sections on the Saddle Seat Equitation tests, more advanced riders will not find it satisfying in terms of in-depth discussions of training or show ring techniques, as that is not its focus. But it is an extremely worthwhile book for riders of all levels, and it is also an eminently readable, delightful and informative chronicle of the Saddle Seat Equitation world from the 50s to the 80s.

I sugest this book to EVERY HORSE LUVER especially Saddlebred LUVER it is filled with funny stories, history, and memories

This book was absolutely fabulous. It gives information about the most popular breeds that compete in saddelseat equitation, and Helen Crabtree is especcially helpful with all of her years of experience. Even though the book is more than 20 years old, the lessons inside remain true. This is a timeless book that should be read by all saddleseat riders to enhance their possible performance in and out of the show ring.

Having spent 5 semesters at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, and being a native of Jefferson County, I recognized some of the people and trials Morley Swingle wrote about and found them hilarious, entertaining, informative, and sometimes disgusting. It is a book worth reading and shows just how low some people will go or how honorable they will be. While the book doesn't necessarily flow from one chapter to the next, it makes it easier to be able to pick up anywhere in the middle of the book and read about a specific case. I only wish Swingle had referenced case and law numbers more. His simple explanations of legal lingo made reading easier and educational. Morley, if you're reading this...I sure am glad I never met you. :-)

Disclaimer: I am not objective on this topic. I bought this book, but I only read one chapter, "The Case of the Millionaire Murder", that related the murder trial of Bill Pagano. The CSI officer on the case, Jan Vessell, is my mother. As I was away at college at the time of the crime, investigation, and trial, I had never read a complete and objective telling of what happened. Now that I have, I must thank Mr. Swingle for his tenacity and talent at successfully prosecuting a case that nobody in Jefferson County expected him to win.

Sadly, I wish Mr. Swingle had stayed in town, because the story has a typical Jefferson County ending. Were the ones who investigated this crime rewarded for their efforts? No. Wally Gansmann, Jan Vessell, and three other Jefferson County detectives were demoted. In my mother's case, with 13 years service to the department as the first female law enforcement officer in Jefferson County (and all the harassment you can imagine came with that), in spite of 8 years as crime scene investigator, attendee of the same FBI Academy Mr. Swingle attended, she was demoted first to dispatcher, then to jailor. My sister and I finally talked her into resigning from the department in 1993 after she was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer, no doubt brought on by her attempts to salvage her career from what was left of the machinery left behind by "Boss Hogg".

And this is why Jefferson County is still the laughingstock of the St. Louis Metro area. My hat is off to you, Morley Swingle, for exposing what you could. You did an indescribable service to us. I only wish you could have helped us with the aftermath.

To the writer I say hats off and what a lot of fun I had reading this treasure. Great stories that keep you glued and also make it humorous at the end of each short story to give it that neat zing of laughter. The wanting to finish the next unfortunate event for some----but the fulfillment of gratitude for others-----also to see at the end of each story what the outcome of the next Scoundrel will be and how they get themselves a room at the Hoosegow. Thank You

Swingle hits a home run with these stories of the interesting cases he's handled in South East Missouri.

Ranging from the hilarious to the not-funny-at-all, Swingle proves with his intelligence and wit why he's been re-elected as Cape Girardeau Missouri's prosecutor for many years, and will continue to be so.

The stories would be appreciated by Mark Twain, and bear a Twain-like edge along with the humor.
Ranging from a hilarious account of how a rough looking felon tried to pass a check stolen from a State Senator and got a face full of pepper spray for his trouble, to a story about a total monster who killed with no remorse, the stories are intensely interesting.

It's one thing to read a dry news paper account of the check passers efforts to cash in and something quite else to read Swingle's humorous account of a jaded pawnshop worker and a policeman with a sarcastic humor versus versus a hood who's not the brightest bulb in the criminal world but who's very willing to "discuss it" with the police.

Then too, the story of an unstoppable killer takes on a different color when I remember my frightened wife telling me that she heard something under our porch, when we lived in sight of the county jail the killer had just escaped from.
To say the least, the neighbors were not to sure what was going on while I was peering under our porch with a flashlight in one hand and an assault rifle in the other.
There's nothing at all funny about this case, but Swingle gives a good account of how he stopped the "unstoppable" murderer.

Swingle writes with skill and the ability to hold the readers interest, not the easiest job for many writers.
I've had the pleasure of both reading Swingle, reading about Swingle, and actually sitting on a jury in a trial he was prosecuting.

Swingle does the best job yet to date of describing just HOW a county prosecutor decides whether to prosecute, what to prosecute FOR, and how he prepares and presents his case.
Of particular interest is the information on why an honest prosecutor will not prosecute a case.

The man does it all with flair, and I heartily recommend reading his work.
I've been told that he hates to waste time, and when he has a few minutes on his hands, he writes.
Here's hoping there's more to come.