Murder Books

For this U.S. trained forensic pathologist, anyway, Sir Sydney Smith was until recently not a familiar name. He and his perhaps more famous contemporary Spilsbury were the generation ahead of the "grand old men" with whom we are more familiar - Knight, for example. Smith's career was fascinating, though, coming as it did right on the edge of scientific death investigation. From the perspective of 2008, he made deductions and judgments that would simply never fly either scientifically or under contemporary cross examination. However, at his time he was truly at the top of his profession, and a terrific author to boot. This book should be part of any forensic pathology fellow's reading list, and for those outside the profession, offers unique insights into the pitfalls and pressures of this most fascinating craft.

In this book, the famous British Forensic Pathologist Dr. Sydney Smith narrates with a distinct Scottish charm and in factual manner the way he solved several noteworthy crimes committed in England and in some of its Colonies using his knowledge of Forensic Pathology during the mid 20th Century. Often, he would identify a murderer from a few bones as was once found in a dry well in Egypt where he established in Cairo, its first Forensic Pathology Laboratory. He gives the reader a glimpse of the court-room drama that attorney, Sir Bernard Spilsbury, for the Prosecution and Defence alternatively and Sydney Smith himself opposing Spilsbury produced in the courts of law in Britain. Several B&W photographs add greatly to the narrative of each solved case.

Murder is not funny. Yet this obviously major first book on early forensic science turned out to be a 'snort of laughter' funny book. It's a very wryly written and very wise autobiography, with no backstabbing or self-congratulatory remarks. If anything, Smith was way too modest, in dealing with the many parts of forensic science (which are now dealt with by different departments in police, FBI, etc). He managed to deal with ballistic forensics, stringing a couple of microscopes together while in Eqypt in order to compare bullets and casings. This was way prior to the invention of comparison microscopes that are regularly used even in med school.

The stories he tells are usually not well-known, but he had a good reason for sharing the story because it showed a particular means of solving a crime (or not solving it) using what they had available in forensics during the early 1900's. Smith imagination and ability to 'make do' are something that is badly missed in most sciences today. He certainly lived a very productive and valuable life, and obviously his inventions and unique ideas have been built upon in forensic science. I think he would not be surprised, but would have enjoyed the other newer fields in forensics such as entymology.

This is an older book, found at my university library. Quite frankly, it would be worthwhile to publish again and recommend to the many people who are showing such an interest in forensics due to shows such as CSI. Many of the concepts Smith teaches are still valuable today. If readers cannot buy this book, try to find it at a university libary. It is extremely well-written and enjoyable.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh

This book tells of the many interesting cases in his career. If you liked "Quincy ME" or "CSI" you'll love reading true stories about his pioneering work in the first half of the 20th century. He is an outstanding writer as well. This book shows how legal medicine can convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. Most of these cases deal with murder, and tell how the doctor let the dead bones speak to the living.

Erle Stanley Gardner says a successful practitioner of forensic medicine must not only be outstanding in his field, but most be quick-thinking and keen of mind: a real version of Sherlock Holmes. A good medical expert should search for the truth, not the facts to support a pre-conceived theory; this usually results in a miscarriage of justice; chapter 20 illustrates this.

Page 90 tells of his analysis of the British .303 cartridge. The bullet had an "aluminium tip enclosed in a strong cupro-nickel jacket". This tip often broke off when the bullet entered a body. This could result in a blunt-edged bullet that could tumble in a body and create more damage; in effect, a dum-dum bullet.

On page 152 he says that in the British legal system, expert witnesses are made available to the defendants, and paid when the defendant is without means. This is an improvement over just providing a public defender. "While the life of a scoundrel may not be worth saving, the principles of justice always are."

Sir Sydney Smith writes with a dry, subtle sense of humor, and with understatements. This book cannot be easily summarized, except to say: get it and read it!

"Mostly Murder" by Sir Sydney Smith, late Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Edinburgh is another great true-crime autobiography from the first half of the twentieth century, very similar in its witty, epigrammatic style to British Home Office Pathologist, Professor Keith Simpson's "Forty Years of Murder." Both books are fascinating memoirs of 'mostly murders,' famous and obscure, although not always committed in Great Britain--Sir Sidney went to Egypt during the First World War and stayed on as the Principal Medico-Legal Expert to the Ministry of Justice until he returned to Edinburgh in 1928. He also relates cases from Ceylon, Australia (the Sydney Shark affair), and other far-flung ports of the British Empire.

The author most especially seemed to relish his medico-legal battles with the famous Home Office Pathologist, Sir Bernard Spilsbury. In one of his most interesting trials, Sir Sydney testified on behalf of Sidney Fox, a convicted forger, blackmailer, swindler, and thief who was also accused of murdering his own mother for the insurance money--she died less than an hour before her accidental death policy was due to expire.

Dear old mom was a confederate in most of her son's crimes, but Fox emphatically denied strangling her and setting her hotel room on fire, and Sir Sydney believed him. At least he believed that the con man's mother showed no physical evidence of strangulation. He and the great Spilsbury locked horns over the forensic evidence in court and Sir Sidney's client was condemned to the gallows, but was it for the wrong reason?

The fact that Fox renewed his mother's accidental death policy the day before she died was the evidence that hung him, but was he really guilty of murdering her? Sir Sidney thinks not.

Mordant wit abounds in this book, most especially in the chapter, "Accident, Suicide, or Murder?" Sir Sidney relates the suicide by coal-gas of a plumber from Aberdeen who "connected a tube to the gas-pipe before it entered the meter, and so all the way to the room where his body was found."

We've all heard stories about thrifty Scots, but Aberdonians seem to be a legend even amongst their own countrymen.

"Mostly Murder" contains several gruesome photographs from the author's forensic files, but nothing we haven't already seen on television.

murder & Sullivan

Enjoy the author so try to read all written.

Delivery good.

Hope to buy again as I have been using Amazon for a long time.

Joan Spencer is walking through the park on her way home from work when a tornado hits. She spots a small girl crying and runs to rescue her. They both survive and Joan receives much gratitude from the girls family. The father of the little girl is Judge David Putnam and is acting in a musical while Joan is playing her viola in the Symphony. Judge Putnam is murdered on stage the 1st night of the performance. Joan and her policeman fiancee Fred are on the hunt for the culprit. Another great cast of characters and what can go on in a small Indiana town where you least expect it. Enjoy!

Sara Hoskinson Frommer has taken all the best elements of a murder mystery. She gets you caring about the characters and wanting to find the killer, and when you find out whodunit, you say to yourself, "Of course, I should have seen that." I loved the Gilbert & Sullivan references at the beginning of each chapter, and what an ingenious, Gilbertian plot twist to murder a "ghost." The only problem is that I am a Gilbert & Sullivan performer, and I'm going to be afraid if I ever get cast in the role of Sir Roderic Murgatroyd.

Murder & Sullivan is another gem from Sara H. Frommer, a writer who understands music and real people. I'm not a professional book reviewer by any means, but I know what's good when I read it. I've read other books by this author and all of them are I think, wonderful.

Perhaps the best of the Joan Spenser mysteries, Murder and Sullivan is soooo much fun! The main character is this ordinary music-loving lady, Joan, and she's always up to her neck in danger! I love all of Sara Hoskinson Frommer's books. They're fabulous reads if you like mysteries. A writer friend of mine says she thinks Frommer is the best mystery writer out there today..and she might be right, too.

A lovely read. The suspense kept me riveted right to the end. Great characters and wonderful descriptive writing that left me feeling full and sated.

Makes one want to relax on a small Key in southwest Florida. But not Rattlesnake Key!
This author knows her Florida and her genre. The sleuth, Clyde Colby, is sexy and smart. It's a very good story, and the food is great.

I'm not normally a reader of mysteries, but the imagery of South Florida, the intelligent writing, and the colorful characters of Rattlesnake Key kept me turning pages. What a great marriage of food and murder--Clyde Colby has my vote for sleuth of the year!

I liked the way this built from a comfortable sort of "cozy" into a high stakes, almost creepy murder mystery. It also presented a colorful imaginative picture of the rich and famous in Florida. The ending especially was great -- it kept me awake until 3 a.m. the night I wrapped it up.

It is extremely RARE that you find a murder story this WELL DONE. Ms. Board certainly knows her MEDIUM WELL. STEAK, er, stake a great reading experience on it!

I was transfixed by this well-written account of a Mount Hermon legend. I attended the school in 1951-52 and remember it fondly. Reading about people and buildings and locations with which I am, even after all these years, familiar, the story was very real to me. I found the experience compelling and commend it to others.

Murder At Mount Hermon: The Unsolved Killing Of Headmaster Elliott Speer is a true crime story concerning the 1934 murder of a thirty-five-year old school administrator, whose efforts to bring progressive reform to the tradition-bound Christian prep school earned the good graces of many students and faculty. A shotgun blast through his study window killed him, and the murder was front-page news nationwide, yet no criminal was ever charged. Veteran attorney Craig Walley pieces together the clues of history and dares even to indicate the most likely killer. A fascinating, fact-filled study of murder and the shortcomings of a 1930's homicide investigation.

Love this revisit to the unsolved murder case of Elliott Speer. The author's distinction voice and detailed descriptions truly bring the case and the characters alive.

As a student at Northfield Mount Hermon in the early 1970s, little was said about the unsolved murder of former Headmaster Elliott Speer. I recall a rumor that the gun used in the killing was somewhere on the bottom of the school's Shadow Lake. Craig Walley's well-researched and -written book examines that rumor and many more in an absorbing murder mystery. Murder at Mount Hermon captures the school's history and religious roots, and how the forward-thinking Speer's efforts to break from the past and move the school and its students into a new era sealed his fate. While the murder remains unsolved, Walley's book comes closer than ever before to finding the "smoking gun."

The 1934 murder of Mount Hermon School for Boys Headmaster Elliott Speer remains unsolved today, legally speaking. What youngster could resist such a mystery's allure? Not Craig Walley, a Mount Hermon student from 1957 through 1961. During the years afterward, throughout his career as an attorney, Walley thought about it often. In 2001 he decided to research the case and write this book.

MURDER AT MOUNT HERMON tells the story, provides its background, and analyzes the available evidence with an attorney's precision. I think it's safe to say that you'll come away from it certain you know the murderer's name and understand his motives. More case study than murder mystery, the book reaches for broader relevance - and for a connection to our 21st Century present - by speaking of another time when "Fundamentalism" and "Modernism" clashed. Did that clash at Northfield and Mount Hermon, sister schools founded by the great 19th Century evangelist D.L. Moody, lay the groundwork for Elliott Speer's murder? To answer this intriguing question for yourself, you'll have to read the book.

Barbara Fleming is a master of the set-up. She has a talent for unfolding a story and creating characters and scenarios that capture the imagination. We climb aboard the ride, our hunger whetted for the truth. Murder at the Carousel Club is her newest installment in the Matthew Alexander mystery series. Fleming weaves a third intriguing tale about homicide in Washington, D.C., where Detective Alexander again is elbow deep in crime.

Trouble comes courtesy of Junior Williams, a good-looking man who's used to getting his way. Junior's favorite haunt is the Carousel Club. Keeping it sassy is Suzy Evans, the Carousel's headliner, whose vocal stylings evoke comparisons to Sarah Vaughn. Suzy and Junior are having an affair. Most everyone knows this except Junior's daughter, Diane. Diane has an ongoing flirtation with Frank Porter, whose brother, Ken, owns the Carousel.

When she visits the club to say good bye to Frank, Diane is surprised to find Junior there, too. Junior, enraged about the relationship between sixteen year-old Diane and middle-aged Frank, loudly threatens to kill Frank. When Frank is found shot dead outside the club, and Junior lies unconscious in the parking lot, the sequence of events is obvious.

Or is it?

Detective Alexander quickly labels Junior the murderer. Junior's family insists he was too drunk to aim a gun. And what about charming, handsome Frank Porter? Was he really as popular as everyone said?

Round and round it goes. Just like a carousel. There are questions to ask. People to scrutinize. Memories to stir and resurrect.

Murder at the Carousel Club is a great read for steamy summer nights. Fleming deftly unravels a murder mystery and adds heaps of surprises. Here's to a hearty welcome, again, to Lt. Matthew Alexander. It's fun to have him back on the beat.

The riveted and suspense laden mystery, Murder at the Carousel Club so skillfully written by Barbara Fleming, proved to be a unique and refreshingly different kind of literary experience. It unveils, for the reader, social dynamics that are as educational as they are entertaining. These dynamics pulled my whole being into the mystery with intense curiosity, and just as forcefully, these dynamics provided an objective yet realistic prospective into the urban African American culture: the Black family; and very specifically... the constant threat (and frequent plight) of African American males in America today. Murder at the Carousel Club is a must read!

Murder at the Carousel Club is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Once I started reading it, I was hooked. It's not often that I find a writer who holds my interest from the beginning to the end of the book. The story and the characters in Murder at the Carousel Club were so believable; I could hardly wait to find out if the person charged with the murder actually did it. Although I live in Atlanta now, I used to live in Washington, D.C., so the setting and the place names were so familiar to me. I could just picture the scenes as the characters moved across the city landscape trying to solve the crime. I haven't read the author's previous books, but Murder at the Carousel Club was so entertaining, that I have made it a point to see if the other books are as good. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading a good mystery.

I recently read Barbara Fleming's new mystery novel Murder at the Carousel Club (Silver Maple Publications, 2008) and what a pleasure it was to read. Being a reader who searches for books that both hold my interest and entertain me at the same time, I savored every page of Murder at the Carousel Club. It is such a joy to finally find an author who knows how to tell a realistic, down-to-earth story in a fascinating way. Once I started reading, it was very hard to put the book down. I have read the two previous Matthew Alexander mysteries (Hot Stones, Cold Death (2001) and Murder on the Gold Coast (2005)) and enjoyed them as well, but I think Murder at the Carousel Club is the best mystery in the series to date.

In Murder at the Carousel Club, the playboy brother of the owner of the most exciting and popular night club in the District, the Carousel Club, is murdered in the parking lot of the club. The victim was shot in the head as he sat inside his expensive car. There are no witnesses to the murder and the primary suspect, who earlier that evening had threatened to kill the victim in front of everyone within earshot in the club, is found unconscious in the parking lot not far from the murder victim with no murder weapon. Barbara Fleming has written an intriguing, highly entertaining, hard-to-guess mystery that keeps you glued to your seat and flipping the pages of the novel as you keep reading and trying to guess how it all will turn out in the end. I loved the way she weaved images of the District, then and now, throughout the novel, especially, the descriptions of Anacostia which is on the cusp of being gentrified like the rest of the District.

I'm probably prejudiced because I was born when my parents lived in Anacostia in Washington, D.C.; but I think the author's evocation of the symbolism that Anacostia has held for D.C. residents over the years is very reminiscent of how my family and I experienced the community when I lived there as a child. Anacostia has always been the forgotten stepchild of the District, a beautiful but neglected gem across the river at the end of a very long bus route. In the 1970's when my mother used to ride the bus from where she worked at Hecht's department store on 7th Street to our home when I was a small child, she always complained that she got sick from the heat and fumes of the decrepit buses that were placed on the Anacostia routes--the worst buses in the District's fleet. She said that the District would have never sent buses like that on the northern routes up Connecticut or Wisconsin Avenues.

I hadn't thought about that in years, but as I was reading Murder at the Carousel Club, those wonderful old memories of Anacostia came flooding back. I remembered how my mother used to put me in my stroller when I was a toddler and take me for a walk down Nicholas Avenue to the five and dime on Good Hope Road and how much fun that had been. I remembered my mother taking me to the Smithsonian's Anacostia Neighborhood Museum in the old movie theater on Nicholas Avenue before it became Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue. Anacostia figures importantly in Murder at the Carousel Club although the plot is primarily centered in the Shaw community of Northwest D.C. where the Carousel Club moved after it was forced to leave Anacostia in the late seventies because of all the drug crime in the community at that time.

Of course Fourth District Police Headquarters is in Northwest as well and Matthew Alexander and his wife Carla have been residents of LeDroit Park in Northwest D.C. since the series began. Unlike the previous books, Murder at the Carousel Club takes a slight detour in that Detective Lieutenant Matthew Alexander and his partner Sergeant Jake Jackson get some uninvited help from a character that made a short but memorable appearance in Murder on the Gold Coast, Frederick Douglass Washington. Fred Washington was both an ex-convict who had spent seven years in Lorton Reformatory for drug trafficking and the uncle of the murder suspect Gary Washington in Murder on the Gold Coast and what a character he was. I think Barbara Fleming made a very wise decision when she reprised Fred Washington because he gives Lieutenant Alexander an able assist and some stiff competition in solving the Murder at the Carousel Club, a great book and a truly memorable story that is well worth your time and effort.

T.K. Washington, D.C.

Murder at the Carousel Club emerges as Barbara Flemings' best to date. It was a great book and I enjoyed observing Matt Alexander's unsanctioned investigator (Fred) at work in trying to get at the truth. It was so clever how Fleming used him in this mystery. Perhaps she will include Fred again when Alexander investigates his next murder.

I was really just looking for a break from reading business books but I was delighted with Murder at the Marathon. I wisked through it in 2 days.

The style is understated. The characters are interesting but not overdrawn, the author is clearly intelligent but he doesn't flaunt it, and the plot is odd enough to hold our attention without forcing you to work too hard at suspending disbelief.

I look forward to the next Joe Pereira mystery.

The reading was so enjoyable that I just did not want the book to end. I strongly recommend it. I can not wait for W. H. Denney next Joe Pereira mistery.

This is a wonderfully entertaining story. Denney offers spectacular detail and a great story line that kept me guessing right up to the very end. Joe Pereira is a likeable character who quickly comes to life as the plot twists and turns unexpectedly. It's definitely one of those books that leaves you looking forward to the next one!

It had been a while since I bothered to read a mystery book. That's when I decided to pick up Murder at the Marathon. I was pleasantly surprised by the layout of the plot, the attention to detail of the environment (especially the references to the technology sector), and the way the book held my interest. I often found myself thinking about the story throughout the day.

Would definitely recommand.

Joe Pereira is no stereotypical ex-cop. He's a man with a conscience and an honest appraisal of what's right and wrong in the world - and there is a lot of that to view in contemporary NYC and its border country: New Jersey. The murder happens alongside Joe as he struggles through the final miles of the marathon. He can't be bothered with another man's plight, but of course he is. Joe is very real. He worries about ethics and boundaries, for himself as well as others. He is not one to stand by or be shoved out of the way of things that have gone wrong.

Although I read this book weeks ago, I can still see Joe clearly in my mind's eye; his aching walk as he recovers from the title's race; his ever-present sadness over the loss of his wife; his affection for and joy in his niece. He is a comfortable and a comforting companion. I think you'll find him that way, too.

Freelance writer Liz Sullivan takes on a temp job as media escort for food/lifestyle celebrity Hannah Couch, who, it turns out, is quite the opposite of her friendly, grandmotherly image. And her waspish, vindictive personal assistant, Naomi Matthews, is even worse. After someone downs a fatal Pellegrino with lime, and a couple of abductions at gunpoint ensue, Liz, who is a prime suspect, must find out who doctored the drink. Though two of the major characters are exceedingly unpleasant, there are plenty of more appealing ones, not the least of which is Liz herself, a likable, sympathetic amateur detective. On the whole, this whodunit is funny, sometimes outlandish, and very entertaining. This is the first of Lora Roberts' mysteries I've read, and I now plan on reading the first four books of the series.

This is one of the better books of a good series, funny and exciting with an "edge of your seat" narrative. Lora Roberts does an excellent job portraying the edgier side of life in her Liz Sullivan series, where money isn't always available and sometimes the Thrift Shop is a necessity. Yet, she also manages to lighten this with some wonderful and sly humor and engaging friends. Liz's friends (including her dog) bring her much needed support and enrich the stories though they take a backseat in this book (except for a couple of memorable and surprisingly funny scenes at gunpoint). This particular book in the series was mesmerizing. I couldn't put it down till I found out what happened to Liz and her latest "temp job from h-ll." If you haven't read any of the previous books I would recommend you do so to see how Lora has allowed Liz to grow into herself. Yet, this books stands alone as a wonderful and exciting adventure.

Character Liz Sullivan finds herself in a temp job straight from hell in the newest installment of this wonderful series. She has to serve every whim of the great domestic celebrity, Hannah Couch. Liz finds herself in danger from everything including being slapped, not being able to find fresh produce, being kidnapped, and being a suspect in a homicide. After a little time with Hannah, she also finds herself in danger of wanting to commit what readers would probably call a justifiable homicide. Lora Roberts has some of the funniest lines available in mysteries, reminding me often of Janet Evanovich's books. Liz's romance with the Paul Drake is exciting and endearing, and makes readers wish for more! Her friend Bridget worries more about picking up her kids on time than finding herself held at gunpoint. This cast is fun and could be anyone's neighbors and friends. I hope Lora Roberts will write many more of these clever books!

This book was really incredibly written. Even though I have never read any books in the series except this one, I'm sure that this book was a good one to start with. Murder Follows Money is funny in it's own way, and also provides an amazing mystery which was also fun to solve. I read this book in one entire day, all during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I just couldn't put it down. It made me sad when I had finally finished the book. It was one of those page-turning mysteries that I absolutely love. I feel that Lora Roberts has created a never-ending series with a very interesting character. Liz Sullivan is the kind of character that you wish that you could get to know in person. Believe me, this is a great book and I recommend it to anybody who loves mystery!

Murder Follows Money is the best yet in a great series. Liz has taken a temporary job with a media escort business. She's hired to do clerical work, but is pressed into service when none of the regulars are willing to escort the famous but difficult lifestyle maven Hannah Couch. Hannah arrives in San Francisco with her entourage - an interesting cast of characters who have their own troubles with Hannah. When one of them turns up dead, Liz is again pressed into service. At gunpoint. She is also the chief suspect. The mystery is entertaining and kept me turning the pages. The solution to the double bind Liz finds herself in is both clever and great fun. I found myself chuckling al the way through. Many characters from the earlier books are here, but it isn't necessary to have read earlier books to enjoy this one. A great summer read. Highly recommended.

Bruce L. Jordan's "Murder In The Peach State" is a compelling work and, quite rare in such works, important. This is the first published book, I think, to document something of the Moore's Ford lynchings of 25 July 1946 in Walton County, Georgia. Four adult African-Americans and an unborn child were lynched at Moore's Ford that day. They were Roger and Dorothy Malcolm and George and Mae Dorsey. Dorothy was said to have been seven months pregnant at the time. The victims were not merely shot dead. According to the coroner's report, the bodies were mutilated by over sixty bullets being fired into them. Mr. Jordan has rightly mentioned Eugene Talmadge and the racial tensions excited by him toward African-Americans during 1946. That Eugene Talmadge was in large measure responsible for the lynchings at Moore's Ford is documented by his words and actions during his 1946 campaign for governor. Mr. Jordan's record of George Dorsey's splendid military service during World War II is touching and appropriate. However, it is Mr. Jordan's useful additions to the general knowledge of the Moore's Ford lynchings which make his work important. It was not widely known that Roger Malcolm was not immediately charged with the stabbing of Barney Hester. According to Mr. Jordan's account, Roger Malcolm ran back to his home after the fight with Hester. Later that night he was dragged into his yard and there beaten by a group of about ten men. It would appear that it was only at this point that Sheriff E. S. Gordon was notified. He arrested Roger Malcolm for the stabbing of Barney Hester. A second attempt on Roger Malcolm's life, according to Mr. Jordan, took place on 15 July 1946, when a mob came to the jail and demanded that Sheriff E. S. Gordon release Malcolm to them. Gordon refused to do so, and somehow convinced the mob to leave. The information which Johnnie Burdette gave to officials of the NAACP, placing Deputy Sheriff Lewis Howard at Moore's Ford shortly before the lynchings took place, and the fact that there were no records in the sheriff's office showing that Loy Harrison had indeed paid the six-hundred-dollar bond for Roger Malcolm's release from jail, is highly important. Little by little the parts of the complex Moore's Ford puzzle are finding their rightly place. Mr. Jordan's book is helpful. Mr. Jordan's work has also touched the well-known Clinton Adams story. Alas, what Clinton Adams has said would now appears to be quite untrue. During his interview with the FBI, Adams stated that he and Emerson Elder Farmer were at Moore's Ford during the afternoon of 25 July 1946 and saw the lynchings take place. Adams then went on to tell the FBI that his close friend, Emerson Elder Farmer, was never interviewed by the FBI. Emerson Elder Farmer, aged 12, was indeed interviewed by Special Agents of the FBI on 28 July 1946, and he also testified before the grand jury in Athens, Georgia, concerning what he saw during the afternoon of the lynchings. Among other things, Emerson Elder Farmer stated that he was on the front porch of his home just above Moore's Ford when the death convoy of five cars passed with the victims. Shortly, he heard many shots. Importantly, Emerson Elder Farmer yet has three close relations in life who were with him at his home that day. All three have confirmed that Emerson Elder Farmer was at home when the lynchings took place and have stated that Clinton Adams was not at Moore's Ford on 25 July 1946. Further, in his statements to the FBI, Adams says that shortly after the lynchings he was told to keep quiet about what he had seen by Deputy Sheriff Lewis Howard and Doc Sorrells, clearly indicating that they were then the Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff of Walton County, Georgia; however, this was not the case. Sheriff E. S. Gordon was in office until his death in June 1948, a year and eleven months after the lynchings. Only then did Lewis Howard become the sheriff of Walton County. Again, "Murder In The Peach State" is an important work.

Putting the book down was next to impossible! I have known Bruce for nearly ten years through our law enforcement affiliations and can state absolutely that he brings the reader along side the investigators in telling these stories. He doesn't use the infamous "police lingo" but keeps the story in every day language. The stories are gripping and told in a way that makes this book one of our state treasures. Do yourself a favor and get this book. You will not be disappointed!

Bruce Jordan's book" Murder in the Peach State" takes you right to the heart of the story. You feel as if you are right there with the ladies of Columbus, feeling their terror and wanting their stalker caught.You feel for Frank Leo in his last minutes and want to make it right.Mr Jordan gives you a feel for the times and the history of each story as it unfolds. Much like the A&E series "City Confidential". I was left wanting more stories when I feached the end of his book.I am awaiting his next book with much anticipation.

Bruce L. Jordan's "Murder In The Peach State" is a compelling work and, quite rare in such works, important. This is the first published book, I think, to document something of the Moore's Ford lynchings of 25 July 1946 in Walton County, Georgia. Four adult African-Americans and an unborn child were lynched at Moore's Ford that day. They were Roger and Dorothy Malcolm and George and Mae Dorsey. Dorothy was said to have been seven months pregnant at the time. The victims were not merely shot dead. According to the coroner's report, the bodies were mutilated by over sixty bullets being fired into them. Mr. Jordan has rightly mentioned Eugene Talmadge and the racial tensions excited by him toward African-Americans during 1946. That Eugene Talmadge was in large measure responsible for the lynchings at Moore's Ford is documented by his words and actions during his 1946 campaign for governor. Mr. Jordan's record of George Dorsey's splendid military service during World War II is touching and appropriate. However, it is Mr. Jordan's useful additions to the general knowledge of the Moore's Ford lynchings which make his work important. It was not widely known that Roger Malcolm was not immediately charged with the stabbing of Barney Hester. According to Mr. Jordan's account, Roger Malcolm ran back to his home after the fight with Hester. Later that night he was dragged into his yard and there beaten by a group of about ten men. It would appear that it was only at this point that Sheriff E. S. Gordon was notified. He arrested Roger Malcolm for the stabbing of Barney Hester. A second attempt on Roger Malcolm's life, according to Mr. Jordan, took place on 15 July 1946, when a mob came to the jail and demanded that Sheriff E. S. Gordon release Malcolm to them. Gordon refused to do so, and somehow convinced the mob to leave. The information which Johnnie Burdette gave to officials of the NAACP, placing Deputy Sheriff Lewis Howard at Moore's Ford shortly before the lynchings took place, and the fact that there were no records in the sheriff's office showing that Loy Harrison had indeed paid the six-hundred-dollar bond for Roger Malcolm's release from jail, is highly important. Little by little the parts of the complex Moore's Ford puzzle are finding their rightly place. Mr. Jordan's book is helpful. Mr. Jordan's work has also touched the well-known Clinton Adams story. Alas, what Clinton Adams has said would now appears to be quite untrue. During his interview with the FBI, Adams stated that he and Emerson Elder Farmer were at Moore's Ford during the afternoon of 25 July 1946 and saw the lynchings take place. Adams then went on to tell the FBI that his close friend, Emerson Elder Farmer, was never interviewed by the FBI. Emerson Elder Farmer, aged 12, was indeed interviewed by Special Agents of the FBI on 28 July 1946, and he also testified before the grand jury in Athens, Georgia, concerning what he saw during the afternoon of the lynchings. Among other things, Emerson Elder Farmer stated that he was on the front porch of his home just above Moore's Ford when the death convoy of five cars passed with the victims. Shortly, he heard many shots. Importantly, Emerson Elder Farmer yet has three close relations in life who were with him at his home that day. All three have confirmed that Emerson Elder Farmer was at home when the lynchings took place and have stated that Clinton Adams was not at Moore's Ford on 25 July 1946. Further, in his statements to the FBI, Adams says that shortly after the lynchings he was told to keep quiet about what he had seen by Deputy Sheriff Lewis Howard and Doc Sorrells, clearly indicating that they were then the Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff of Walton County, Georgia; however, this was not the case. Sheriff E. S. Gordon was in office until his death in June 1948, a year and eleven months after the lynchings. Only then did Lewis Howard become the sheriff of Walton County. Again, "Murder In The Peach State" is an important work.

This is one of those books which I would think of later and then realize, with disappointment, that I had already finished the book. I'll let a little time pass and then read it again. Although I was familiar with some of the stories, I found some interesting items in each of the stories that I didn't know before.

If you are not a regular reader of books, this one will want to read again. It is good clean murder mystery which will give you pleasure and want to read more. Please hurry up and write another book soon.

"Murder Most Foul" is a very good mystery. The murder is unique with a hint of a ....( Wait till you read it! It will surprise you!) A sure fire murder mystery that you do not want to miss.

Miss White has written a book which is a page turner. Once started it is hard to put the book down. Barbara White is a master story teller who weaves and twist and turns the plot until it's conclusion. A book that can be read more then once to appreciate all the twist and turns in the book. The characters are just like real people. They are likeable and loveable. Enjoyed the book immensely. Would recommend it to all mystery buffs and christian fiction readers.

As a librarian, I would heartily recommend Ms. White's MURDER MOST FOUL to those readers who love mysteries from a Christian perspective. The protagonist, Maggie Muldoon, is a spunky independent widow, who just happens to be a minister with a talent for solving murders. While accepting a position as interim pastor in the small town of Andersonville, Maggie can't resist investigating the recent "accidental deaths" of the former pastor and organist. While performing her churchly duties, she meets some quirky, as well as suspicious characters around town. With the aid of some very dear friends, Maggie begins to unravel some long buried secrets and unwittingly puts herself in the path of danger. Ms. White blends humor and suspense with small town charm. I can't wait for Maggie's next adventure!

MURDER MOST FOUL IS A BOOK THAT BRINGS THE CHARACTER MAGGIE MULDOON TOGETHER WITH HER FRIENDS. NOT ONLY DO THEY SOLVE A MURDER, BUT THEY ALSO SHOW HOW A GOOD FRIENDSHIP WORKS. IT IS INTERACTION BETWEEN PEOPLE ESPECIALLY DURING A TIME OF GREAT HARDSHIP, LIKE A MURDER. BARBARA WHITE HAS CREATED A BOOK THAT WEAVES THE UGLINESS OF A MURDER WITH THE WONDERFULNESS OF FRIENDSHIP AND PEOPLE OF A TOWN. THIS BOOK IS ONE THAT YOU CAN SEE CHARACTERS GROW. IT IS A BOOK THAT YOU WILL WANT TO FINISH SO THAT YOU CAN GET TO KNOW A TOWN BETTER AND ESPECIALLY MAGGIE MULDOON.

An intriguing mystrey novel that will keep you wondering all the way through,who is the drug lord/murderer,who is helping him,and who can,in fact,be trusted????

This book was really really good. Kinda predictable, but I still loved it! If you love the other SVH Super Thrillers then you will definately love this one!!!

This book was great except it's ending was predictable. I wouldn't recommend this book if you are an avid mystery reader.

hmmm... what can i say about this amazing book? well, it's terrific, fantabulous, gr8, amazing, need i say more? jessica and elizabeth wakefield find themselves entangled in yet another mystery. it's a really brilliant book, read it and i promise you that you'll say the same. PS: i solved the mystery before i got to the end. cool huh?

Is a great story, full of mistery and interesting staff. Jessica discovers a complot of two murders to kill a girl. And later when she finds out about a girl being killed as she heard on the phone, she confesed to the police.but one of the murder's partener is in police. Jessica is in danger. What's gonna happen ? Read and you'll see. I guarante you a great time in reading this book.