This post was written by my lovely and talented wife Jade Crowe.

Some time in the early morning hours of March 25, 1988, 32 year old Debi Whitlock was murdered in her own home, while her 3 year old daughter slept in another room. As is most often in cases like this, the prime suspect was her husband Harold. It would take over nine years of persistence from her mother, Jacque before the case was solved.

“No Room For Doubt” is written by Harold Whitlock’s now adult daughter, Angela Dove. Angela was the last person to see Debi alive. I cannot begin to imagine how painful it was for her to write this book. She manages to tell the story with compassion and without any sensationalism. She chronicles Jacque’s efforts to get Debi’s story in the news in the hopes of finding out who the killer was. With dogged determination on Jacque’s part, the case was finally solved.

Angela also tells the story of the downward spiral her father wound up in after his wife’s murder. Both Debi and Harold were seeing other people at the time of her murder. Unbeknownst to Harold, Debi had let her life insurance policy lapse and had filed divorce papers. There was much speculation about Harold killing his wife, either for the insurance money or because of her affair. Angela tells their story in a way that is impartial to both her father and her step-mother. She also shows unconditional love for Debi and Harold’s daughter Jessica.

If you are a fan of true crime, this book is not to be missed. It is totally void of the sensationalism and tackiness that is so often found in true crime novels these days. It is told from the heart, not just from police files, again a rarity these days. If you’re looking for gory details or gruesome crime scene photos, look elsewhere. You won’t find them here. You will only find a story told as only a family member could tell it.

(Originally posted by my lovely and talented wife Jade Crowe)

I’d like to start by apologizing to Trench and to author Dave Cullen for the delay in getting this review put together. I’ve had the book for a few weeks now, and actually finished it the day after I got it. I’ve started the review several times, only to delete what I had written over and over again. It just seems like no matter what I write, it doesn’t do this book justice.

It would be easy for most readers to be intimidated at first glance by the sheer size of this book. Don’t be. Admittedly, yes I do tend to devour most books I read in one sitting. Anyone who knows me will tell you when it comes to books I am not a normal human being. With “Columbine”, however, it was like a holy quest. I didn’t want to stop reading to eat or sleep.

We all know what happened on April 20, 1999. At least we think we do. 98% of what you thought you knew will be cast aside after reading this book. Cullen sorts through mountains of evidence, conducts hundreds of hours of interviews, and gives us an articulate, unbiased account of the facts. He shows us how much gray area there really is in a situation that most of us only saw in black and white. Ten years of in-depth research brings us a book written with compassionate professionalism.

I could continue to write on and on about this book, but I would only be repeating the dozens of glowing reviews from professional critics that I’ve read. If all you’re looking for is a mindless beach read, perhaps you’d best save this one until fall. If, however, you’re looking for a brutally honest look at one of our nation’s biggest tragedies that will hook you from page one, get your hands on it as soon as possible.

(Originally written by Jade Crowe)

First, I would like to apologize to the author and the publisher for taking so long to get this review done.

This is a most fascinating book. I know journalists are constantly told to stay objective, but it’s obvious that these cases have touched Mr. Renner on a personal level. Especially the case of Amy Mihaljevic, a beautiful 10 year old girl who disappeared in October of 1989 and was found dead in February of 1990. It’s very obvious to the reader that this case haunts Mr. Renner to this day.

There are stories of a suicide that may have been murder, a bank heist in 1969 in which the offender seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. There are stories of missing persons, people who got away with murder, and people wrongly convicted of murder.

This book was particularly interesting to me because of the considerable amount of family I have in the Cleveland area. I could be reading a story and think “hey, I know where that is” or “I remember someone mentioning this”.

I highly recommend this book to any true crime fan. It is one of the best I have read in a long time.

http://www.grayco.com/cleveland/books/10461/sampleChapter.html

Breathing Out the Ghost – Kirk Curnutt (River City Publishing)

It’s very rare that I’m given the opportunity to review a fiction book, rarer still when that book turns out to be the most powerful, heart-wrenching novel I have read in years. Breathing Out the Ghost turned out to be just that.

It’s the story of Colin St. Claire, whose son is abducted. Not happy with the police investigation he starts searching the country for his son and other missing children, while abandoning his wife and daughter. Somewhere along the way, he picks up a nasty little speed habit. In his own words, his search for his son has become his “white whale”.

Assisting him in his search is Robert Heim, a disgraced private investigator. Heim has his own white whale, the man who cost him his investigator’s license. Not coincidentally, this is the man believed responsible for the disappearance of St. Claire’s son.

While searching for his son in Indiana, St. Claire meets Sis Pruitt. Her daughter was murdered several years ago, and she has handled things completely opposite from St. Claire. While still grieving, she has managed to raise two other children, help her husband run the family farm, and help take care of her elderly parents and grandmother.

It is extremely difficult to make characters in fiction feel like real people. While reading Breathing Out the Ghost I often forgot that I wasn’t reading a true crime novel. Curnutt reaches out and pulls you into the lives of these people, to the point that you almost feel what they’re feeling. That, my friends, is pure talent. Fans of almost any genre will love this novel. I look forward to reading Curnutt’s future work.

***** / ***** (5 out of 5)

Kirk's website: http://www.kirkcurnutt.com/

Breathing Out the Ghost on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Breathing-Out-Ghost-Kirk-Curnutt/dp/1579660703

TLC Book Tours: www.tlcbooktours.com