Dlana Hall Bodmer’s The Miraculous Journey is unlike any book you have read before. It’s a blend of true crime and spirituality that will have you cringing, angry, outraged, and then overcome with amazement and a new faith in God. Few books have been so cathartic for me to read.

The story begins with the real-life murder of the author’s sister, Gina Renee Hall, in 1980. Dlana recounts her eighteen-year-old sister’s last words to her as she left for a night of dancing at the local Marriott Inn in Blacksburg, Virginia. Hours later, Dlana received a strange phone call from her sister in which she asked Gina, “Where are you?” Her short answer, “I’m at the lake.” Dlana then asked, “What are you doing out at the lake?” Gina’s odd response, ” I’m looking at it.” Dlana, confused by her answers and curious who Gina would have gone to the lake with, asked, “Well, who are you looking at it with?” Gina answered with one word “Steve,” and then click. Gina had told her sister exactly what she needed to convey so the clues would be known. That was the last time Dlana spoke to her sister. When Gina did not come home that night, the search began-a search that led to Stephen Epperly, who had a history of violence toward women. Although Gina’s body was never found, all evidence pointed to Epperly’s guilt and he was convicted by a jury for Gina’s murder.

Since then, Dlana has had to deal with the anger she felt toward Epperly, anger that has been exasperated by his being up for parole every year or two and her efforts to ensure he is not released. Dlana’s family was devastated by Gina’s loss, and that pain has never completely gone away. The family and authorities searched for months for Gina’s body without success, and Dlana and Gina’s father went to his grave never knowing what had become of his daughter.

Then in 2016, Dlana began having strange experiences that inspired her to resume the search-and so the miracles began. I won’t go into detail about the miracles or the search, but to summarize, Dlana began to have strange dreams, and in the morning she would wake up to find she had scribbled down messages in her sleep. Many of these messages didn’t seem to make much sense, but they all contained clues to where Gina might be laid to rest and the truth of the last moments of her life. Dlana also started to hear songs repeat on the radio or hear words to songs that seemed to be clues. She had experiences she could not explain other than that they had to be caused through some otherworldly intervention.

Dlana was determined to find Gina’s body, and the messages she received led her various places in her search. She met with law enforcement personnel. Her path crossed with psychics and paranormal investigators interested and involved in Gina’s case. She enlisted the help of family and friends. She dug up riverbeds and did not leave a single stone unturned that might lead her to the location of her sister’s body. Through the process, she also discovered evidence and facts that had been repressed or was not available in the months following her sister’s murder-evidence that confirmed not only that Epperly, but possibly others, were involved in the terror at the lake house-facts she would have never known had it not been for the mysterious journey of 2016.

And through it all, Dlana wondered what was the overall purpose of all the messages she was receiving. She had always felt great anger and hatred toward Epperly. She had always struggled with her grief, but now she felt these messages were trying to do more than just lead her to her sister’s body. Could it be that she had to forgive her sister’s murderer? Could it be that she had to learn something for herself?

I can’t begin to explain the miracles that happened for Dlana. I can’t say whether the miraculous journey she details happened or not, but I believe it did happen-and Dlana provides plenty of evidence, including numerous photographs, to document her journey. I believe there are forces unseen by us-forces of good and evil-and I believe the angels have our backs in ways we may not expect. Dlana reveals in these pages the amazing revelations she had during this journey that gave her a revived faith in God and allowed her to have a new understanding of her relationship not only with her sister but with the Universe at large.

If you don’t believe miracles can happen, you need to read this book. What qualifies as a miracle in these pages may actually not be what you expect, but regardless, Dlana knows there is no other explanation than that some supernatural force was trying to communicate with her. When we listen to the whispers-when we are open to their communication-miracles can happen in our lives.

A companion book, A Web of Lies: A Day Made in Hell, is in the works, which will provide more details about the evidence and investigation of Gina Hall’s murder. Meanwhile, read The Miraculous Journey and discover that peace and healing are always available and that forgiveness is possible even for the most heinous crimes.

On a beautiful street in Sacramento County, California, three healthy saplings stand side by side. The man who planted these trees did so in honor of three innocent people who were murdered, a mother and her two children. This man was the husband and father of the three victims. He was also the one who murdered them.

Can anyone believe that only after the fourth death, when the murderer’s mother died, that suspicions really got out of control? You better believe it because that is exactly what happened. Bearing in mind that there was bruising found with the wife’s autopsy then when the children also died surely the case should have been looked into. What is tragic about this story is that the children’s deaths could have been avoided if proper concerns had been raised at the wife Irene’s autopsy. There was bruising after all.

Carlton Smith wrote this book specifically to involve the reader in assessing all the proof and facts available. You, as the reader, are involved from the start to finish. I felt part of this investigation and it worked for me. What I could not understand and still cannot understand is how the actual people involved did not get as angry as I did, and I was merely an observer, reading this book.

People as a rule believe that only professions like being a doctor or nurse involves dealing with the lives of people but this book made me realize how every single profession, if not done well, can have an impact on the lives of people and I feel that many people do not weigh up the consequences of their actions in relation to the impact that their actions might have on others. A person doing an autopsy however should really realize the impact of his findings when performing an autopsy. We think, well the person is dead already right? But what about the other people who might die after at the hands of the person who has gotten away with murder? Carlton Smith is as usual excellent. His ability to draw the reader into his books and live the tale is brilliant. This is a common thread in Carlton Smith books.

I suggest accessing the web for other readers reviews before making an online book purchase of true crime stories.

Small sacrifices is another Ann Rule masterpiece, that tells the story of small town, Oregon resident, Diane Downs and how it is that she got to the point of no return. Diane Downs took her three children to a rural, back road, pointed a pistol through the car window and she shot to kill.

After performing this cold blooded act, Diane then proceeded to drive her children to the hospital. The first female child to be carried into the hospital was dead upon arrival. Two other children were rushed through the doors one after another. The second and third child, a young boy and girl, barely clung to life. The hospital staff worked feverishly to stabilize the surviving children as their mother acted indifferent.

Upon being questioned by Lane County detectives, Diane Downs told the story of meeting a stranger on the back road, who stopped her car, initiated an argument with her and as she struggled with him, he proceeded to shoot her children, right before her eyes.

Over the following months Mrs. Downs changed the story of what happened and her suspicions so many times that she made herself the prime suspect.

As prosecutor Fred Hugi got more familiar with the case and met the surviving children he vowed to continue investigating the case until it was solved, once and for all.

No one is entirely sure why Diane Downs wanted to dispose of her children, It is suspected that the motivation may have resulted from her obsession with Lew Lewiston, who was a casual fling and fellow employee she met at the Chandler post office. Mr. Lewiston refused to leave his wife for Diane and did not want to raise another man’s children.

Whatever her reasoning, the murder weapon was eventually traced to a man who had reported it stolen, potentially by Steve Downs, who is identified as the children’s father, therefore giving Diane Downs access to it.

The surviving children, Christie and Danny eventually remembered what happened and with the evidence and their testimonies, their own mother, Diane Downs was convicted and sentenced to the Valley State prison for women located in Chowchilla, California where she continues to be a model prisoner and protests her innocence.

During the length of the case Detective Hugi found himself becoming closer and closer to the Downs children. Christie and Danny Downs are happy, well taken care of and currently reside with Detective Freg Hugi and his wife Joanne.

For those of you who enjoyed Sharyn McCrumb’s ballad series, you are in for another aspect of life in Appalachia unlinked to her other works or characters. This time McCrumb takes you to the year 1866 to explore the real truth in the crime of the legendary Tom Dooley.

The Civil War has just ended. Tom Dula (Dooley’s real name) vows to take life easy after being released from a Union prison camp. He returns home to Wilkes County, North Carolina and continues to see his life long sweetheart, self-absorbed Ann Melton, who has since married in order to survive the hard times. In comes Pauline Foster, Ann’s cousin, who is the catalyst that brings about the demise of three people.

McCrumb combs period records, maps and trial transcripts to rewrite the myth of Tom Dooley in this fictionalized, but fact-based version of how Tom came to be tried and hung for the murder of a young woman. Even though few of the characters are sympathetic, McCrumb has a very readable style that engages the reader and makes the pages flow quickly. The fact that the story is based on the latest evidence makes it that much more compelling.

If you have an interest in how people create legends, in how to separate myth from truth or what life was like in the post-war South, then this is the book to read. Likewise, you might just be a fan of all things Appalachian. If that is the case, you won’t want to miss reading The Ballad of Tom Dooley.

“A thousand trains a day entered or left Chicago.” With that opening statement in Eric Larson’s historical non-fiction book, The Devil in the White City, the reader is drawn into the compelling story of two men who traveled two diametrically opposite paths in life, one man achieving his greatest notoriety through the planning and overseeing of the infamous Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 and one man achieving notoriety through cruel inhumane serial killing.

Both men lived in the second most populous city at a time when countless young people, in particular young women, left home and traveled by train in search of a bright future and employment, many as seamstresses and typists. Chicago was a city often thought of as the Black City because of the coal smoke hanging over the city, the raw sewage, lack of clean water and diseases. Chicago was also a city where many people died from not only accidental deaths but also murder. The author records there were approximately 800 violent murders during the first six months of 1892.

This is the story of Daniel Burnham, an architect, and the crowning achievement of his life, that of being the lead designer and overseer of the fascinating story of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. This is also the story of H. H. Holmes, a doctor, a licensed pharmacist and an infamous serial killer.

Daniel Burnham minutely planned and oversaw the extreme challenges, obstacles and frustrations that went into the one square mile construction of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair which became commonly known as the White City because all of the approximately two hundred buildings were painted white. The Chicago World’s Fair introduced and showcased to the public many spectacular features such as: the gigantic 264-foot Ferris wheel, clean piped water, extensive electrical lighting and clean public restrooms. Much of the fair was a prototype of what Daniel Burnham thought Chicago should look like. This is the story of how thousands of hard-working individuals joined together and pushed themselves against deadlines, to build something magnificently exquisite, beautiful, exotic and positive in the lives of people.

This is also the story of one young man, H. H. Holmes, who walked an opposite path in life and whose actions resulted in cruel and painful death, many of the victims being young women. While the World’s Fair was being planned and constructed, Holmes was building his own house a short distance away, which neighbors called a castle because of its immense size. The house contained soundproof rooms, a basement with a hot enough kiln to burn human bodies. Some of the rooms were turned into apartments and other rooms became hotel rooms for people attending the fair.

This is a story that leads the reader to ponder the psyche of human beings. What is there about the human psyche and the environment that will cause some men to follow a path that leads to the negative legacy of serial killing but leads another man to achieving greatness that leaves a positive imprint on the world?

The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson Vantage Books

A Division of Random House, Inc., New York, 2003, 432 pages

At a time when television and movies are full of police stories, a father and son have come forth to present a real-life personal look into the lives of police officers. Far more than any episode of Cops can do in thirty minutes, Jim and Jay Padar’s new book On Being a Cop brings us into the heart of a police family, showing not only the job that these brave men (and women) daily perform on the streets of Chicago, but also the relationships that police officers have with their families and their coworkers.

We expect action, drama, grisly murders, and high-speed chases from a cop book, but we might not expect the tales of officers struggling with their personal lives, the hardships that the job brings to their families, the interrupted Christmases and missed birthday parties, the need not to think about your own children while investigating the murder of a child, or what it is like to lose a fellow officer in the line of duty or to suicide. Walking a fine line between the sensational and the sentimental, On Being a Cop provides a balanced look at all aspects of a cop’s career and life.

Author Jim Padar had a long career as a police officer beginning in the 1960s. He writes about such incidents as the riots in Chicago following Martin Luther King’s assassination as well numerous homicide investigations he was involved with and his relationships with his partners and coworkers. His son Jay shares his own stories of both humorous and dangerous incidents, including emails to family and friends and their responses. In fact, the book began as a series of emails exchanged between father and son in which they started telling their stories of working Chicago’s streets, and in time those stories were compiled into this book.

A wide range of stories fill this book, from a shooting at a commuter train to corpses found in barrels in a restaurant, and from rescuing people and parakeets from burning buildings to investigations that lead from Chicago to New York and Puerto Rico. In fact, there is so much variety among these stories that the interest and pace never lags. As Jay writes at the beginning of his story, “7 a.m.?”: “Senators, Naked Gays, Schizophrenic Homeless, and a Polish Sausage. How do you tie that together in a short story? It’s easy… for a cop.” And with the exception of a couple of two-part longer stories, most of the stories are short and can be read individually and in any order.

It is hard for me to decide whether I have a favorite story in this book. It might be the story of Uncle Rocco, a small-time criminal who turns out to be the authors’ relative, or perhaps it’s the story of how Jim found his second wife with a little help from Jay, when he was only four years old. I loved the police humor, the jokes between officers to keep the stress and horror of their jobs at a distance, and I loved when I was so caught up in the story that I had to keep reading to see how an investigation would turn out and who would be revealed to be the true criminal. But perhaps most of all, I loved when a member of the public took the time to tell an officer to be careful or simply to say, “Thank you.”

While there is plenty of sadness over the tragedies that these men have witnessed, there is also a lot of humor, and a great deal of their hearts and souls is revealed as they talk about their feelings for their families, their fellow officers, and why they continue to do a job for which they often get little thanks or appreciation. On Being a Cop makes you realize that police officers are human beings; that they have chosen a dangerous but rewarding job, and that they deserve respect, understanding, and most of all, admiration for the jobs they do every day.

Fans of psychology and true crime will thoroughly enjoy this book. Die My Love tells the story of how one woman’s obsession would lead to murder and the destruction of an entire family.

There’s no time to catch your breath in this latest true-crime page turner from Kathryn Casey. With her unique voice style, the author paints a vivid portrait of Piper Rountree…petite, beautiful, attorney and murderer? Although those closest to the family were painfully aware of Piper’s irrational, eradicate behavior, only her sister Tina truly understood the darkness that had enveloped her every thought.

Using her sister’s identification for plane tickets and hotel reservations, Piper flew from Texas to Virginia, where she gunned down her estranged husband in the driveway of his home, as their three children slept in their beds mere yards away. Despite the sister’s best efforts to concoct an air tight alibi and dispose of evidence, it was just a matter of time before justice came calling.

Extensive research takes the reader behind the well manicured facade that had been painstakingly constructed to protect the all important image Piper cultivated. With lyrical prose, Casey skillfully traces the Jablin-Rountree story – from their early days to Piper’s strange, irrational behavior, to the series of events that would lead to the destruction of an already flawed marriage. Weaving a complex narrative of a family who, lived in a beautiful home, surrounded by friends and family but lingered in the shadow of dysfunction, Casey reassembles their shattered lives in the years and months before Fred’s death, intimately describing what led this petite, educated, Texas lawyer to murder her ex-husband and the father of her children.

Filled with the most complete case facts available, Die My Love offers an unparalleled look at one of the most captivating murder cases in recent years, told by one of the most prolific crime writers of our time! I recommend this book to all who enjoy true crime novels, as well as, thriller and mystery lovers! I anxiously await Kathryn Casey’s next novel!

Happy Reading!

Truman Capote wants to write an epic non-fiction which is more and more in vogue now and tries to achieve a synthesis between myth and event and it is “In Cold Blood” that Truman Capote replaces pure fantasy with fact. The story is about a mass murder by two psychopaths in a small town in Kansas and his narrative helps to inaugurate the style for non-fiction novel. His style of mixing hybrid non-fiction and prose is very much imitated by journalists and other authors and is the forerunner of the New Journalism movement.

The book is about the slaying of a wealthy farmer, his wife and his two children in Holcomb, Kansas. When he hears of the quadruple murder of the Clutter family, he travels to Kansas with his childhood friend and fellow author, Harper Lee.

Together they interview local residents and investigators and the killers, Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith, are arrested not long after the murders, and Capote ultimately spends six years working on the book. Capote does a large amount of research for this work and once the criminals are found, tried and convicted, Capote holds personal interviews with Smith and Hickock. Smith fascinates the author especially and in his book he describes him as the one who is more sensitive and guilt conscious of the two killers. Capote never takes notes while interviewing but writes from memory. Besides he compares “the system of appeals” of the American jurisprudence to a game of chance. In his book the participants go from state courts through Federal courts interminably to reach ultimately the US Supreme Court. Capote criticizes the ways and means by which a trial narrative is produced which is later seen in Norman Mailer’s “The Executioner’s Song”.

Thus “In Cold Blood” gets published in 1966 as a “non-fiction novel” as Capote puts it in his own words. It brings him fame and literary acclaim and it becomes an international bestseller. Though it is considered as a controversial work and a fakery by some true crime writers, it paves the way for future journalists and writers of true life stories and establishes Capote as the pioneer of the non-fiction novels of the present day.

Fleagle Story – Incredible

You better believe it! This story tossed down through the ages, generation after generation, toppled the lives of a community in the roaring 20’s, rankled the great plains, and scoured a nation. Little Jake Fleagle, a name innocent enough in conception, appears a bit as one might expect to appear on the Apple Dumpling Gang, in the Little Raskals, or more recently appearing Slappy and the Stinkers. But the man had no dimples, he wasn’t cute, and his memory shivers fear though the citizens of southeastern Colorado.

On a warm sunny May afternoon, First National Bank opened for business; a day like any other in 1928. Laughter regaled the prairie, neighbor folks cheerfully greeted each other, and life in rural Lamar, Colorado resounded with pure simplicity. May 23, 1928 echoes through history as the date Lamar, Colorado lost its innocence. Ravaged by murder of prominent citizens, the community changed. Innocence abandoned the towns people, and brash reality filled it’s place

The story is told in historic simplicity by one of the community’s best, N.T. “Tom” Betz with the expertise and accuracy we’ve all come to expect from the Betz family. The Betz family published the local paper for many years, including during the time of the robbery. News reals, publications, articles, and people who remember the incident well were interviewed and included for this factual commentary of one of the most magnificent crimes, still 77 years after the event, taunted as the biggest robbery in County History. Details of an intense and on going investigation and search for the men guilty of murder make this a most interesting and profound book. Intriguing commentary, news items, and recounts of historic court room events, tracking options, and numerous “firsts” used in the investigation of the crime and location of the guilty parties make this book a worthy read for anyone interested in history of crime investigations.

Some of the numerous “firsts” in the investigation process included:

* First fingerprint used to identify and locate the guilty party in a murder/robbery.

* First time aeroplanes were used in tracking criminals traveling by vehicle away from a crime.

One interesting aspect of the investigation and search included the various forms of communication used by everyone involved.

* Messages dropped from planes.

* People receiving verbal shouts from passing officials.

* Messages left with injured bystanders.

* Notes written and passed from person to person.

* Telephone messages sent hours after the fact, saved, for hours, in case another message is received.

* Telegraph.

In today’s’ remarkable world of nanosecond communications, technologically advanced instant forms of transmission, and instant satellite tracking systems reading the historical commentary of first implemented fingerprint and flight tracking gives the reader a comprehension of the extreme radical changes experienced by even basic services across our nation, and around the world.

Tom’s rendition of this hellacious scar on Southeastern Colorado History bring tears to the citizens there, and revelations to those who pass through… An understanding of the isolation experienced by those who reside in the area.

“Miles Away…Worlds Apart” isn’t a book that slides easily into any one genre. Instead, Alan Sakowitz has penned a book that, in one part, is comprised of inspirational essays in the vein of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series; in another part Memoirs of a Whistleblower; and in the last part, a morality tale. In reality, it is a true crime thriller that details the unraveling of one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in Florida history.

In his book, Alan Sakowitz details his encounters with Scott Rothstein. Rothstein was a respected lawyer in Southern Florida during the four years he allegedly conducted his Ponzi scheme. By all appearances, he was a well connected philanthropist who delivered what he promised.

But even at their first meeting, Sakowitz spotted the tell tale slither of a snake. Sakowitz highlights his thoughts during every step of the process. He tells his readers what the red flags were that hinted of fraud, and does an excellent job illustrating the illusionary nature of Rothstein’s ‘investment opportunities’.

Sakowitz includes anecdotes about his Rabbi, neighbors and family. They show lessons Sakowitz learned throughout his life about the value of doing what’s right. Reminiscent of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books, these stories about his neighborhood illustrate the strength of truth and the beauty of giving. People matter, all people… no matter who they are or what they’ve done.

The moral compass instilled in him by his parents and strengthened by his community gave Sakowitz the impetus he needed to blow the whistle, even at the risk of danger to himself and his family. His leadership and integrity played a role in protecting colleagues and other innocent victims from financial ruin.

This book is the author’s story of his encounter with Rothstein, and he highlights his entire train of thought.