THE AUDIENCE FOR "THE LAST MURDER"

Howard Blue, whom I met on an internet forum dedicated to the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, has recently posted a review of "The Last Murder" on a true crime internet forum. I think the remarks he made tend to validate my belief that "The Last Murder" speaks to the audience I primarily targeted (criminal trial lawyers and law enforcement officers). In his review, which he graciously gave me permission to repost, he said:

"I'm just about to finish reading another book that will interest many (but not all) subscribers to this forum. Robert Dekle, Sr. is the author of The Last Murder: The Investigation, Prosecution and Execution of Ted Bundy (Praeger 2011).

"In the interest of full disclosure, he has been answering some of my questions about the legal aspects of a 1956 kidnapping that I've been writing a book about. I got my copy of The Last Murder after Dekle and I exchanged books (his for my book, WORDS AT WAR, about American radio during World War II).

"The Last Murder could be a classic on the trials and tribulations of dealing with a serial killer who decides to be his own lawyer (for at least a part of the time). The book provides interesting insight into Bundy's psyche and behavior during the trial. It also gives a great deal of information about the legal and other nuances of a prosecutor's dealing with competing jurisdictions while involved in both the investigation and the prosecution of a capital crime. For some, the legal technicalities may be too much. However, I've been fascinated with the author's explanation of how the law deals with such a crime.

"The Last Murder is a page turner, but not in the sense that one might experience with a more sensationalized book. In high school I ran the mile, but occasionally I fooled around running hurdles. I would liken the experience of prosecuting Ted Bundy to running hurdles. No sooner did the prosecution dispense of a bunch of motions that the defense threw their way, then a bunch of new ones came on their radar."