True Crime....

 

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Dark Valleys collects together more than a century of murders that took place in and around the valleys of South Wales. These horrific crimes shocked not only Wales, but also made national headlines. Although treated with compassion and sensitivity by the Welsh author and crime historian Gary M. Dobbs, these true stories are often gruesome and harrowing, with no details spared in chronicling what were truly terrible events. The reasons behind such violent crime are explored, and we see the changing attitudes of society to crimes fuelled by alcohol, poverty, passion or, increasingly so in modern times, drug abuse. The book also highlights the changing procedures of both the police and the courts in dealing with such crimes. It contains stories of hardship and incredible poverty, and of ordinary lives suddenly transformed by brutal and sickening violence.Many of the killings contained within these pages remain unsolved, such as the 1862 Tyntyla Farm Murder and the 1993 execution style killings of Megan and Harry Tooze. The latter case remains one of South Wales most infamous unsolved murders. Along the the way we look at the case of Rhoda Willis, the first woman to be hanged at Cardiff Prison, and many, many more gruesome but fascinating cases.In all cases the author has painstakingly collected together every available piece of evidence to provide as clear a picture as possible. Gary Dobbs carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the darker side of history.

Extremely interesting and such an enjoyable read couldn't put it down wanted to know what other cases were coming next and with the authors descriptions you could really picture yourself at the crime scenes and with some cases wondering about the mystery of who did it. Highly recommended. *****

The Harpe Brothers: America's first serial killers

Kentucky governor, Matt Bevin has suggested that his state really needs to capitalize on the connection to the Harpe brothers, America's first serial killers after reading a report on how much revenue Jack the Ripper tours bring into London on an annual basis.

The brothers killed at least 39 people and they had a signature move - they would remove a victim's stomach, open up the chest cavity and bizarrely fill it with rocks.

You can read up on the brothers HERE

True Crime Madness

The following are all documented real life cases, which just shows that we really do live in a mad mad world. These stories were collected from the world wide web by someone who really should be doing something more productive.

The Bog Blocker - Police in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, appealed to the public for help in late March tracking down a most unusual perpetrator. "Over the past year and a half," the department posted on its Facebook page, "someone has been clogging the women's toilet (at the Deland Community Center) with a 20-ounce soda bottle. This is very strange ... and gross." The Sheboygan Press reported that the string of more than 25 incidents began in 2016. Joe Kerlin, the city's parks and forestry superintendent, says the suspect is likely an adult male, based on security camera footage from outside the restroom. The city's resulting plumbing bills have totaled between $2,000 and $3,000.



The Idiotic Thief - Ruan Rocha da Silva, 18, was caught in late March trying to steal five cans of deodorant from a supermarket in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His prominent tattoo might have given him away: A year ago, after Silva tried to steal a bike from Maycon Wesley Carvalho, 27, and Ronildo Moreira de Araujo, 29, the two men forcibly tattooed Silva's forehead with the words "I am a thief and an idiot." The Daily Mail reported that Carvalho and Araujo were caught after filming themselves inking Silva's forehead and sending the video to friends; both were sentenced to jail time. Silva is out on bail, awaiting trial for shoplifting.


The Drunk Driver - It was lucky 13 for Hot Springs, Arkansas, resident Patricia Ann Clanton, 55, as she was charged with her 13th felony DWI on March 26. Garland County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Garrett stopped to check on a Chevrolet Monte Carlo parked in the lot of Buddy Bean Lumber Co. around 1 a.m. on March 26, reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. An assisting officer noticed a strong smell of intoxicants and asked Clanton and her passenger to get out of the car. Clanton refused a field sobriety test but agreed to a Breathalyzer, which registered her blood alcohol level at more than twice the legal limit. Nevertheless, she entered an innocent plea in Garland County District Court. Since 1994, Clanton has been convicted of driving drunk in various Arkansas jurisdictions and served jail time.

Dickface - When police in Largo, Florida, arrested Jeffrey Forrest Poole on charges of violently resisting a police officer, the authorities made sure to list things like his age, weight and address in his arrest report.Officers also included an alias that Poole has allegedly used in the past ― and it’s pretty awesome. The Alias was Dickface Johnson.

The Parrot knows - An African gray parrot known for its very filthy mouth may be a key witness to the killing of his owner.The parrot, named Bud, belonged to Martin Duram until May 2015, when a killer shot Duram to death in his home in Ensley Township, Michigan. Duram's wife, Glenna, sustained a shotgun wound to her head in the attack, WOOD-TV reported at the time.Michigan State Police investigators initially suspected an intruder. But they now list Glenna Duram, who has since recovered from her injuries, as a suspect.

 Police records obtained by WOOD-TV allege that Duram shot her husband five times with a gun that belonged to the family, then turned the weapon on herself. The couple reportedly had been having financial problems.Glenna Duram, who authorities said left three suicide notes, denied killing her husband when detectives interviewed her after she recovered.

Her in-laws, however, finger Duram as the killer and say the parrot can prove her guilt.
A few weeks after their son was murdered, Lillian and Charles Duram took a video of Bud repeating what sounds like an argument, complete with changing voices.At one point, Bud says, “Don’t f***ing shoot.”

Police records show an unidentified person asked a detective whether Bud could be used as evidence, but there is no mention of whether the detective responded. Newaygo County Prosecutor Robert Springstead told WOOD-TV that he’s aware the couple had a bird that talked, but hadn't seen the video of Bud's performance. He said he'll decide whether to file charges in two or three weeks, after Michigan State Police finish their investigation.

At least one parrot aficionado said it's entirely possible Bud is vocally recreating what he witnessed. Samuel Carr, a parrot buff in San Diego, California, said African gray parrots are very intelligent and can learn to mimic phrases quickly if there's a reason.

More than a century of murder.

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Jack the Ripper - The Solution awaits

Patricia Cornwell in her mega selling book, Portrait of a Killer fixated squarely on painter, Walter Sickert and presented a wealth of evidence to suggest that he was the fiend responsible for The Whitechapel Killings, that he was indeed Jack the Ripper. Before her Stephen Knight had in his, The Final Solution provided a link to the brutal murders and the British Royal Family.  In the early 1990's we were asked to believe in the sensational find of the century when Jack the Ripper's Diary turned up in Liverpool, but after some initial excitement the book has been denounced as a fake. Over the years there have been a long list of names suggested as to being the Ripper, but in all these names never has the theory given in my novel, A Policeman's Lot been put forward. Is this because the suspect has been pulled out of left field? Hell, no - the name I have put forward in my novel has been associated with the case since the murders were first investigated.




Why then has this name never come forward before?

Well, simply because it turns all the previous theories, all the speculation and indeed the killings themselves on their head. It provides a credible explanation for what happened during that autumn of terror. Was the Ripper real or an invention of early tabloid journalism?

But it's a work of fiction, right?

Indeed it is, but I firmly believe the basic concept behind the plot - that Jack the Ripper was never discovered because....well, that maybe giving too much away. The book's out there - in PRINT and eBook. It's had a number of good reviews and I've had several readers give me the grand praise that they couldn't put it down.

It's been out digitally for the best part of a year and in print only a few weeks. It's sold a few but has not reached the audience I genuinely feel it deserved. Why? Blowed if I know - I keep pushing it in posts such as this and reviews have been turning up on Amazon. Hopefully it's a slow burner and it will explode anytime soon.

Should I give away the name of the person I have identified as the Ripper, I wonder? The book is not so much a whodunnit after all and the reader knows a few chapters in who the guilty party is, but it is only when the book has played out that all the elements come together, and a credible explanation is found. I feel that if I gave away the identity of the suggested killer here that it would push sales, but I'm not going to. Although I secretly hope some reviewer will let the cat out of the bag and start a debate.

And so all I can say is that the book is the result of several years of research into the Ripper Killings and leave you with some quotes from the various reviews. But if anyone does buy a copy then I thank you and hope you will see fit to leave a review on Amazon - even if you hate the book. Though without wanting to sound arrogant I don't think that will be the case. Click on the relevant image for either the print or eBook version.


And so those reviews:


Dobbs has done his research and packs a lot into his novel. We become immersed in a time and place on the cusp of the twentieth century. Old methods of law enforcement are yielding with the introduction of new technologies. Economic changes create new problems and social pressures. 


What an end.  The author uses Parade and Buffalo Bill to offer his own truly unique solution to the greatest unsolved serial killer mystery in history.  


The colour of the setting, the atmosphere and the characterization are all top-class. The story starts rather low-key, but once you get to the killings, everything steps up a notch and grabs you by the throat. A "historical police procedural" is the most effective way I can describe it. The storyline's multiple, concurrent strands reminded me a bit of the J. J. Marric (John Creasey) Gideon books, as did the well-observed "common people" characters. The difference here is the way they're thrown into greater relief by their contrast with the celebrated Buffalo Bill and his show people. Your choice of this background for your first Pontypridd novel was a stroke of genius. From Keith Chapman AKA western writer, Chap O'Keefe


Another review from THE MACK CAPTURES CRIME WEBSITE - Police Inspector Frank Parade prepares for duty after the last good night's rest he will enjoy for a while. For Parade, the policeman's lot is to maintain order in a six mile area with a handful of constables. But today is going to be more hectic than usual: several hundred cattle have to be moved through town on market day and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show has just pitched camp. This is just the beginning of Parade's problems which will include deaths, robberies, fights, an escaped convict, illicit tavern activity, an overly attentive landlady, and a revelation in the Jack the Ripper case.

The hook that gets readers' attention is the connection to Jack the Ripper and a satisfying and well set hook it is. But A Policeman's Lot is, at its core, a police procedural. Pontypridd in 1904 was cosmopolitan in many respects but still retained a frontier flavor: ...the streets were often lawless -- river traders, gypsies, pickpockets, drifters, even escaped convicts had to be contended with. The story follows Inspector Frank Parade as he puts in long hours monitoring the activities in town, investigating crimes, and schooling a likable but inexperienced young constable. At the time and place the book is set, the police were still developing as a professional organization and didn't have a widespread trust among the public, telephones were not widely available making communication over distances a problem, and forensic analysis was limited. In this environment, the police had to rely on techniques still used today: collect evidence, interview everyone, observe, find patterns.

Frank Parade makes for a quite interesting character. I see him as the kind of man that made the British empire -- brave, honorable, and dedicated to service. As a soldier, he saw action in the Second Boer War then traded Army khaki for the blue of a policeman. He is unwavering in his defense of the law, sets high standards for himself and his men but is not a martinet. Watching the sober Frank deal with the freewheeling Wild West Show made for a fun study in contrasts.

About the Ripper connection I'll only say that it fits nicely into the story and has enough fact to make it a credible plot line. It also lets us see Parade performing good, solid police investigation. I checked some of the Ripper forums after I finished the book and was astonished at the passion with which the case is studied.

A Policeman's Lot is an entertaining story that brings together one of the last icons of the American West, a look at British police work while the force was still in its infancy, and one of the most widely known murder cases in history. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy historical crime fiction and police procedurals.