True Crime Blog
“What the #@%# did you say?” There was a brief standoff at the top of the escalator following the challenge I issued, which in print would appear an innocuous question if not for the colorful expletive. But the tone—oh, man, the tone. And the posture, the body language, the daggers my tired eyes can still…
Death. It’s part of life. And for those of us fortunate enough remain healthy as we negotiate the “golden years,” there is a price to be paid: the pain and heartbreak of losing loved ones, partners, and friends. This has been a difficult few days for me and many of my friends and former colleagues.…
When someone creates a Facebook profile using your name and photograph, and they begin trying to friend all your friends, you have not been hacked. Rather, someone is pretending to be you. They’ve created a fake profile in your likeness with the intent of defrauding your friends. Public Service Announcement I have written this because…
What better way to return from a sabbatical than to bring you the latest news about what’s been going on with me, and throw in a few book reviews for good measure? The Latest News First, my apologies for ghosting you. There have been some struggles in my personal life this past year, and it…
Daryl “Deedub” Knight and I have shared many adventures over the years: hunting and fishing trips, rodeos and roundups, and more than a few mad dashes to Vegas back in the day. But the most memorable trip for me was the one we call the Great Cowboy Road Trip of 2016, and just wait until…
After the Badge by Danny R. Smith was first published in Mystery Readers Journal: The Journal of Mystery Readers International (Volume 37, Number 4 – Winter 2021). Unsolved murders can haunt those who’ve been tasked with solving them. Though I retired from L.A. Sheriff’s Homicide seventeen years ago, many of my unsolved cases trouble…
Imagine a Roadrunner cartoon with the sound of tires squealing, a “meep-meep,” and the fleeting view of the famed chaparral ground cock hauling ass down a dirt road away from you. That was me fleeing California in 2004.
Very few people are killed by strangers while at home with their families or even enjoying an evening out with friends. But when you stay out all night—or into the wee hours—you increase the odds of becoming a victim of violence. The older I get, the more I have come to appreciate that.
Bad Dreams go with the territory of being a cop. Over the years, my dreaming of pursuits, foot chases, and shootouts with malfunctioning weapons and bulletproof bad guys have subsided, but it doesn’t take much to reawaken the demons. A good cop movie can do it, and so can a session of telling war stories…
When it was first suggested to me that I should write my own story, I was against the idea of it. Who was I to write a memoir? I’m nothing special—no rock star (though at one time I aspired to be one), super athlete, or war hero. Yes, I have had the opportunity to do…