BOOK REPORTS—


Silencer by James W. Hall

This was a good yarn about old Florida money and a mysteriously deceased patriarch who was clipped just before he donated his estate for preservation--and a reluctant heir who winds up entrapped in a sinkhole--and a shady governor--and a troubled wife.... Brain candy.


Stumbling Along the Beat by Stacy Dittrich

Imagine my surprise when I discovered this book was largely set in Richland County Ohio. The author is the daughter of Joseph Wendling, one of a family with a long history of service to the Mansfield PD. The book tells of her early police experience in a Mansfield area town she calls Mayberry. (She doesn’t divulge its real name) The challenges of her job were mostly with her male officer co-workers and she tells that story with vigor. Great read.


Executive Intent by Dale Brown

Another 400 pages of easy reading—this yarn takes a peek at the super-powers grappling with Space as a world-dominating, power platform. And, it takes off with current events morphing nicely into near future technology doing believable things in the hands of some pirates, a couple of heroes and the usual crop of inept, international politicians.


Murder Behind the Badge by Stacy Dittrich

My second read by this author—this one takes a peek at policemen who kill and leads off with the Drew/Stacy Peterson story from the Chicago area; often called the murder-by-cop (alleged) mystery of this century. It also has chapters on the Bobby Cutts Jr, recent story out of Canton, OH and Mansfield’s own Charles Oswalt who was convicted and imprisoned for murdering Marjorie “Margie” Coffee whose body was found in an icy stream near Butler.

Fogeyisms first touched on the Oswalt story in November 2007 with a piece on a retired Butler policeman.  Put Phil Stortz in the box, upper left and launch a search for that item.