SAY GOODBYE

Introduction

People always ask me where I get such sick and twisted ideas. In truth, my novels are routinely inspired by true crime, from my first book, THE PERFECT HUSBAND, which delved into Ted Bundy’s life, to GONE, which was inspired by a number of infamous kidnapping cases from the 1920s and 30’s. In fact, I spend my summer reading true crime novels and various law enforcement biographies, always on the look out for that one case that will give me goose bumps. Then, I know I have the next novel.

My upcoming 2008 release is no exception. SAY GOODBYE, featuring Kimberly, Mac, Rainie and Quincy (from THE KILLING HOUR which was inspired by the UnaBomber, Ted Kaczynski, as well as Charles Whitman, the University of Texas clock tower shooter who gunned down eighteen people), draws upon four fascinating cases from the past fifty years. The truth they say, is stranger is fiction. Now, you can be the judge.

The Michele Wallace Case

The True Crime: In 1974, twenty-five-year old Michele Wallace set out for a weekend hiking trip with her German Shepherd, Okie, in Schofield Park, Colorado. Returning to her car, she came across two men whose own vehicle had broken down. She gave them a ride into town, the last time she was ever seen alive. Read more.

The Atlanta Child Murders

The True Crime: In the late 1970s and early 1980s, twenty-nine black youths were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia in one of the most notorious serial killings of our time. The first two victims, fourteen-year old Edward Hope Smith and fourteen-year old Alfred Evans were good friends who disappeared only days apart. Both of their bodies were discovered on July 28, 1979 in a wooded area in the southwestern part of the city. Edward had been shot, Alfred had been asphyxiated. This would set the pattern for years to come: children disappearing one by one, often friends or acquaintances, all ultimately found murdered by various means in various locations around Atlanta, including one body, which was stuffed inside a concrete hole in an elementary school. Read more.

The Natascha Kampusch and Shawn Hornbeck/Ben Ownby Cases

The True Crimes: In 1988, ten-year old Natascha Kampusch was kidnapped off a Vienna street by suspect Wolfgang Priklopil. She was held for eight years in a six by eight foot windowless room beneath her abductor’s garage. On August 23, 2006, Natascha was vacuuming Priklopil’s car when he stepped inside to take a phone call. Leaving on the vacuum as a cover, Natascha bolted to a neighbor’s house. Priklopil was never arrested—instead, he committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a train. Read more.

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