September 2020

Crime Fiction Book Review: Fractured by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #2)

Book Review / /

Fractured is the second book in Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series. Will Trent is a detective with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and quickly takes over the case of a murder site that belongs to the Atlanta police. A teen girl is found murdered in the bedroom at a mansion in wealthy Ansley Park when her mother returns home and finds a guy near the teen and kills him with her own bare hands. Will gets paired up with a female cop, Faith, from the Atlanta police department to figure out what’s really going on here. Faith is certainly not Will’s biggest fan but is determined to not let her personal feelings get in the way of the case.

Karin Slaughter jumps right into the story in Fractured and quickly engages you with the Will Trent’s character, subtly reminding you of what was learned about him in book one, Triptych. She does this in such a way that even if you haven’t read Triptych; you’re quickly caught up to speed and can follow along just fine… she does a great job building the characters they feel like real people that we get to know more and more about their backgrounds as the series continues.

The twists and turns in this story kept me on my toes while adding interesting layers to the investigation that keeping me intrigued, it’s definitely a page turner…. highly recommended!

I’ve now started Undone, book #3 of the Will Trent Series, but this time I’m listening to the audiobook version. I’ll be sure to share what I think of it once done!

The books in the Will Trent Series include:

  1. Triptych
  2. Fractured
  3. Undone
  4. Broken
  5. Fallen
  6. Criminal
  7. Unseen
  8. The Kept Woman
  9. The Last Widow
  10. The Silent Wife

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Kids Who Kill: Joshua Phillips

Kids Who Kill / /
Joshua Phillips & Maddie Clifton

Maddie Clifton disappeared on November 3, 1998 around 5:00 pm from her home in Jacksonville, Florida. She was last known to be playing outside before her mother reported her missing. The search for Maddie commenced and later the FBI would become involved too. Flyers of the missing girl were passed out around town and many volunteers offered their support. Everyone appeared to be trying to help, including the killer himself…

Come to find out, Maddie had been playing baseball outside with a neighbor, Josh Phillips. Josh was not only the last person to see her alive, but he was also the one to take her life.

Josh Phillips was only 14 years old when he committed murder. Maddie Clifton was only 8 years old when she was brutally murdered by another child, a playmate.

Josh maintains it all started with an accident. While home alone and playing baseball with Maddie, he accidentally hit her with the ball in the face. Maddie cried out; screaming, as any 8 year old would do when hit in the face with a baseball…accident or not.

Josh expected his father to arrive home at any time and was so afraid of him, fearing he would get in trouble because he was not supposed to have anyone over the house… Josh panicked. He needed Maddie to be quiet… so he hit her with the baseball bat quickly putting an end to her screams.

Josh dragged her body into his house and then into his bedroom. Reportedly- once inside, he strangled for her 15 minutes with a telephone cord before he stuffed her body under the base of his bed. At some point later on, he realizes she’s still alive…. Maddie was moaning. Joshua then stabbed Maddie multiple times, ultimately killing her.

Maddie’s lifeless body wasn’t found until several days later. Josh’s mother was cleaning the house and thought that maybe Josh’s waterbed had a leak so went in for a closer look. It was then, to her horror, that she had found Maddie. This was immediately reported to the authorities and Josh was arrested while still at school. He quickly admitted to the horrendous crime without hesitation.

Joshua Phillips was convicted of the first-degree murder of Maddie Clifton. Due to being just a child himself, Josh was not eligible for the death penalty and was instead sentenced to life in prison.

In June of 2000, Josh’s father died in a car accident. The man Josh feared so much was now gone and not long after his sentencing.

In 2012, the US Supreme Court barred mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles (Miller v. Alabama). Due to this new ruling, Joshua received a new sentence hearing in 2017. He was again sentenced to life in prison, subject to review after 25 years.

The Florida Times-Union reported on June 23, 2020 that the Florida Supreme Court denied an appeal that was filed by Joshua Phillips back in January 2020.

Joshua Phillips is now 36 years old and is currently incarcerated in Florida at the Cross City Correctional Institution.

If you are interested in learning more about this case, see my sources are listed below. Also, there have been many shows and podcasts that have covered the case as well.

Sources

Justices Turn Down Appeal In Death Of Maddie Clifton

Caged Kids: Life Sentence

Life Sentence Upheld For Maddie Clifton’s Killer

Resentencing of Inmate Convicted of Murder at 14 Delayed

Killer Kid

A Look Back: The Disappearance and Murder of Maddie Clifton

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List of 10 Best True Crime Gifts

True Crime Gifts / /

Are you looking for a gift for a friend who is a true crime fan? Or maybe you are just shopping for yourself?! Either way, you’ve come to the right place! Below you will find what I think are the 10 best true crime gifts that have caught my eye. I am NO way affiliated with any of these shops or products (with the exception of #10 which is my own item from my own shop). Now, without further ado…here they are…in no particular order:

  1. True Crime, Glass of Wine, In Bed By Nine Sweatshirt
Photo Source: Etsy

ImPressed Clothing on Etsy offers this super comfy sweatshirt in different colors and sizes. The color pictured would be perfect for the Fall! It’s actually on sale right now for $25.15 (reg. $27.95). This shop also has so many other cute pieces as well, definitely worth a look!

2. Hunt A Killer

This is one of the subscription-style murder mystery games that get delivered to your door based on your membership/subscription. According to the Hunt A Killer website, subscriptions start as low as $25. Each box builds on the last until you have all the clues to solve the mystery… you get to be the detective! There are also many other brands out there of these kinds of games, also worth looking into.

3. True Crimes & Chill Candle

Photo source: Etsy

Who doesn’t want a fabulous candle burning while watching their favorite murder documentaries? Wax On Fire offers this candle in their Etsy Shop from $5.50-$24.00 depending on which size you want. This fun candle is available in SO MANY scents, give it a peek here!

4. Murder Shows & Comfy Clothes T-Shirt

Photo Source: Etsy

Every true crime fan wants to be cozy while watching murder shows, so why not do it in style? This perfect shirt can be found in the LongHorn Apparel Etsy Shop in many sizes and colors. To give you an idea as pricing varies, the unisex medium in light gray heather (color pictured) is $14.90.

5. Serial Killer Headlines Blood Splatter Tumbler

Photo Source: Etsy

This tumbler is covered with a bunch of serial killer headlines & is available in The Glitter Press LLC Etsy Shop! It’s a 30 oz double-walled tumbler perfect for hot or cold drinks for $44.95 + FREE Shipping! Who doesn’t LOVE free shipping?!

6. Serial Killer Blanket

Photo Source: Etsy

Every true crime fan needs a blanket like this! Spooky Beach GB offers 3 different sizes in their Etsy Shop. The 30 x 40 blanket is $35.99 + FREE shipping! Also available in 50 x 60 and 60 x 80. If you check out the rest of their shop, you’d see they have SO MANY other crime theme products as well!

7. Probably Watching True Crime Door Mat

Photo Source: Etsy

Just Gotta Look Etsy Shop offers this simply stated door mat perfect for any fellow true crime addict’s home. These mats are currently on sale for 10% off, they start at $36.00 for the 16 x 24 size + FREE shipping. Gotta love the free shipping!

8. I’m Basically A Detective Coffee Mug

Photo Source: Etsy

Magic Little Shop Gifts offers these 11 oz two-toned mugs in red, pink, navy or black ON SALE for only $16.99 + FREE shipping! They are both microwave & dishwasher safe, too.

9. Stay Sexy, Don’t Get Murdered Sign

Photo Source: Etsy

This fun little sign is a great gift for any My Favorite Murder Podcast fan! The sign is available in the Born Again Boutique for $19.00 & they are offering FREE shipping on orders of $35+. They have lots of great stuff, so it won’t be hard to level up for that free shipping!

10. Crime Junkie Keychain

Photo Source: My Etsy Shop- AshsAccentsCT

I offer this BESTSELLER Crime Junkie Keychain in my own Etsy Shop, AshsAccentsCT, for $10.00.

There you have it! I hope this list of 10 best true crime gifts has been helpful as you shop for the true crime fan in your life! Any true crime fan would most certainly LOVE any of these gifts listed!

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Book Review: The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

Book Review / /

I mentioned this book in a previous post & I finished reading it in just a couple days. This was the first book that I read by Liv Constantine and I will be checking out some of their other books for sure!

The book is narrated by the viewpoints of both women, Piper and Joanna, as they each navigate their relationships with Leo and the kids.

Joanna is worried about the man and children she loves after being pushed out of the house when Leo’s new love interest, Piper, moves in. Joanna is convinced that Piper is up to no good and is determined to do whatever it takes to keep Leo, Stelli, and Evie safe. Joanna grows more and more fixated on digging up Pipers past to try and prove how she’s dangerous to the family. Meanwhile, Piper works through the frustrations of trying to gain the acceptance of Leo’s children, to be part of a family that will hopefully be different than her past experiences- but will it be?

I absolutely don’t want to give anything away… but I will say that this book took some twists & turns that I was not expecting! So for this reason, I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars. As I was getting into the meat of the story, I thought I had it figured out, that it was going to be predictable… but boy was I wrong! I highly recommend this read to any crime fiction or psychological thriller fan, it really was that good!

Since I was not familiar with the author and because I just loved this book so much, I checked out the authors website and learned that Liv Constantine is actually a pen name for the bestselling authors, Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. They are sisters that write together, from states apart! So now knowingt this, I must say that they FLAWLESSLY created this story… you would never know that it was a joint effort across distance, the book just flowed so well.!

In case you are interested, other books by Liv Constantine include: The Last Mrs. Parrish; The Last Time I Saw You; and Circle Dance

Have you read The Wife Stalker or any of their other books? What did you think?

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6 Nights of Serial Killers on ID

Crime Shows / /

So, unfortunately I am late to the game! Serial Killers Weeks on the ID channel started 2 days ago! I missed the first two nights… it started on August 30 and goes until Friday September 4, 2020. The cable company, Comcast (xfinity) had stopped carrying the ID channel in all bundles but apparently they worked something out as the channel is now available again! I had NO idea until recently while we were flipping through the channels. I hope to be able to catch some of the shows at least. I perused the ID channels website for the schedule, so if you’re interested in the line up from today (9/1/20) on- it’s as follows:

Tuesday 9/1/20- The 93 Victims of Samuel Little (conclusion) 9/8c – the first part aired yesterday, but I’m sure they ill replay it or it can probably be found on demand?

Wednesday 9/2/20- The Butcher Baker: Mind of a Monster 9/8c

Thursday 9/3/20- The Serial Killer Among Us: Phillip Jabonski 9/8c

Friday 9/4/20– BTK: Chasing a Killer 9/8c

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Crime Fiction Book Review: Triptych by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent Series)

Book Review / /

Triptych was the first book I read by Karin Slaughter and I finished the book in just a few days, I’m hooked on Will Trent!

Again and again I would keep seeing this author being recommended in a crime-related book Facebook group I’m in… So, I finally just checked with my library (through the Libby app) to see if they had any of her books available. I’m currently wait-listed on one of her newer books, The Good Daughter, but in the mean-time decided to borrow Triptych since it was available… and boy am I glad I did! Right off the bat I was sucked in and had a hard time putting this book down.

Triptych is book #1 of the series of 10 books (as of this post, at least). The series follows Will Trent who is introduced in this first book as a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent (GBI) who shows up to help Michael Ormewood , a police detective, investigate a series of local crimes. Karin Slaughter did a fabulous job creating the characters in this book it was like I was right along side them, to me it read like I was really watching it unfold as if it was a tv show or movie.

If I were to give this book a rating, I would give it a 4 to 4.5 star rating out of 5 stars. This book definitely started strong, luring me in right away, but there were a couple of moments that were a bit predictable at times. But Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was already seeking out the next book in the series (Fractured) before I even finished this first one! My library seems to have the e-book version of the entire series with the exception of the second book as well as the last book. So, I did go ahead and already ordered it from the bookstore. Now I’m eagerly awaiting is arrival!

The books in this series include:

  1. Triptych
  2. Fractured
  3. Undone
  4. Broken
  5. Fallen
  6. Criminal
  7. Unseen
  8. The Kept Woman
  9. The Last Widow
  10. The Silent Wife

I definitely recommend Triptych by Karin Slaughter and I do plan to read through the entire series & will continue to share my thoughts on each book, so be sure to check back, if you are interested! While I await for Fractured to arrive, I have started another book (also from the library Libby app), The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine. I’m only 4 chapters in on The Wife Stalker and its already grabbed my interest, so I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on that one too.

I’m also about halfway through the audiobook version of The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian. I’ve been listening to this while working in my craft room & so far so good. I look forward to the upcoming tv show starring Kaley Cuocco that’s based on the book!

Have you ready any of these books? Please share your thoughts! Also, I’m always open to new book suggestions if you have any recommendations!

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