Having Read That with Brian Vakulskas

Co-Authors: Rick Jackson & Matthew McGough

Book: BLACK TUNNEL WHITE MAGIC: A Murder, a Detective’s Obsession, and ’90s Los Angeles at the Brink

Publishing: ‎ Mulholland Books (March 4, 2025)

Listen to the full 4-part interview here:

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Synopsis (from the Publisher):

In June 1990, Ronald Baker, a straight-A UCLA student, was found repeatedly stabbed to death in a tunnel near Spahn Ranch, where Charles Manson and his followers once lived. Shortly thereafter, Detective Rick Jackson and his partner, Frank Garcia, were assigned the case. Yet the facts made no sense. Who would have a motive to kill Ron Baker in such a grisly manner? Was the proximity to the Manson ranch related to the murder? And what about the pentagram pendant Ron wore around his neck?

Jackson and Garcia soon focused their investigation on Baker’s two male roommates, one Black, and one white. What emerges is at once a story of confounding betrayal and cold-hearted intentions, as well as a larger portrait of an embattled Los Angeles, a city in the grip of the Satanic Panic and grappling with questions of racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of Rodney King.

In straightforward, matter-of-fact prose, Rick Jackson, the now-retired police detective who helped inspire Michael Connelly’s beloved Harry Bosch, along with co-writer, Matthew McGough, take us through the events as he and his partner experienced them, piecing together the truth with each emerging clue. Black Tunnel White Magic is the true story of a murder in cold blood, deception and betrayal, and a city at the brink, set forth by the only man who could tell it.

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Co-author: Tom Lange (& Robert Souza)

Book: THE DIRTY BUSINESS OF MURDER: The Inside Story of Homicide Investigation in the City of Angels

Publishing: Independently published (October 22, 2024)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

The book comprises some (24) compelling murder investigations in Los Angeles that were handled by the writers, or in which they played a role to one extent or another. The book also contains a deeper dive into four additional serial killer investigations that involved the writers as lead detectives in the cases. Several other serial killer cases that plagued the southern California area are alluded to throughout. A number of other related issues (i.e. Serial Killing defined, Philosophy for the Homicide Cop, O.J. Simpson re-visit & others) are included. There is also a photo section and related “Wanted” police bulletins appear with related stories.

The types of cases vary significantly. They include domestic, home invasion, organized crime, serial robbers, cold cases, contract killers, serial killer and law-enforcement related murders (cops as victims and cops as killers).

The writers have a combined (50) years of police related experience with the Los Angeles Police Department and over (30) years of high-profile homicide investigative experience. The book also contains a blurb from author Michael Connelly.

BUY ANY OF TOM’S BOOKS BY CLICKING ON THE COVER BELOW:

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Author: Judy Henderson

Book: WHEN THE LIGHT FINDS US: From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed

Publishing: Worthy Books (April 15, 2025)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

A testament to the indomitable human spirit and the power of a mother’s love, this story of a wrongfully incarcerated woman’s fight for freedom and her family will inspire all.

Judy Henderson was a single mother with a successful small business of her own when she was arrested and convicted of a crime she did not commit.  Sentenced to life in prison, Henderson faced the untenable: leaving her young children as she entered the brutal prison system. Even as she faced violence, mistreatment, Henderson persevered with hope and determination. She never lost sight of her innocence—or her deeply held role as a mother. She also gained new purpose, fighting for her clemency and for the rights of incarcerated women, especially mothers. As the years passed, Henderson experienced hope through serendipitous events and calls, letters, and too infrequent visits with her children and other family. With the support of the prosecutor who once sought her conviction and the Missouri governor, Henderson was granted clemency and received a full pardon after nearly thirty-five years behind bars.

When the Light Finds Us is a gripping narrative that explores the depths of human resilience and the transformative power of hope. Henderson’s story will inspire readers to persevere through their own struggles, reminding us of the strength of the human spirit and the unbreakable bond of a mother’s love. In a world often filled with darkness, Judy Henderson’s journey is a beacon of light, illuminating the path to redemption and the triumph of justice.

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Author: Joseph Finder

Book: THE OLIGARCH’S DAUGHTER: A Novel

Publishing: Harper (January 28, 2025)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

“Any new novel by Joseph Finder is a ticket to reading pleasure, and this one is hands down his best ever.”—Stephen King

“This is Finder at his finest—a perfect everyman-in-peril story, first building an ominous drumbeat of menace, then exploding in action and intrigue and triumph. As good as it gets.”—Lee Child

From the New York Times bestselling author of House on Fire, a breakneck thriller that marries the dynastic opulence of Succession with the tense and disorienting spycraft of The Americans.

Paul Brightman is a man on the run, living under an assumed name in a small New England town with a million-dollar bounty on his head. When his security is breached, Paul is forced to flee into the New Hampshire wilderness to evade Russian operatives who can seemingly predict his every move.

Six years ago, Paul was a rising star on Wall Street who fell in love with a beautiful photographer named Tatyana—unaware that her father was a Russian oligarch and the object of considerable interest from several U.S. intelligence agencies. Now, to save his own life, Paul must unravel a decades-old conspiracy that extends to the highest reaches of the government.

Rivaling the classic spy novels of the Cold War, The Oligarch’s Daughter is built for the frightening world we live in now.

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Author: C.J. Box

Book: BATTLE MOUNTAIN: A Joe Pickett Novel

Publishing: G.P. Putnam’s Sons (February 25, 2025)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

The campaign of destruction that Axel Soledad and Dallas Cates wreaked on Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett left both men in tatters, especially Nate, who lost almost everything. Wondering if the civilized life left him vulnerable to attack, Nate dropped off the grid with his falcons in tow to prepare for vengeance.

When Joe gets a call from the governor asking for help finding his son-in-law, who has gone missing in the Sierra Madre mountain range, he enlists the help of a local, a rookie game warden named Susan Kany.

As Nate and fellow falconer Geronimo Jones circle closer to their prey, Joe and Susan follow the nearly cold trail to Warm Springs. Little do Nate and Joe know that their separate journeys are about to converge . . . at Battle Mountain.

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Author: Steve Berry

Book: THE MEDICI RETURN: A Cotton Malone Novel

Publishing: Grand Central Publishing (February 11, 2025)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

Cotton Malone is on the hunt for a forgotten 16th century Pledge of Christ—a sworn promise made by Pope Julius II that evidences a monetary debt owed by the Vatican, still valid after five centuries—now worth in the trillions of dollars.  But collecting that debt centers around what happened to the famed Medici of Florence—a family that history says died out, without heirs, centuries ago.

Who will become the next prime minister of Italy, and who will be the next pope? Finding answers proves difficult until Cotton realizes that everything hinges on when, and if, the Medici return.

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Author: Dr. Cristina LePort, MD

Book: CHANGE OF HEART (A Miner & Mulville Medical Thriller)

Publishing: Bancroft Press (February 4, 2025)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

In the bustling heart of New York City, a young medical student’s life is tragically cut short, though her heart continues to beat, holding the promise of life for another. Detective Kirk Miner is called to the scene and quickly uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving organ donations and high-stakes crime. As the investigation unfolds, Miner realizes the case is far more complex and dangerous than it initially seemed.

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Author: TJ Klune

Book: THE BONES BENEATH MY SKIN

Publishing: Tor Books (February 4, 2025)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

A spine-tingling standalone novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune―a supernatural road-trip thriller featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors on the run from cultists and the government.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only brother wants nothing to do with him, and he’s been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington, DC.

With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family’s summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon, to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It’s not.

Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn’t exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

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Author: Maria van Lieshout

Book: SONG OF A BLACKBIRD

Publishing: First Second (January 21, 2025)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

FOUR STARRED REVIEWS!

Fight hate. Make art.

In 1943 Amsterdam, Emma Bergsma’s world changes when she witnesses Jewish families being forcibly deported to concentration camps. That pivotal moment lights a fire within her, and she decides to join the Dutch Resistance. Before long, Emma is drawn into a clandestine world of printing presses and counterfeiters, with thousands of lives on the line.

In 2011 Amsterdam, teenage Annick’s world has changed as well. A search for a bone marrow donor for her beloved oma leads to a shocking revelation: her grandmother was secretly adopted as a child. The only clues to finding their lost family are a series of art prints hanging on the wall―each signed by a mysterious “Emma B.”

This timely graphic novel weaves together two timelines to reveal how art, in the face of political upheaval and nearly insurmountable adversity, can become our greatest lifeline.

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Author: Marcia Clark

Book: TRIAL BY AMBUSH: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth About the Case of Barbara Graham

Publishing: Thomas & Mercer (December 1, 2024)

Synopsis (from the Publisher):

In this dramatic true account about the power of sensationalized crime, one woman’s case is exposed for its sexism, flagrant disregard for the truth, and, ultimately, the dangers posed by an unbridled prosecution.

Unwanted and neglected from birth, Barbara Graham had to overcome the odds just to survive. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse―offering her too many options of all the wrong kind. Her innate sensitivity left her vulnerable to the harsh realities of the street, where she was left to fend for herself before she reached double digits. Her record of petty crimes spoke to a life that constantly teetered on the brink of disaster.

But in 1953, a catastrophic twist of fate would catapult her out of obscurity and into the headlines.

When a robbery spiraled out of control and escalated into a brutal murder, Barbara became the centerpiece of a media circus. Her beauty enraptured the press, and they were quick to portray her as a villainous femme fatale despite abundant evidence to the contrary―a fiction the prosecution eagerly promoted.

The frenzy of public interest and willful distortion paved a treacherous path for Barbara Graham. In Trial by Ambush, author and criminal lawyer Marcia Clark investigates the case exposing the fallacies in the demonizing picture they painted and the critical evidence that was never revealed.

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