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Sunday, August 9, 2015

MURDER IN PALM BEACH: The Homicide That Never Died book review



#MurderinPalmBeach

Book Description:

Just back from a dinner affair on a winter night in 1976, Rodger Kriger answers the doorbell in his Palm Beach home and is greeted with a fatal shotgun blast. He was a prominent citizen, and police, under pressure to find the killer, accuse tough guy Mitt Hecher, but soon exonerate him. Nonetheless, criminal prosecutor John Scraponia formally charges the karate expert with murder, and gets a jury to convict him. He is sentenced to a minimum 25 years in prison. While at the Wild West-like penitentiary at Raiford, an often-fatal disease attacks his loving wife, who has reformed him. Doubts about Hecher's guilt have persisted, and the doubters pursue a number of scenarios pointing to other possible perpetrators. Attorneys working without fees fail repeatedly in appeals for a new trial despite a lack of evidence pointing to Hecher and an abysmal performance by his attorney. Was Hecher innocent, and if so, who did it? Those are the questions seeking answers in this mystery tale of redemption, one steeped in violence as it explores issues of justice and power. Bob Brink is a freelance writer and blogger who worked at the Palm Beach Post, Associated Press in Chicago, Milwaukee Journal, Tampa Tribune, Joliet Herald-News, and Palm Beach Media Group, the flagship magazine of which was Palm Beach Illustrated. PBI was named Best Written Magazine in Florida after he became copy chief and feature writer. He learned to play the clarinet and tenor saxophone, and performed many years with a 65-piece symphonic band, tossing in a few professional big band gigs along the way. Brink was born in Michigan and grew up mainly in Iowa. He has a bachelor's in English and German, and studied journalism in graduate school at the University of Iowa.


Biography

Bob (Robert) Brink was born in Muskegon, Mich., and relocated with his parents at age 6 to their home state of Iowa, growing up in and around Des Moines and moving to a small farm at age 14. After a torturous coming-of-age, he embarked on a newspaper career that took him to Joliet, Ill., Chicago, Milwaukee, Tampa and West Palm Beach, in which vicinity he has lived for 38 years. He garnered several writing awards, and the magazine where he was copy chief won an award for Best Written Magazine in Florida. In middle age, Brink learned to play clarinet and tenor saxophone, and performed many years in a symphonic winds band while also doing a few big band gigs, including one at the plush Breakers hotel in Palm Beach for a convention of corrugated box makers. He knew he had arrived. He learned ballroom dancing and is a health enthusiast, blogging on alternative health care along with grammar and sociopolitics. While doing freelance writing and editing, he became an author, ghost-writing a book and completing two novels. MURDER IN PALM BEACH: THE HOMICIDE THAT NEVER DIED, published by Pegasus Books, was released Dec. 9. He is at work on another mystery novel.
(Book Description and Biography Copied)

I received this book free for my review!

I haven't read many books that are based on true events such as this. So I was a bit excited to read "Murder In Palm Beach".

This story is based on a man named Mitt Hecher, who throughout his life made many mistakes and did business in a bad way. He was accused of murdering a well known man named Rodger Kriger. He was arrested and convicted due to the testimony of so called witnesses that state he had confessed to this crime. Those who had testified had been asked to do so by a man of the badge in order to get reduced sentences or no time served at all.

During the court proceedings many people came forward about what they "heard" Hecher say. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

His family and friends never gave up on trying to find out who actually killed Kriger and after Hechers release there was a breakthrough. In the end will they finally find who actually committed the murder or is Hecher indeed guilty of the crime?

The author gives great detail of how everything led up to the murder. He types the words as if he had been there all along and knew every aspect of the case.

When reading the beginning of the book I found it hard for me to keep focused. It wasn't until I got to chapter 11 before it truly got interesting for me. It is a great book but I just couldn't get myself to like it in the beginning.

I would recommend this book for those who are into this type of Genre and for those who have patience to get through the first few chapters before hitting the good stuff.

* I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review. I was not compensated for my review and all my opinions are my own. One may or may not have the same results as myself when using this product. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. *

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