The Killing Kind

Publisher Marketing: She was seventeen years old, a beautiful girl with a Hollywood smile and luminous brown eyes. Sprawled in a culvert just off the gravel road like an abandoned doll, she wore only toe socks, a sweatshirt, and a necklace. She was not the killer s first victim. Nor would she be the last. The lush, green hills that mark the border of North and South Carolina are home to a close-knit community. When the savaged remains of high-spirited Heather Catterton and sweet-natured Randi Saldana were found and a local man was linked to their murders, residents were forced to face an evil in their midst. The killer was one of their own. Danny Hembree was far from being an upright, law-abiding citizen. But he was part of the fabric of the local scene, devoted to his mother and sister. No one saw him as a remorseless killer who preyed on those who trusted him. When questioned by police, Hembree didn t just play cat-and-mouse and then confess. He bragged. Taunted. Laughed about his merciless deeds. In "The Killing Kind" acclaimed, award-winning investigative crime journalist M. William Phelps delves into the background of Hembree s victims, bringing listeners into their lives in intimate detail. With exclusive information from detectives and prosecutors, Phelps reconstructs the chilling clues that led to Hembree s arrest, and the media sensation surrounding his trial, mistrial, and ultimate conviction. As the victims loved ones attempt to heal, Hembree continues to widen the scope of his crimes from behind bars. M. William Phelps draws on interviews and correspondence with the serial killer himself, bringing listeners into the minds of murderer and into the heart of a real-life story of bloodshed, tears, and the long road to justice." Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 05/12/2014 (EAN 9781617734458, Hardcover) Library Journal 08/01/2014 pg. 109 (EAN 9781617734458, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Phelps, M William Crime writer and investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the author of twenty-four nonfiction books and the novel The Dead Soul. He consulted on the first season of the Showtime series Dexter, has been profiled in Writer s Digest, Connecticut Magazine, NY Daily News, NY Post, Newsday, Suspense Magazine, and the Hartford Courant, and has written for Connecticut Magazine. Winner of the New England Book Festival Award for I ll Be Watching You and the Editor s Choice Award from True Crime Book Reviews for Death Trap, Phelps has appeared on nearly 100 television shows, including CBS s Early Show, ABC s Good Morning America, NBC s Today Show, The View, TLC, BIO Channel, and History Channel. Phelps created, produces and stars in the hit Investigation Discovery series Dark Minds, now in its third season; and is one of the stars of ID s Deadly Women. Radio America called him the nation s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer. Touched by tragedy himself, due to the unsolved murder of his pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps is able to enter the hearts and minds of his subjects like no one else. He lives in a small Connecticut farming community and can be reached at his website, www.mwilliamphelps.com. Contributor Bio:  Charles, J Charles has more than 40 years experience in professional theatre, radio, television, and film. He trained in theatre at Michigan State University and Carnegie Tech.