Jennifer Chase's Blog, page 80

What Do Writers Share in Common with Artichokes?

Writers? Artichokes? No, I haven't lost my mind or in desperate need of a vacation. Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables. More than half of the time throughout the year, I have an artichoke with my dinner or a chilled one for lunch. You peel each tantalizing leaf for its delicate meat at the tips, dipping it into mayonnaise, seasoned olive oil, or butter, and ultimately end up with the "heart" – the ultimate delicacy. Yum!

For those of you who may not be familiar, an artichoke is a "thistle-like" Eurasian plant cultivated for its large flower-like head containing many fleshy, scale-like leaves. This so-called thistle can be cooked (steamed) and eaten. I just happen to live near the "Artichoke Capital of the World", which is located in Castroville, California. They even have an annual artichoke festival dedicated to this remarkable veggie coming up in May.

An artichoke is a fascinating and often misunderstood vegetable. It made me ponder on the fact that writers have some important things in common with artichokes. There's more than what's meet the eye on both accounts.

There is often some mystic (as with artichokes) surrounding the writer who types away for endless hours creating a story for readers to enjoy. Who are these lone wolves who spend more time with their written characters (it seems) than with their friends and family?

What's the purpose of eating an artichoke and peeling away at the numerous leaves? It's to get to the heart of course!

What's the purpose of writing a book? Well… it's to tell a riveting story (hopefully) with ups and downs, excitement, strugglers, and to ultimately propel the reader to the end. You could say it's the meat or "heart" of the story. It leaves the reader asking many questions in the process. Is it going to turn out all right? Will the hero get what he/she wants?

Artichokes and writers can be compared to some degree. There will always be a little bit of mystery with each, but I promise some type of adventure will often ensue. I hope that you will not look at an artichoke or a writer in the same way.

Out & About Magazine – April Column

Out & About Magazine - In the Valley & on the Coast - The South Bay's Premiere Entertainment Guide.

Book Reviews and Crime Tips by Local Award Winning Author and Criminologist Jennifer Chase. Her book review of Tess Gerritsens's Ice Cold can be found on Page 32 of this month's issue.

The magazine can be viewed on line or downloaded to a PDF file.

View magazine here:

From the Archives of Serial Killers… It Began with Plumbing Problems

Between 1978 and 1983, Dennis Andrew Nilson (A.K.A. Muswell Hill Murderer or Kindly Killer) murdered at least 15 men and boys in London. Most of his victims were homeless men, students, or bar patrons. He was considered to be the British version of Jeffrey Dahmer.

Nilson was eventually caught after his disposal of dismembered human parts blocked his household drains in 1983; the drain cleaning company found that the drains were congested with human flesh and immediately contacted the police. Nilson was cooperative and showed detectives bagged pieces of human reamains, the large sauce pan he used for boiling heads, and confessed to the gruesome murders of 15 men and boys. He explained how he invited his victims home for drinks and then usually strangled them with a neck tie, often preserving the bodies for days and even skteching them.

Nilson came from a broken home where his father was an alcholic and mother was extremely firm with displine. He gave authorities a well thought out excuse for his killing behavior due to his first traumatic experience that shaped his life. According to his accounts, when he was a small child his beloved grandfather died of a heart attack. His strick Roman Catholic mother insisted that Nilson view his grandfather's body and lectured him about "impurieties of the flesh".

Nilson had been enlisted in Brtish Army where he worked as a cook. Afterward, he later took the civil service test and was actually a police officer for eight months. From 1974, Nilsen worked as a civil servant in a jobcentre in London's Kentish Town. He is now serving a life sentence for murder.

For more information and a video documentary on Dennis Nilson, click here:


Blog: http://authorjenniferchase.blogspot.com/
Website: http://jenniferchase.vpweb.com/
Crime Watch: http://emilystonecrimewatch.blogspot....
Book & Crime Talk: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer...
Books: Compulsion = Dead Game = Silent Partner = Screenwriting

Springtime is Officially Here!

The weather has finally been behaving. Spring is officially here! Flowers are blooming, the beach is perfect for an afternoon walk, and Sarge is having the time of his life with his favorite football.

I love this time of year. It's an inspiring time for writing. Well, I better get back to my newest novel. Just wanted to share some photos of the weekend.

Blog: http://authorjenniferchase.blogspot.com/
Website: http://jenniferchase.vpweb.com/
Crime Watch: http://emilystonecrimewatch.blogspot.com/
Book & Crime Talk: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-chase
Books: Dead Game = Screenwriting

Fifth Body Found on Long Island Beach Not That of Missing Woman

Back in January of this year, I published a blog post about a possible serial killer who was targeting prostitutes in the New York City area. The search for a missing woman led to the discovery of four female bodies in various states of decomposition all dumped within a quarter mile of one another along an isolated Long Island beach. A fifth body was found last week, but the remains were determined not to be that of the woman, Shannon Gilbert, whose whereabouts remain a mystery.

This most recent body was found a mile away from the other four women, but there is still reason to believe all may be connected to the same killer. Police investigators are hoping that this newest crime scene will provide clues to help solve these homicides and bring the perpetrator to justice.

The remains found on March 29 have not been positively identified. The four victims whose names are known all had advertised their prostitution services on Craigs List. Time will tell if this latest victim matches the same profile.

While there is no way to bring back the lives of these young women who were dumped so callously away from human eyes, I hope that the skilled forensic specialists who I know are working hard on this case are able to use their bodies and the evidence that surrounded them to arrest their killer.

Also, my thoughts are with the family of Shannon Gilbert, whose questions about whether she is even alive continue to be unanswered after nearly a year. With the winter storms finally in the past, I am sure the detectives will be working even more fiercely to look for clues that the spring weather will uncover.

5 Star Book Review -- Silent Partner

Thumbs up for Jennifer!



Jack Davis and his canine friend, Keno, take on the bad guys in Silent Partner. Jack's a good cop but when his old love interest, Megan O'connell's sister is murdered, he is taken for a loop. Megan is traumatized. It's only natural that she runs straight into Jack's arms. But Megan's sanity begins to crumble, filled with images of her dead sister. When Megan becomes a suspect in her sister's death, Jack is ready to take on the world for her. But is Megan innocent or just a dangerous criminal? Added to the mayhem, Emily Stone and her lover lurks behind the scenes, (from Chase's former novels) aiding the police whenever they can. As Jack and Keno chase down a serial killer, both their lives will be on the line in a heated show down between good and evil. In the end, Jack finds out who he can really count on, his partner, Keno. A good read.



Reviewed by: Tamara Lawrence, author of The Pond

Silent Witness Emerging in Forensic Science

A ground-breaking technique has emerged on recovering fingerprints off of fabrics. This new technique has focused on revealing fingerprint ridge detail and comparisons from various fabrics – such as cotton, silk, nylon, and polyester.

This could mean new, verifiable clues in criminal investigations. It could tell investigators if a victim was pushed or grabbed from a particular area of their clothing. Fabric will become a silent witness to an investigation.

The technique used is called vacuum metal deposition (VMD) and it uses gold and zinc to recover a fingerprint mark. VMD is a highly sensitive technique that is already used in identifying and recovering fingerprints from smooth surfaces as plastic and glass as early as the 1970s.

According to forensic scientists and researchers, the fabric is placed in the vacuum chamber, gold is heated, and then the fine film is spread over the fabric. The next step is to heat up the zinc, which attaches to the gold where there is no fingerprint residue. This process will reveal where a fingerprint contact has been made on the fabric.

This new forensic process used to establish fingerprints and impression evidence from various fabrics will not necessarily convict a criminal, but used alongside other evidence will present a stronger case.

(Photo shown above: A 21 day sample on nylon demonstrating palmar flexon creases – University of Aberlay Dundee/Scottish Police Services Authority)

What Secret Lies Just Beyond this Road for Hero Jack Davis?

The country road remained silent and empty. A slight breeze lifted a few pieces of litter, scuttling across the gravel road. A family farm was just up ahead. Sirens shattered the peace of the country and approached fast… Lives would never be the same. What dark secrets lurk at the family farmhouse? In my newest thriller novel, " Silent Partner ", K9 Deputy Jack Davis faces the difficult task of being a cop and protecting his girlfriend. He's in pursuit of a serial killer terrorizing a coastal community. Each crime scene is more hideous than the last, taunting police and shocking the community. Who is Jack Davis? What has shaped his life and instilled such a sense of integrity? Excerpt from Silent Partner's Prologue: 1983 Jack Davis pumped his skinny eight-year-old legs faster as his bike zoomed down a dirt road just before the O'Connell's farm. Summer radiated brightly and nothing could stand in his way to be outside, free from chores, and at his favorite fishing hole. In his opinion, it represented the greatest time of the year. School hid in the past and not even a slight thought for the near future. His best friend Pete was meeting him at their secret fishing spot with some new glowworms that he'd stolen from his older brother. Two police cars, followed by a tan four-door sedan, sped past Jack with their lights flashing. No sirens. Jack pulled his bike over to the side of the road, next to a broken barbwire fence and watched as the emergency vehicles turned down the O'Connell's long, dirt driveway. Dust plumed up into the air with a massive beige cloud making it difficult to see the farmhouse. Less than a minute later, a white van approached at a much slower speed. It too disappeared down the driveway. Something terrible had happened. Jack heard stories at school about the monster that lived at the O'Connell farm. At least that's what they called him, but in reality Mr. O'Connell was a bad man. Jack kept his eyes on the road and listened for more cars. When he felt confident that no more vehicles headed his way, he squeezed through the broken fence, pushed his bike, and then eased down toward the commotion. He jumped back on the bicycle and coasted down the hill. The bumpy backroad jarred his bones, but his curiosity, as well as concern, got the better of him. Jack watched as two sheriff deputies roughly escorted Mr. O'Connell from the house. Arms pinned behind his back, wrists secured in handcuffs. His head hung forward as he stared aimlessly at the ground. The monster's lips moved slowly, but no one paid any attention to his inaudible babble. Barely dressed in a grubby white t-shirt and dark, stained blue jeans, he seemed to have forgotten a pair of shoes. It looked like he hadn't shaved or bathed in a week as his greasy, dark brown hair matted against the back of his skull. Grim expressions clouded the deputies' faces as they put the man in the backseat of the patrol car and slammed the door shut. They had witnessed the pure evil of what one person could do to another... Check out a copy of Silent Partner to see what happens to K9 Deputy Jack Davis, available in paperback, Amazon Kindle, and other ebook formats. Jennifer Chase Award Winning Author & Criminologist Blog: http://authorjenniferchase.blogspot.com/ Website: http://jenniferchase.vpweb.com/ Crime Watch: http://emilystonecrimewatch.blogspot.... Book & Crime Talk: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer...

Children Chase Mom's Purse Snatcher

In my first novel, Compulsion, lead character Emily Stone tracks down rapists and murderers using her impressive surveillance pieces and some great instincts. Passing the information along to the appropriate authorities, she helps to put some of the most violent and disturbed people in her area behind bars. Emily often gathers the evidence at great risk to her own safety and has some close calls at the hands of men who would love to see her life and work extinguished. It's one thing for an adult to make the decision to take that risk, but what about children?

Over the weekend, a twelve-year-old boy and his ten-year-old sister chased down a woman who had just stolen their mother's purse in Daytona Beach, Florida. The siblings chased the alleged thief, 20-year-old Ashley Turner, across the beach and into the bathroom of a nearby store. Turner tried to toss the purse and run, but was captured by authorities a block away.

The reactions to this news story have been at one extreme or the other. Some people are applauding the children for taking a stand against crime and showing bravery in defending their mother, while others argue that the kids could have been putting themselves in a dangerous situation. What would have been the result if the purse thief had been carrying a gun or willing to fight back?

What do you think about this story? Are these kids heroes for chasing down the purse snatcher or do they need a lesson a more appropriate and safe way to respond to a crime? Either way, I certainly am glad that the children are safe and that the woman who allegedly committed the theft was apprehended.

Cold Cases – Where Have All the Children Gone?

Every year the U.S. Department of Justice reports that about 800,000 children are reported missing. This number is astounding to me. The downside to this enormous number is that there still are a large number of children that aren't reported missing.

I've joined an incredible team of professionals on a weekly show every Tuesday night on Blog Talk Radio - Cubanarama to bring some of these cases to light. Please join me along with Cubanarama, Gumersindo Vidot, and Gale St. John. We want to start bringing some of these children home.

My dear friend and missing child advocate, Marta Sosa , wrote this moving poem.


Where Have All the Children Gone?
By Marta Sosa
In the shadows of the night you will hear my voice. I had a life to live, I had a destiny to fulfill. A mission to accomplish and a dream to carry out. In the eternity of the dark you will feel my cry. You, you with your selfish desires and venereal appetite murdered me without mercy. In the midnight hour; You, you will remember my plea. You imprisoned my soul for a time and quelled my essence. Now and forever may your spirit be nauseated with the memory of your sin. In the shadows of the night; I promise you, YOU will hear my voice!