Master Detective recently came out in a paperback edition and Kensington Publishing duly sent me a box of them. We weren't home so FedEx left the box on my doorstep in plain view of the neighbors for the afternoon. Apparently Kensington is economizing by recycling book boxes, because the box they sent was printed with the name of another book. There in bold black letters on the box was the title: NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY.

One of the advantages of writing true crime/biography is that there are real people and places you can point to as being part of your book. Much of Master Detective takes place in Mt Holly, New Jersey, the stomping grounds of the "American Sherlock Holmes", Ellis Parker. Many of the sites involved in those events survive, including Parker's house, the courthouse, the old jail, the Elks Club where he hung out when off duty, and even the house where his wake was held (attended by several…

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