Welcome! I’m Duke Southard, an author, retired educator, and lecturer.
I have published seven novels, a commissioned history, and an anthology of
award-winning short stories and essays.
Please check out my blog where I write about true crime and a wide ranging variety of literary and everyday subjects.
My Programs
My programs are offered free of charge to any schools, public libraries, and educational/community groups.
Free Book
Grab a free copy of my book, The Week from Heaven and Hell
My Books
View a list of my published books, including Tainted Justice.
Recent Posts
Stacey: Not a cold case?
As a true crime neophyte, I've encountered major dilemmas on numerous occasions as I attempted to put together a truthful narrative about the murder of Stacey Burns. All of these had to do with conflicting stories from credible interviewees. Here's my latest one, as...
Thinking about Stacey’s birthday . . .
This past week, Stacey Burns would have celebrated a birthday. As I read some of the expressions of sorrow on the memorial page, I was reminded of the final paragraph of The Week from Heaven and Hell, my memoir about our son, Gary. For those who loved Stacey, here is...
Professional writers
Nothing new appears to be happening in New Hampshire with the Stacey Burns murder. Yesterday was her birthday. It surely would be nice if her killer was in jail before her next birthday rolls around, but I have serious doubts about that. This post is in the writing...
Cold? Closed? Open,Unsolved? Confused?
This will be my last post relating to the assertion by a respondent in my blog that the Stacey Burns murder is now considered a cold case. (See "A Favorite Quotation" post on my website -www.dukesouthard.com-and read the two comments which follow.) If my information...
No response?!!
I admit to being surprised. After 48 hours and a boosted post on Facebook, there has not been a single response to the "news" that the murder of Stacey Burns has supposedly been moved into a new category. Whenever I asked questions, it was always an "open-unsolved"...
BRIEF! “COLD CASE or “OPENED UNSOLVED”
A regular reader contributor to this blog states in a post response to my "A Favorite Quotation" post that according to a New Hampshire State Police Sergeant, the Stacey Burns murder is now classified officially as a "cold case" rather than "open-unsolved." May we...
A Favorite Quotation
Spiritual beings on a human journey? Human beings on a spiritual quest? A favorite character from A Favor Returned, Jennie Proctor, answers this deep philosophical question simply, directly, and definitively. (She should be a favorite character-I made her up!) When...
Hindsight-A great equalizer?
Here are parts of two paragraphs in my book, Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns. They both come from a chapter titled "A Prelude To Murder: Saturday, May 9, 2009." "Conflicting reports about events on Saturday, May 9, 2009, abound, complicated...
Cracks in the Wall
The photo captures my father in his race car in 1950, just prior to a horrible crash in which he should have been killed but survived with minor scratches. That accident is the basis for the opening chapter of my first novel, A Favor Returned. Many folks have asked my...
Cold Case? (Revisited)
FINALIST-2015 NM/AZ BOOK AWARDS Is the murder of Stacey Burns considered a cold case? This was yet another question asked at my presentation on the book project about the case. My answer was no, not officially. If I am mistaken and the case has been moved into that...
Degrees of fear
One respondent to my blog reminded me that I often mention the "fear factor" in my posts about the murder of Stacey Burns. It is important to understand that there are levels of fear, not all of the same intensity. Here is my take on those levels as they exist in the...
Wolfeboro-Up in arms?
Here is another question regarding the Stacey Burns murder raised by an attendee at my "Murder in a Small Town" program in August. Remember, most of the forty or so people attending knew nothing about this murder case, although a few recalled a feature article about...