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
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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
Might never be solved!
The murder of Stacey Burns may be solved but then again, may never be solved. This observation comes from (using the journalistic cliché) "an informed source very close to the investigation." The point of this post is to open a discussion about the difference between...
Would Stacey Burns want you to move on?
As promised in the last post, here is an important question which applies to so many situations but we'll confine this discussion to the ongoing Stacey Burns case. When is it time to move on, to stop looking in the rear view mirror of life at a tragic event...
Degrees of Truth Revisited
"There is a degree of truth in that observation." What exactly is a "degree of truth?" In March, 2013, I submitted an essay titled "Degrees of Truth" to a writing contest. The subject has been addressed in this blog on previous occasions but is worth revisiting since...
Embarrassed? Take the test!
For the record, I am an unequivocal supporter of law enforcement officials. They have an impossible job. However, so do many other people and everyone in any job should be held accountable. If you are a teacher, you should not be afraid of being judged. If you are an...
Embarrassed, anyone?
The killer of Stacy Burns remains free six plus years after her murder. Bobbie Miller's murderer remains free after almost as long a time. I sometimes wonder if anyone is embarrassed by these facts. For a while in my early days of a long teaching career, I worked at...
Four in favor!
As of today, July 9, 2015, I've heard from four people regarding my post about publishing what I've written on Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns. This publication would include all blog posts I've written on this subject since January, 2013....
A Different Idea
A number of correspondents to this blog have suggested that I publish what I have of Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns with obviously no conclusions. Also suggested is the idea that I compile all blog posts on the subject and add them as a sort...
A mystery
To my followers on this blog: For some reason, it appears that all my posts under the category of Murder in a Small Town have disappeared from my Facebook author page. This is a test to see if that is true. If this is where you follow this blog, you might have missed...
Harry Hole-Agent for Justice?
The killer of Stacey Burns always is lurking just beneath the surface of my mind. Almost every book I read has something that makes me think of that case and the person who took Stacey's life. Jo Nesbo has created a superb character in his Inspector Harry Hole series....
If Only!
Stacey Burn's voice as a victim and solving the issue of guns and mass murders: these two items were mentioned in my last post. If only there were simple answers to both but apparently some clarification of that post is needed so here it is. First, we'll look at the...
Blaming The Victim-Stacey and Charleston
Here is a great line from John Sanford's novel, Broken Prey. " Dead people don't have any political clout," says Lucas Davenport. I thought about Stacey Burns when I first read that line and thought about it again when I heard Charles Cotton's statement about the...
Cracks in the Wall Update
Those of you who have read Live Free or Die have read (maybe) the beginning chapters of my fourth novel, Cracks in the Wall. I do get asked how that book is coming along so I thought I'd give everyone a brief update. I am in the middle of Chapter Eleven, just over...