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
When Truth Isn’t The Truth
To my readers: Apologies for the brief hiatus- Wonderful time with grandchildren intervened. . . . Here's a quote from my draft version of Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns." "As absurd as it may be, the fact is that the truth of what happened...
Horseback riding . . .
Hannah on the left, Grammie Barbara in the middle, and Ben on the right! I've been somewhat busy with a wonderful visit from our grandkids from Maryland and tomorrow will be going back east with them so blog posts have not been on the priority list. I thank those who...
And Speaking of Revisiting . . .
Given the recent development with Ed Burns in Massachusetts, I'm wondering if it may be time for the detectives in New Hampshire who have been actively investigating the Stacey Burns murder case to revisit everything about Mr. Burns' alibi. Wouldn't it seem prudent...
Goodreads and Bookbub
Finally, seven of my eight books are now available on both Bookbub and Goodreads. If anyone is a member of either of these, it would be nice to get a follow or a review if you've read any of the books pictured. This sort of exposure really helps, as does an...
Waning Interest?
As I look back at my history of posts about the murder of Stacey Burns, I'm finding a definite pattern in the number of people reading them, and a similar pattern in the number of comments. I am hoping and praying that this pattern is the fault of my posts and not...
Talented Detective?
Lisa Gardner, one of my favorite crime storytellers, has this line in her short novel, The Fourth Man. "It's amazing what you can discover, even in a cold case, with a talented detective." It is a quote about the redoubtable detective, D.D. Warren. This leads to my...
“Waiting for him to crack”
In a follow-up story to an original article about my attempts to write a book about the Stacey Burns murder in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire in 2009, the editor of the Green Valley News says this. "Southard and I have shared theories on the murder, especially after a New...
The Final TIpping Point
My new book, The Final Tipping Point, will soon be at the printers. Although the official release will be in early fall, it will be available at the usual outlets earlier than that. I'm excited!
Revisiting Frustrations
What fun it is to read through past blog posts I've written on the Stacey Burns murder case. I ran across one from October, 2013 which listed some of my frustrations with the case. This entry was inspired by a question I was asked at a program I presented in New...
Another Repost re: The Murder of Stacey Burns
Here is a part of another post from January, 2013, about thirty months after I started working on Murder in A Small Town. It seems as pertinent today as it did then, if not more so. "Recently, I was rereading an Ann Rule book of true crime cases (A Rage to Kill) and...
Stacey and The Final Tipping Point
First, I thought followers might be interested in these few sentences from a January 4, 2013 blog post, way back when my writing focus was entirely on the book about the Stacey Burns murder. (From January 4, 2013) "At this time, Murder in a Small Town; The Tragic...
A year old post…re: Stacey Burns
This was posted in June, 2017. It is timely in the sense that it mentions the 4th of July. At the time, I thought the information I supplied was important and I still do. Of course, no one can ever know what became of this tip because the NHSP are absolutely on top of...