September 2025 Title - Down to the Bone: A Missing Family's Murder and the Elusive Quest for Justice \;by Caitlin Rother
\n"On February 15\, 2010\, Joseph
McStay\, his wife Summer\, and their two young sons were reported missing
from their new home in San Diego County. They left eggs and fruit rotting
on the counter. Their Dodge truck sat in the driveway. Their dogs were ab
andoned outside without food. But investigators found no blood\, signs of
a struggle\, or clues to their whereabouts. Did the family take an unannou
nced vacation? Were they running away from personal problems? Or were they
victims of foul play?
\;
Nearly four years later\, a motor
cyclist found the McStays&rsquo\; remains in and around two shallow graves
\, one hundred miles away in the Mojave Desert. Their skulls showed signs
of blunt-force trauma\, likely due to the sledgehammer buried with them. A
uthorities focused on Charles "Chase" Merritt\, a close friend and subcont
ractor for Joseph&rsquo\;s company. Despite a lack of physical evidence\,
scenarios that defied logic\, and numerous unanswered questions\, prosecut
ors convinced a jury of Merritt&rsquo\;s guilt. After an emotional sentenc
ing hearing\, the judge imposed the death penalty. But did another possibl
e suspect\, who was ignored by investigators and ducked a subpoena to test
ify\, get away with murder?
In this twisting\, deeply researched t rue-crime mystery\, \;New York Times \;bestselling investigative j ournalist Caitlin Rother hunts for answers to reveal the truth behind a he inous crime that became a nation&rsquo\;s obsession\, with a controversial trial in its wake\, and lingering questions of justice." (Amazon)
\nOctober 2024 Title - American Predator by Maureen Callahan
\n\nhttps://acld.libnet.info/even t/13640979 URL;VALUE=URI:https://acld.libnet.info/event/13640979 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/acld/My_Favorite_Crime_Boo k_Club_Icon.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR