Paul A. May

This is a true crime book written by one of the investigators on the case. L. C. Underwood had been a police officer himself but was now suspected in two murders, (he actually was convicted in 1997). This book tells of the lengthy investigation that went into his conviction.
L.C. had a horrible childhood that could account for many of his decisions and personality issues. I was shocked though that law enforcement would embrace him. I know that in the past their was a lot of “good ole boy” in police stations and it was a strong factor in small town offices. I had a hard time though with the way the others looked away from huge red flags and allowed him to have and keep a gun and a badge. Not only while he was working either. One of the offices allowed him to keep his police issue gun after he was no longer working there! Reading this book gave me an appreciation of police officers who are good and genuinely trying to help.
It is scary to think about an issue that I believe may still be a problem in law enforcement. That issue is domestic violence. I certainly understand that being a police officer is a difficult job and that officers can become accustomed to violence. They deal with it every day. They see things most of never have to see. They have times when they do their best but the perpetrators go free, a huge frustration I’m sure. I imagine that all can build up inside even a decent officer. One who had the background issues and relationship issues L.C. had, I feel, would make him totally unsuitable for police work. Yet he was a detective. My mind quivers.
I thought the author really brought the reader into the investigation. She shared the problems of getting witnesses to talk. She showed how L.C. was able to twist the truth and convince people he was the victim. I felt the frustration of the detectives in not only solving the crime but trying to stay ahead of it happening again before they could put him behind bars.
This is a book I would recommend to true crime readers and also those with an interest in psychology, particularly criminal psychology.… (més)

FIRST DEGREE RAGE: The True Story of 'The Assassin,' An Obsession, and Murder by Paula May from Wild Blue Press is an interesting true crime book that had me hooked. I found it hard to put down after the first chapter which was a bit slow and unnecessarily wordy. But after that chapter the story of the characters was intriguingly and they were very well developed. I actually felt I knew these people. It was very well written and fast moving once I was hooked. I received a copy of the Audio book and found LeeAnn Howletts narration excellent. Any fan of true crime books will be glad they gave this book a try in any format.… (més)