Similar Transactions

Reynolds, S. R.

ISBN 10: 0996383700 / ISBN 13: 9780996383707

Published by Simpson Point Press, 2015

Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 56107106-6

Synopsis:

S. R. Reynolds has never forgotten the mishandled case of fifteen-year-old Michelle Anderson, a vibrant beauty who went missing from Reynolds' Knoxville, Tennessee, neighborhood years earlier. Aided by her old professor, famed forensic anthropologist Dr. William Bass--founder of the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm"--Reynolds picks up the trail of this long-cold case.

As she presses neglected pieces of the puzzle into place, Reynolds unearths a string of heinous kidnappings and rapes across the South, crimes that span decades. She meets with victims and former investigators who worked on the case. A picture begins to form. Patterns appear. And all evidence points to one man: convicted sex offender Larry Lee Smith.

As a result of Reynolds' efforts, the Knoxville Police Department reopens the cold case of Michelle's disappearance, but Larry Lee is about to be released from a Georgia prison, where he served time for a related crime--a "similar transaction." What transpires in this story is amazing on many levels. The book was recently among the top five non-fiction books named by Everything Nonfiction's Emilio Corsetti.azing on many levels.

About the Author: Born and raised in Frederick, Maryland, I lived for many years in Knoxville, Tennessee. At the University of Tennessee, I majored in criminology and correctional studies while minoring in cultural anthropology. I obtained a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Alabama. Today my husband and I reside in North Alabama.

While I was a resident in Knoxville, a 15-year-old girl, Michelle Anderson. My son had been a classmate of hers. After she disappeared, I had some contact with a couple of persons related to her case, and I knew the case was being mishandled, but my concerns had fallen on deaf ears. Not long after that I accepted a job offer in Alabama and moved away. But the case stayed with me. I had often wondered what had become of Michelle.

It was nearly a decade later, after having moved to Alabama from Knoxville, as I watched one of the new forensic shows on television, that I finally learned of Michelle's fate. Her remains had been found outside Knoxville two years to the month after she'd gone missing. My old professor, Dr. William Bass, led the team that excavated the site. He was featured on the show discussing the case.

Fast forward to 2007. I run into Dr. Bill Bass when he is giving a talk in Guntersville, Alabama, about a new book he and his co-author, Jon Jefferson, have just published (Jefferson Bass, Harper-Collins). Obtaining his phone number, I call Dr. Bass concerning the old, very cold case of Michelle's disappearance. He sends me his forensic report from 1989 and some additional materials. My investigative journey begins.

Seven years later, I have identified the man most likely to be Michelle's abductor and murderer, serial rapist Larry Lee Smith, and I have gotten the KPD to re-open her cold case. My book, Similar Transactions, tells the rest of this amazing story. Frankly, this was a tough story to tell. To help with the flow, I do not write in the "first-person." Instead, I use a "novelistic" style. I identify myself in the third person. Most of the readers have liked this approach. The awards are a pleasant surprise, but even more meaningful is your feedback after you've read the book.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Similar Transactions
Publisher: Simpson Point Press
Publication Date: 2015
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Good