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Recounting the Anthax Attacks: Terror, the Amerithrax Task Force, and the Evolution of Forensics in the FBI by R. Scott Decker

Award Winner: 2018 Best Book Awards
True Crime: Non-Fiction

It was September 18, 2001, just seven days after al-Qaeda hijackers destroyed the Twin Towers. In the early morning darkness, a lone figure dropped several letters into a mailbox. Seventeen days later a Florida journalist died of inhalational anthrax. The death from the rare disease made world news. These anthrax attacks marked the first time a sophisticated biological weapon was released in the United States. It killed five people, disfigured at least 18 more, and launched the largest investigation in the FBI’s history.

Recounting the Anthrax Attacks explores the origins of the innovative forensics used in this case, while also explaining their historical context. R. Scott Decker’s team pursued its first suspect with dogged determination before realizing that the evidence did not add up. With renewed energy, they turned to non-traditional forensics—scientific initiatives never before applied to an investigation—as they continued to hunt for clues. These advances formed the new science of microbial forensics, a novel discipline that produced critical leads when traditional methods failed. The new technologies helped identify a second suspect—one who possessed the knowledge and skills to unleash a living weapon of mass destruction.

Decker provides the first inside look at how the investigation was conducted, highlighting dramatic turning points as the case progressed until its final solution. Join FBI agents as they race against terror and the ultimate insider threat—a decorated government scientist releasing powders of deadly anthrax. Walk in the steps of these dedicated officers while they pursue numerous forensic leads before more letters can be sent until finally they confront a psychotic killer.

Banquet of Consequences: A Juror's Plight - The Carnation Murders Trial of Michele Anderson by Paul Sanders

Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards
True Crime: Non-Fiction

On Christmas Eve 2007, Judy and Wayne Anderson’s daughter, Michele, and her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, arrived at their home for a family meal.

Unbeknownst to them, their daughter was armed with a loaded 9 mm pistol and McEnroe was carrying a .357 Magnum. Both parents were callously shot dead by the pair and their bodies hidden from view.

Two and a half hours later, Michele’s brother Scott, his wife Erica and their two children, Olivia (5) and Nathan (3), arrived at the house. Within the hour, they too had been pitilessly slain, in an act of violence that was breath-taking in its scope and cruelty.

With his highly-anticipated third book, Paul Sanders takes the reader inside every day of the trial of Michele Anderson, with his customary attention to detail, from December 2015 until March 2016.

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Black Sheep, White Cop: Savannah EXPOsed by Kevin J. Grogan

Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards
True Crime: Non-Fiction

A former SCMPD Homicide Detective explains the rise and fall of the Department from 2006 until the prosecution of Chief Willie Lovett in 2015. An inside look at the worst crimes committed in Savannah and the people behind the headlines. Sheds new light on stories that were underreported and brings to light stories that were never EXPOsed by local media. A must read for anyone in the greater Savannah Area and anyone who is concerned about safety and Law Enforcement. 

“The ultimate Savannah Cop story and the hottest local read of the summer…a wild ride…a gripping read….the biggest thumbs up a reviewer could give!” -- Jim Morekis Connect Savannah 

“Blockbuster new book…It is disturbing and fascinating. Should be required reading by the Mayor and City Council and anyone who is concerned about Savannah’s future and is looking for solutions to the crime problem.” -- Tom Barton The Savannah Morning News

The Warrior's Manifesto: Ideals for Those Who Protect and Defend by Daniel Modell

Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards
True Crime: Non-Fiction

The Warrior's Manifesto is a concise and potent declaration of principles that outline what it means to be a warrior. It is a brief, dramatic statement on the what, the why, and the way. These are not mere abstractions. Warriors must understand and embody them to bring wisdom, courage, and clarity to their work.

Daniel Modell knows the importance of this grounding. He served twenty years with the New York Police Department before retiring as a lieutenant.

“A warrior is not defined by insignia, uniforms, or shields; a warrior is not birthed by bow, sword, or gun,” he writes. “Warriors existed before all these things, and where he dons or wields them bestows them their meaning.”

From ancient times to our own era, the way of the warrior has been a path apart. Whether serving in the trenches or securing our streets, warriors embrace a life most citizens would never choose. As Modell writes, the pay is modest, the hours long and ungodly. Warriors find themselves away from their families, often in harm's way. They experience horror and tragedy. Politicians exploit them. The media and the public scrutinize their every act.

“You will begin each day knowing that you may never see another,” Modell says. He makes it clear that this is no mere job. It is a calling.

“You must stand between the predators and the innocents of the world and hold the line with your blood,” he writes.

The Warrior's Manifesto is an undeniable statement that will influence warriors for generations. This book is certain to become a classic.