Turning the Odometer Over Again
I've just taken my new mystery project over 50,000 words, and since I intended this to be a shorter piece than my last two, that means I'll have first draft…
Margo Howard Provides An Object Lesson In Mishandling Bad Reviews
From The New Republic: I’ll bet you don’t know what the Amazon “Vine Community” is. I didn’t. I was never even aware of it until my memoir was published earlier this year.…
I Seriously Doubt The Daily Mail’s Jack the Ripper Story
The Daily Mail--I can hear some of you groaning already--claims that an amateur sleuth and a scientist have finally unmasked Jack the Ripper. They claim that their DNA analysis of…
Game Theory and “Confession”
Among the Italian Supreme Court's reasons for overturning Amanda Knox's acquittal was their belief that her statement to the police, in which she placed herself at the murder scene and…
How To Tell If A Conspiracy Theory Is Daft
In 2011, Giuliano Mignini, the prosecutor responsible for making a pig's breakfast of the Monster of Florence case and damaging, possibly beyond repair, the futures of Raffele Sollecito and Amanda…
The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks of Italy
Update (3/26/2015): Amanda Knox and Raffele Sollecito were acquitted today by the Italian Court of Cassation. So ends their legal nightmare. I wish them both the best going forward, and I'm glad…
Italy, Judge Thyself
Yet another Amanda Knox trial is almost over. I feel no urge to recapitulate what I think are compelling arguments for her innocence. It was ably done some years ago…
Dear Perugia
This'll be brief, since we don't actually know each other at all. But I've noted with some interest your effort to sever the sister city relationship you have with my…
Three Documentaries That’ll Help You Understand What Happened to Amanda Knox
About ten days ago, Amanda Knox released her book on her wrongful conviction in Italy and its aftermath. Reaction to it has centered to an uncomfortable degree on her sex…