2 Books Like A Town with Half the Lights On

Gabriel Ward, academic sleuth, is a delight. Borderline autistic. Compassionate. Ethical. Very smart. I really preferred the 2nd in this series, A Case of Life and Limb, but I wasn't allowed to enter it as a favorite read for some (very frustrating) reason. So go ahead, read this first book to get to know the setting and the sleuth. Then go immnediately to the 2nd book to get to know Gabriel Ward better and the few people who learn to appreciate him as he investigates another mystery, a better one with TWO murders that need resolution.

Matt Murphy spent 26 years in the Orange County, California District Attorney's office, mostly prosecuting homicides. He also loves to surf and calls colleagues "dude." Anyone who watches 20/20 or ABC crime segments has seen him -- a tall, lean, intense and good-humored man. His stories of famous California cases range from con man/killer Dirty John Meehan to serial killer Rodney Alcala. But he also talks about himself and the toll his intense focus on a difficult job took. He authentically reveals his emotional reaction to cases and second-guesses some of the personal choices he made that allowed him to successfully prosecute wily, deadly killers. He's a good storyteller -- and does he have some stories to tell! One of the best accounts I've read of the life of a true crime-fighter and those he worked with.