Cats, books, and true crime trivia 🔎

Dear Reader,

Happy International Cat Day! 😸

In case you didn’t know, this is a celebration that takes place on 8 August of every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. It is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them.

To celebrate, I’d love to share an excerpt from my novel, Killer Score, which won the RONE Award for Best Thriller in 2021 and turned me into an official award-winning author. 😊

I adore cats and you’ll find them in most of my books. In this fragment, Inspectors John O’Sullivan and Evan Gallagher search the apartment of a brutally murdered young woman, hoping to find answers that will lead them to her killer. Both detectives were unaware that she had a roommate…

The victim’s apartment was neat and colorful, the walls decorated with tasteful framed photographs of exotic landscapes; a rainbow of pillows adorned the living room sofa, and the light coming from the window was brightened through yellow curtains.

The two men had only seconds to take it all in before a black cat appeared from another room, meowing loudly.

“What the— Why didn’t we know Shannon had a cat?” John asked.

Evan shrugged, bending down to let the feline sniff his hand. Cautious green eyes watched him while the cat’s white whiskers twitched at the unfamiliar scent.

“I guess no one thought to mention it, given they were all shocked by this tragedy.” Evan stroked the cat gently. His soul softened as he looked at the poor orphaned creature. “We’ll call Mr. and Mrs. Brody to see if they can come and take him. Let’s get him some food and water first.”

Evan stood and took the cat in his arms, pleased to be met with such friendliness. By the size of him, the feline wasn’t in any imminent danger of starvation.

“Alright, show me where the kitchen is, buddy,” he spoke to the cat. “I bet you had a rough couple of days, thinking everyone forgot about you.”

“They did,” John remarked dryly, snapping on latex gloves. “Make sure he has plenty of water. I’ll get a head start here.”

Evan found the kitchen by the smell. A few overripe bananas were in a bowl on the table, and the window was half-open. He put the cat down and looked around, then opened the fridge with his gloved hands. The Technical Bureau would be over later today to search the apartment, so he and John had to be as inconspicuous as possible. He found an open tin of juicy cat food and emptied the contents in the blue bowl he spotted near the window. Kieran was spelled on it in yellow. The I topped with a tiny crown.

“Shannon must have adored you, Kieran,” he said softly while the cat bumped his hand away to lap the food greedily.

©Melinda Colt, KILLER SCORE

If you’d like to find out what happens with Kieran, grab a copy of Killer Score from your favorite retailer HERE.

I take my job as a crime writer very seriously, and since you’re here, you’re obviously interested in this subject too. So I decided to insert a true crime trivia section in my future posts. And because most true crime focuses on the criminals instead of the heroes that brought them to justice, I will try to shed more light over the unsung heroes that Netflix should pay more attention to.

What do you think of this idea? I’d love to know your opinion, so feel free to comment and let me know.

And now, enjoy the first edition of… *drumrolls please*

True Crime Trivia

John Patrick St. John (1918–1995), known as “Jigsaw John,” was a legendary American police officer and Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective. He gained fame for investigating high-profile murder cases in Los Angeles. With 51 years of service, he held the highest seniority on the LAPD upon retiring in 1993, carrying Detective badge No. 1

Beginning his homicide detective career in 1949, St. John was instrumental in solving numerous challenging cases, including the infamous Black Dahlia murder. His nickname, “Jigsaw John,” originated in his early career with a dismemberment murder he solved in Griffith Park in which the victim had been cut up jigsaw-style. The moniker caught on because of his ability to piece clues together in difficult cases, resulting in many arrests and convictions, including serial murders like Harvey Glatman, Richard Ramirez, and the Hillside Stranglers.

St. John was known for his remarkable memory and persistent determination in solving murders, adapting to modern crime analysis and forensic techniques. He played a pivotal role in the William Bonin Freeway Killer case. Although Bonin was in custody, the DA’s office was having trouble building a case, until one day when Bonin received a letter from the mother of one of his victims begging him to tell her what happened to her son. Bonin confessed to that and all of the other murders. As the trial date neared, St. John approached the deputy DA on the case and said, “I’ve got to tell you something. It wasn’t the mother who wrote that letter.”

Throughout his career, St. John solved over two-thirds of the 1,000 homicides he worked on, including notable cases like the Onion Fields murder and the conviction of cop-turned-contract killer William Leasure. In 1982, he received the LAPD’s Distinguished Service Medal for his dedication, and his work led to the execution of William Bonin in 1996. His achievements inspired the book and TV series “Jigsaw John” in the 1970-s.

Until next time, have a purrrfect week! 😻

xoxo

Melinda