03/15/2012 7:00 pm
LES STANDIFORD will discuss and sign his true crime account BRINGING ADAM HOME: THE ABDUCTION THAT CHANGED AMERICA. Before six-year-old Adam Walsh’s abduction and murder in 1981, there were no children’s faces on milk cartons, no Amber Alerts, no national Center for Missing and Abused Children, no federal databases for crimes against children, no registration of pedophiles. Kids innocently played outdoors, unmonitored by nervous parents. The shock of Adam’s murder and the inability of police to find his killer altered parental behavior, and, due in large part to the efforts of his parents, law enforcement transformed its practices to better protect children. But while our lives have been significantly changed by the Adam Walsh case, few of us know the whole story - how, after 27 years of relentless investigation, decorated Miami Beach homicide detective Joe Matthews finally identified Adam’s killer. Bringing Adam Home is the definitive account of this harrowing crime and its aftermath. The true story of tragedy, love, faith, and dedication reveals the pain and tenacity of a family determined to find justice, the failed police work that allowed a killer to remain uncharged, and the determined efforts of one cop who accomplished what an entire system of law enforcement could not. Harrowing yet ultimately uplifting, Bringing Adam Home reminds us that hard work, dedication, and love can triumph, and goodness can overshadow evil. Standiford is the author of the critically acclaimed Last Train to Paradise and Meet You in Hell, as well as ten novels. The recipient of the Frank O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, he is Director of the Creative Writing Program at Florida International University in Miami. Co-author Detective Sergeant Joe Matthews is a 29 year veteran of the Miami Police Department, named Miami-Dade Officer of the Year in 1992. "Chilling, heartbreaking and hopeful...a triumph in every way." Dennis Lehane "This tale of the most significant missing child case since Lindberg's ...is truly terrific. A taut, compelling, and often touching book about a long march to justice." Scott Turow Location:
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