Today’s Non-fiction review is on The Lazarus Files: A Cold
Case Investigation by Matthew McGough. It is 593 pages long including notes and
is published by Henry Holt and Co. The cover is grey and white with pictures of
Sherri Rasmussen on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in
cold cases and true crime. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the dust jacket- A deeply-reported, riveting account of a cold case murder in Los Angeles,
unsolved until DNA evidence implicated a shocking suspect - a female detective
within the LAPD's own ranks.
On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, John. The crime scene suggested a ferocious struggle, and police initially assumed it was a burglary gone awry. Before her death, Sherri had confided to her parents that an ex-girlfriend of John's, a Los Angeles police officer, had threatened her. The Rasmussens urged the LAPD to investigate the ex-girlfriend, but the original detectives only pursued burglary suspects, and the case went cold.
DNA analysis did not exist when Sherri was murdered. Decades later, a swab from a bite mark on Sherri's arm revealed her killer was in fact female, not male. A DNA match led to the arrest and conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, John's onetime girlfriend.
The Lazarus Files delivers the visceral experience of being inside a real-life murder mystery. McGough reconstructs the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie; the love triangle that led to Sherri's murder; and the homicide investigation that followed. Was Stephanie protected by her fellow officers? What did the LAPD know, and when did they know it? Are there other LAPD cold cases with a police connection that remain unsolved?
On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, John. The crime scene suggested a ferocious struggle, and police initially assumed it was a burglary gone awry. Before her death, Sherri had confided to her parents that an ex-girlfriend of John's, a Los Angeles police officer, had threatened her. The Rasmussens urged the LAPD to investigate the ex-girlfriend, but the original detectives only pursued burglary suspects, and the case went cold.
DNA analysis did not exist when Sherri was murdered. Decades later, a swab from a bite mark on Sherri's arm revealed her killer was in fact female, not male. A DNA match led to the arrest and conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, John's onetime girlfriend.
The Lazarus Files delivers the visceral experience of being inside a real-life murder mystery. McGough reconstructs the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie; the love triangle that led to Sherri's murder; and the homicide investigation that followed. Was Stephanie protected by her fellow officers? What did the LAPD know, and when did they know it? Are there other LAPD cold cases with a police connection that remain unsolved?
Review- Although this is a true crime book there is no
mystery as to who did the murder but how she got away with it for more than
twenty years. We start with getting to know Sherri Rasmussen from girlhood into
a strong woman with a caring and loving heart. We know her as a person and
knowing what is going to befall her adds to the dread of the murder. Then when
the case is at the very least mishandled, if not corrupted from the beginning,
makes the reader feel how frustrated the family of Sherri would have been. The
writing is engaging with lots of details to help the reader understand the
process of investigating a murder and how complicated it is. The best part, in
my opinion, is when the case files are found or returned to the police and the
cold cases detectives realize what they are dealing with. It is satisfying to
read about Sherri getting justice after so long. A must read for true crime and
cold case fans.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for
my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
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