Welcome! I’m Duke Southard, an author, retired educator, and lecturer.
I have published seven novels, a commissioned history, and an anthology of
award-winning short stories and essays.
Please check out my blog where I write about true crime and a wide ranging variety of literary and everyday subjects.
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My Books
View a list of my published books, including Tainted Justice.
Recent Posts
Agent for Justice #3
We enter the 18th day before the fifth anniversary of the savage, senseless killing a well-loved young woman in the prime of her life. If the New Hampshire State Police and the New Hampshire Attorney General's office have decided to let this case run cold or to wait...
Agent for Justice #2
Here is a high profile candidate for the "Agent for Justice" in the Stacey Burns murder case. Of course, understand that it would be unfair of anyone to judge whether this is a viable candidate since he is in the political arena and that requires an ability to figure...
Agent for Justice # 1
Stacey Burns needs an agent for justice. For the next few posts, I'll suggest some who could fulfill that need. Brad Wallace, the fictional antagonist in Agent for Justice evolves into a dark and brooding character as the story unfolds. However, he knows that he is...
Twenty Days Shy
My apologies for being silent for a few days- was having a wonderful time with our family visiting in Arizona! Twenty days remain until the fifth anniversary of the death of Stacey Burns is marked by a dreadful return of the grief, the profound sadness, the...
Agent for Justice
I think of the irony of the title (Agent for Justice) of my second novel often because the character of Brad Wallace could be just what the Stacey Burns murder case needs. Brad sees so much injustice in the world in general and in his life in particular that he...
No brainer-slam dunk!
Yes- I have heard these terms bandied about in regards to the cold-blooded murder of Stacey Burns. Is there anyone who wonders what happened to that scenario? This was to be a case that would be over in days. How could such a heinous crime be committed in the lovely...
Questions for EB and JV
Chapter One of Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns deals entirely with the events in Stacey's life on Friday, May 8, 2009. It contains these three sentences. "At about the same time as so many prepared for what promised to be beautiful weekend in...
Sociopaths, psychopaths, narcissists, etc.
Maybe we should forget the psychological babble and just tell it as it is. Here are the basic facts. ( in my humble opinion.) An evil person came into Stacey Burns' house early in the morning of Mothers' Day, 2009 with the intent to kill. This person obviously was...
Ignore passion?
We've all experienced the joy of watching people pursue a cause they believe in with dedication and passion. In the time I've worked on Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns, I have met or corresponded with many people who have pursued justice...
Another question
For this question, I am going to assume that I am correct in my assessment that there was an unexplained DNA sample found in Stacey Burns' house during the investigation. If I were to be asked why I a assuming that, I'd have to say that it is simply because no one has...
DNA Answer
Here is my answer to yesterday's question regarding the possibility that there may be one DNA sample found in the Burns home that cannot be accounted for. I base this answer on a reliable source who will not be identified. In my opinion, there is a DNA sample which...
Mystery DNA?
This may not be a new question but I don't think it has been asked in quite this way. Only the police investigators can answer it but my guess is that they will not because of the "active" status of this case. Is it true that of the dozens of DNA samples taken from...