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.
My Programs
My programs are offered free of charge to any schools, public libraries, and educational/community groups.
Free Book
Grab a free copy of my book, The Week from Heaven and Hell
My Books
View a list of my published books, including Tainted Justice.
Recent Posts
True Crime Neophyte- Interested?
Today, after ten days, I was notified that my offer to the Wolfeboro Library did not get there because of some sort of e-mail malfunction. Tomorrow, I will be calling them. In the meantime, I still am offering my program, "The Adventures of a True Crime Neophyte," to...
A True Crime Expert
My admiration for true crime writer Ann Rule increases with each book I read. She is so knowledgeable and such an accomplished writer. She often has inside access to officials in the murder cases she describes, an advantage which I've not had in trying to put together...
What is a 5 & 10?
In A Favor Returned, the fictional town of Collins Heights is modeled, rather closely, on the actual town of Haddon Heights, New Jersey. Today, there are Dollar Stores, 99Cent Stores, and many variations on the same theme in virtually every shopping plaza around the...
What is a “True Crime Neophyte?”
"Adventures of a True Crime Neophyte" is the title of a program I presented once in April, 2012, to the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter of The Society of Southwestern Authors and repeated in July, 2012, at the monthly forum of The Society of Southwestern Authors. In both...
Curious but Wondering?
I continue to offer a program based on my research into the Stacey Burns murder case as well as seven others on a variety of topics. I am curious and wondering if folks in New Hampshire would rather not hear from me in a public forum. I know some would not but I am...
Only Dead Men Can Tell The Truth!
The title of this blog is a portion of Mark Twain's response when asked if his "The War Prayer" could be published. The powerful prayer, actually a poem, evokes images of war that are so provocative that when he read it to his daughter, Jean, she said that he must not...
Where is “Collins Heights?”
The central physical setting in A Favor Returned is the fictional town of Collins Heights. Can anyone guess the name of actual town in South Jersey that is the model for Collins Heights? It shouldn't require much imagination! By the way, the author's sample copies are...
Can Anyone Answer This Crucial Question?
There will be no new information in this blog. The question that will be asked has been asked before. It is important enough that I believe it should be asked over and over again until an answer is forthcoming. It is based on the simple observation that a vicious,...
It’s Coming!
The exciting new version of A Favor Returned will soon be available through all major outlets. Watch for further announcements as the release date draws closer! Also, if anyone knows of a library, community, school or writers' group who might be interested in having a...
The Voice of the Victim? (part 2)
As a brief follow-up to the previous blog, I offer my single observation on the question of the voice of the victim, in this case Stacey Burns. Now, four years and thirty three days after Stacey was murdered, it seems to me that the voice of the victim should be...
The Voice of the Victim?
The following quotation is taken from Chapter Seven of Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns. Detective Steve Rowland of the New Hampshire State Police has read it and approved its inclusion in the book. "Forget about the first two days (of a murder...
At the printer!
As of this morning, I was notified that the newly revised and updated version of A Favor Returned is at the printers. Availability is expected to be three weeks. All major retailers, including Amazon, will be carrying the book in both paperback and e-book editions. I...