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
Mothers’ Day-2013: FOUR YEARS!
Anniversaries can go either way. They are celebrations or they are observed. My wife and I celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary. We obviously do not celebrate the anniversary of the death of our son. We simply observe that day with the crushing sadness it...
Progress-A Favor Returned
The new edition of A Favor Returned is in the proofreading stage. The exact release date is yet to be determined but when it is, I'll be certain to let everyone know. In the meantime, should any community, school, or library group be interested in any one of my eight...
A Tale of Two Books (8)
Today, I am off to Wheatmark to make a decision on the level of editing needed for the new edition of A Favor Returned. This adventure into the revision process for a book that was published originally in May of 2000 has been quite a humbling experience. Details of...
Stacey Burns-NH Arrival (2)
"Forewarned is forearmed," as the cliche goes. Perhaps, as I've been told by a couple of professional journalists, I need to be more aggressive in pushing for information. So, before we make the trip to New Hampshire in the middle of May, I will be contacting most of...
New Hampshire Arrival-Stacey Burns Case
The few people who have responded to my blogs about the horrendous murder of Stacey Burns lead me to write this one. Here are several challenges and these may very well determine where Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns goes from here. I will be...
Stacey Burns-Premonition?
In reading one of Ann Rule's Crime Files: Volume 6, I was struck by a similarity to the Stacey Burns case. "Amy Shaw" (A fictitious name) was shot to death in front of her seven year old daughter in September, 1974. She had repeatedly told friends and relatives that...
A Tale of Two Books (7)
Here is part of the inspiration for A Favor Returned. My father's wrecked race car becomes a spectator attraction after what should have been a deadly accident on Memorial Day, 1950. The miracle of his survival in the crash becomes the centerpiece for the fictional...
Stacey Burns Case Assessment
Here is one response to my "Fifteen Months!" blog of yesterday. (Paraphrased) It assesses the state of the Stacey Burns murder investigation. There had been much activity on the case in the last six months. The police are not conducting additional interviews as these...
Fifteen Months!
The one response I've received so far regarding my question about people being reinterviewed states that this particular person was reinterviewed on January 6, 2012 by two detectives, at least one of which I know is associated with the cold case division of the NH...
Tale of Two Books (6)
The revised new edition of A Favor Returned moves closer to publication with the selection of the new jacket cover later today. At this point, the exact release date is yet to be determined. Here's one thing I've learned in the fourteen years since the original came...
Stacey Burns- No one!
Since the last blog, I've had two contacts. Neither had answers to my two questions, one concerning exactly where Ed Burns spent Saturday night before Stacey was killed and the other asking if anyone had been reinterviewed within the last six months. Here are my...
Stacey Burns 10-1
For those who like to keep score, of the eleven people who have been named in this continuing blog, I have heard from one. To refresh everyone's memory, I've requested that these folks answer just two questions each (different questions) so that I can confirm...