Friday, October 28, 2022

The Hollywood Story that Shocked America



HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I offered a prize package in an auction recently, and the winner lives in Alaska. I took this huge box to the post office, and the guy weighed it, and said: “That'll be eighty dollars to go first class.”

“EIGHTY DOLLARS!” I yelped. “How much to send it a cheaper way?”

He consulted his computer, and said: “Ground is twenty dollars.”

“Great,” I said. “How long will that take?"

He paused, calculating. And got a funny expression on his face. “A month? Mayyyybe?” he eventually said.

“A MONTH?” I yelped again.

He shrugged.”It’s Alaska.”

I said, “Well, yeah, but there are airplanes.”

And he said, “True. But this is ground shipping. You are thinking of sending something overland from Boston to Alaska. Good luck with that.”

We both paused, as I imagined that.

“How long for first class?" I finally asked.

“Three days.”

And so it went.

(And if you are curious, UPS was MUCH MORE.)
So, Alaska. Faraway, unless you are already there. And it’s where the intrepid James T. Bartlett found a riveting and compelling true crime story--which he developed into a fascinating book: The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets, and the Hollywood Story that Shocked America.

Oooh, right?

(And read on for the giveaway!)

Your Favorite Deadly Place

by

James T. Bartlett


 When you’re writing fiction, particularly a mystery or thriller, you can choose an obscure place for a corpse to be discovered. It can even be a selling point you can construct the story around.

 

It’s the opposite for true crime, where you have to deconstruct the story around where the victim was found. You could cherry pick one with an especially “cool” murder site, but often a real-life case grabs you by the throat and compels you to investigate, no matter where it took place.

 

Once you’re hooked, the fact that it happened in a town, state or country you have never heard of, or that it occurred in 1953, 1902 or 1817, makes it more interesting and challenging.

 

This happened for me in relation to Alaska.

 

I loved The Terror, and I devour books about the search for the Northwest Passage and the agony and ecstasy of expeditions led by Scott, Shackleton, and others. So, it was rather a disappointment to learn that Fairbanks, where my murder happened, was right in the center of interior Alaska.

 

It’s at least 500 miles from open ocean too, which meant that I was more likely to see a grizzly than a polar bear, let alone be savaged by one.

 















The closest I got were taxidermy examples at Fairbanks airport, where I soon learned that my idea of a research trip timed to the October anniversary of the murder was a misstep. Locals repeatedly told me “winter is coming” without irony, and I quickly had to adjust from 75 degree California to 25 degree Fairbanks.

 

I also began to wonder why Alaska didn’t feature more regularly in true crime books.

 

It’s often top of the charts in violent crime statistics, and arguably it’s a killer’s paradise, no matter how stunning the Aurora Borealis looks swirling in the night sky. Vast, gun-heavy, largely uninhabited, often inaccessible, and subject to strange and dangerous weather conditions that can twist the mind, it seems to have been made for malicious intentions.

 


My murder however was of the standard domestic variety: successful businessman Cecil Wells was shot in his bed at the fancy Northward Building in Fairbanks, and his glamorous, blonde wife Diane – some 20 years younger than he – was beaten unconscious.

 

Diane said that two masked men had broken in, but then police got a tip she’d been having an affair with Johnny Warren, a married, Black musician, and the story exploded out of what was then a largely-ignored US territory.   

 

It scandalized Jim Crow America with the film noir-stylings and illicit (for the time) sex talk, and made the pages of Life, Newsweek, Ebony and more. The pulp magazines thrilled over it too, and it hit the headlines as far away as England and Australia.

 

To add extra pressure, Alaska was trying hard to become a state, and such lawlessness was, to use a modern phrase, “not good optics.” I found territorial records were often shambolic, and that after attaining statehood, officialdom hadn’t been keen to look back into the past. No wonder the Wells family hired private eyes, and felt Cecil’s murder had been swept under the carpet, despite Diane and Johnny both being accused of first-degree murder.

 

Alaska is however a popular backdrop for fiction, and several US states have miles of dusty desert or endless acres of dense woods and forest. There are plenty of lakes, rivers and lagoons to choose from too. So, imagine for a moment you had some dark deeds in mind: which location would you choose, and why?

    

 

HANK: I’d still adore to go to Alaska–by air, not ground. And I cannot even imagine how big it is. And I loved The Terror, too.

 

SO, as James asks, where would you imagine a dark deed? And have you ever been to Alaska?

 

AND! He’ll sign and mail a copy of The Alaskan Blonde to two randomly-picked commenters. 

 

 



Journalist James T. Bartlett has written for over 130 publications including the Los Angeles Times, BBC, Westways, American Way, Hemispheres, Crime Reads, Real Crime, ALTA California, Atlas Obscura and others. His latest true crime book, The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets, and the Hollywood Story that Shocked America, is available now. Find out more at www.thealaskanblonde.com .



THE ALASKAN BLONDE


Nicknamed "the most beautiful woman in Alaska," 31-year-old Diane Wells was bruised and bloodied when she screamed for help in the early hours of October 17, 1953. Her husband Cecil, a wealthy Fairbanks businessman, had been shot dead, and she claimed they were the victims of a brutal home invasion.

 

Blonde, glamorous and 20 years younger than Cecil, police were immediately suspicious of Diane’s account, and after an anonymous tip the investigation turned toward her alleged lover, Black musician Johnny Warren, who had left town the night of the murder.

The scandalous mix of money and sex in Jim Crow America saw the story hit the pages of Newsweek, Life, Ebony, Jet and the pulp detective magazines, and nearly 70 years later, James T. Bartlett uncovers new evidence including an unpublished memoir as he re-examines the FBI files. He also tracks down and interviews the people close to Cecil, Diane, Johnny, and the mysterious “Third Suspect”, dance instructor William Colombany, to reveal the story of what was called “the most notorious and baffling murder in the history of Fairbanks.”


169 comments:

  1. Congratulations, James, on your newest book. What an intriguing mystery . . . .

    No, I have never been to Alaska, but I hope to bundle up and visit one day so that I can see the Northern Lights . . .
    Where would I choose for some dark deed? The Pine Barrens [and perhaps I could push the blame onto the Jersey Devil who supposedly lives there!]

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    1. Oh, yes, great choice! Xx

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    2. Hi Joan, thanks for the kind comment! The Northern Lights are amazing for sure, and the Pine Barrens a good choice - after all, who can resist somewhere where a Devil lives? How cool is that?

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    3. Yeah, anything with a Devil! And with Halloween around the corner too!

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    4. And with Halloween just around the corner too!

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    5. Hank, according to the legend, the Jersey Devil, born in 1735, was the thirteenth child of Jane Leeds, who cursed the child and proclaimed that it would be a "devil." Shortly after birth, the cursed child transformed into a monstrous creature with bat wings, hooves, a goat’s head, and a forked tail; it growled and screamed and beat everyone with its tail. Then it flew up the chimney and out into the night to inhabit the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey.

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    6. Oh wow! Makes me want to read a book about it. And sorry for the double reply - we're having trouble with the Blogger website apparently; it's deleting replies randomly, so I have to write them again. Hope this gets through!

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  2. Hi, James (and Wendall). I think your book sounds fascinating, James, and I think it would be a great choice for my Christmas Bag of Books I get myself for Christmas every year. I agree with you that there should be more true crime books connected to Alaska. I love the setting of Alaska, and I know your book is non-fiction, but I have started reading more fiction set in this mysterious place of snow and ice. Sometimes it's like a locked room mystery in Alaska when there are times people can't leave an area due to the weather. I have never been there, but my husband and I have it on our list. Maybe I can find a good travel agent like Cyd to help me plan the trip.

    Where would I imagine a dark deed? Hmm. I'm going to reach back into my childhood to a place we used to go. Lake Erie, specifically Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. I've just ordered a mystery that takes place in an amusement park, so that setting is on my mind.

    Hank, I could have saved you $80, or I could have made your shipping bill cheaper. I was bidding on that package and had it won up until the last few minutes when someone who apparently lives in Alaska outbid me. It was a great package.

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    1. Ohhh you are so generous to bid! And yea, auctions get very cutthroat at the end…xx

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    2. Morning, Kathy! Thanks for commenting. James worked so hard on this book, I can't tell you, so it's definitely worth a read. He is not a morning person and it's still only 6am here, but he will answer, eventually! xx

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    3. Hi Kathy! Yes, I read lots of fiction books set in Alaska, but few non-fiction ones, which surprised me a bit. And you're right, the weather there can be so extreme it seems ideas for thrills of a deadly kind. The idea of an amusement park can be as equally fun as it is scary too - especially when it is closed, lights are off or, worse, abandoned. Then it seems almost unnatural. Imagine Disneyland at night, with everything switched off, all the puppets and creatures not moving - no thanks!

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    4. Yeah, it's like the absolute opposite of what's it's meant to be...

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    5. Wendall, I'm not a morning person either. I'm a night owl, as the time I posted my original comments shows, at 2 a.m. James, I'm enjoying reading through the comments, as well as your post, and reading about all the research you did for this book.

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    6. Thanks again Kathy - yes, I needed several cups of tea today!

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    7. Hi Kathy, I did reach out to you via your site today: you won one of my books, so please email me your address at jbartlett2000@gmail.com, and let me know if you want a message along with the signature? Or the date or anything? Cheers!

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  3. Congrats on the book!

    I think the middle of a forest would be a great place. The trouble would be luring your victim out there. And getting out there yourself. I'd have to get in better shape before I attempt that one, I guess.

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    1. Well, it’s better in your imagination anyway, right?

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    2. Hi Mark, thanks for the congrats! Forests do feature a lot in crime books of all sorts, though it seems often the victims are already dead when they're taken there... or have been surprised while hiking or camping. Which is why you should always go in in pairs! Personally, I prefer to explore remote areas with David Attenborough as my vicarious explorer!

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    3. And yes, Hank, almost everything is better in the imagination isn't it?

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  4. Welcome James and congrats on the new book! Hank, next time only offer what can fit into one of those flat rate boxes! I've been to Homer twice but that barely scrapes the surface. This sounds like a fascinating story!

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    1. Great idea—but it was too big for that..

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    2. Hi Lucy, it really did turn out to be way more interesting and bizarre than I initially imagined, both very familiar in some aspects, but completely unusual in others. I also thought it was a very modern story too, despite having taken place in 1953.

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  5. JAMES: Congratulations on the new book and your recent Alaska book tour! I am so glad to have finally met you at ABQ LCC (Hi Wendall!).

    Yes, there is a lot of empty wilderness in Alaska to commit a crime, but I would choose the Louisiana swamps. A body left in the murky waters would be eaten up by the gators or wild boars. I saw plenty of those critters when I went on a swamp boat tour.

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    1. Oooh yes good one! You’d just need to have reliable ( and hungry) gators!

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    2. Gators are hungry all the time I think Hank, unless books, TV and movies have lied to me! Even if they're not, surely none of them would ever turn down a human fun-size snack?

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    3. Hi Grace! Yes, you were so kind to hang out with us there - that was when I first ever talked about this book and, as I am sure many of you readers here can relate, wondered if anybody in the world would be in any way interested in it! So far it's gone well for me, luckily, and yes, the Louisiana swamps are an EXCELLENT choice. I should have put them alongside the rivers, lakes, and lagoons....

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  6. James, what a subject for a book! Fascinating! Congratulations! It's interesting how I can read all types of murder mysteries but find the true crime stories so much more terrifying.

    My husband and I took a wonderful two week vacation trip to Alaska. We began in Anchorage, took the train to Denali National Park, toured the park seeing tons of wildlife, took the train to Seward, hiked the glacier, from there a boat tour of the Kenai fjords and islands, then cruised the Inside Passage (hurricane on that ride) down to Vancouver. We talked about planning to see Katmai next year but haven't done anything about it yet. The thing about Alaska is how vast it is. It's impossible to see everything in one visit.

    An unsolved murder in my town was at a suburban reservoir. I think of that sometimes when I walk around one of them.

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    1. Oooh a plot waiting to be written!

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    2. Hi Judy, that sounds like a great trip! Yes, I was astounded when I started looking into all things Alaska just how big it is - and how so many people have remote cabins, and that so many people have small planes to fly around. That goes for the Rockies too, which I was lucky enough to visit as well. I'd love to see Alaska by train, but the travel times! Hours and hours and hours to get somewhere! And I think true crime stories are so more terrifying - even upsetting - because of course, they actually happened. And if we read a book where we begin to empathize/get a sense of the victim - or even perhaps the killer - the fact it all ended tragically hits home more because, like in my you realize it can affect generations of family. I can't imagine how one ever gets over losing someone in that way.

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    3. Kathy, hi! We went in May, most likely. Summer travel is usually too crowded. We try to do all our trips on "shoulder seasons" either spring or fall. If we do go to Katmai, it will have to be summer or we won't see the bears in the salmon streams. That Alaska trip was the last one we planned ourselves and not with a nature tour group like Off the Beaten Path. Small group tours are worth it! We took a Natural Geographic tour with 35 people plus guides and that is less enjoyable IMHO.

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    4. Kathy, I would say either the height of winter, or the height of winter: they're extremes of weather, but you want to go for it, right?

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  7. A dark deed in the great Maine woods, some of it still unmapped (read “The Left-Handed Twin” by Thomas Perry). I have been to Sitka, Alaska, and some day will take the inland water cruise all the way to Haines, AK.. Suzette C.

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    1. Yes, gorgeous!

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    2. Hello Anonymous, anywhere indeed that's still unmapped is just a delightful terror I think - there could be anything in there; dead bodies, monsters, dinosaurs... and from what I have heard, Sitka is lovely. Two women who sent me their US Marshal father's notes etc about the murder case live in Sitka, and they kindly drove to visit me in Anchorage - and bought me some delicious smoked salmon they had caught! It fed me all week and was so tasty and rich!

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    3. Anything unmapped always has a disturbing appeal, I think. It feels like there's nowhere left like that, but there certainly is. But what if you got lost trying to get back out?

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    4. Also, the two daughters of a US Marshal who was heavily involved in the case came to see me in Anchorage; they had driven several hours to get there from Sitka; they bought me some smoked salmon they had caught themselves! It fed me all week - juicy and delish!

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    5. Sorry for the double reply - we're having trouble with the Blogger website apparently.

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  8. Congratulations, James - I'm eager to hear more about that unpublished memoir!

    I've never made it to Alaska and would love to go on a small birding-centered tour like the one Hallie and Jerry took. I love Paige Shelton's Alaska Wild series - very atmospheric. A great state to fictionally murder in.

    I might choose sub-Saharan Africa for a murder. Vast swaths of dry, waterless, uninhabited territory!

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    1. Also, Hank - if it was books, could you have sent it Media Mail? Or separated the non-book stuff and sent it first class?

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    2. I love media mail! but there was only one book, and the rest was other loot, so that wasn’t an option….

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    3. Hi Edith! Yes, you'll read all about the unpublished memoir - it was a golden find. There was a mugshot with the papers too, which almost made me fall out of my chair (it is shown in the book). These were the private thoughts of a US Marshal heavily involved in the case, and I couldn't have hoped to get those - the case happened so long ago that all the players involved had already passed on. And yes, I have read "Thin Ice" - one of Paige Shelton's book series - was very good - and do love the idea of a desert murder; it's all those mobster movies I reckon!

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  9. Ooh this sounds good! My brother and I are planning a trip to Alaska. I love reading thrillers set there. It’s just so different and gorgeous in its own cold way.

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    1. And BIG! And that’ll be great fun!

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    2. Hi Pamela! Enjoy your trip! I hope the book is as thrilling as a thriller - if you get what I mean. I did make it chronological more or less, so we're finding out what happened as the police do, and hopefully leading to a conclusion (or not?). And yes, Alaska really is different. Every state has its own characteristics too, but I found that Alaskans are very much Alaskans first, with Americans a long second. Perhaps Hawaiians are the same? They're not attached either, as it were. Any Hawaiians or Hawaiian-adjacent people here have an opinion on that? I've yet to go to Hawaii, and it's on my list! And no going through Seattle!

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  10. Congratulations, James! I've never been to Alaska, but I'd love to take an Alaskan cruise. Someday.

    Where would I ditch a body? The woods. Dense woods with lots of wild animals to destroy the, um, evidence.

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  11. Thanks so much for having James on the site, Hank!

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    1. Wendall, I kept seeing people also say hi to you here, and I had to go offline and ask Grace why. Now I know you're a two-writer family!

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    2. Ha! Yes, Edith, I'm lucky enough to be married to James.

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    3. Hi Liz - yes, like the gators in the swamps, in the woods you've got all types of hungry critters, no matter where in the world you are: wolves, coyotes, bears, Tasmanian Devils... the Devils especially eat every part of anything: even the bones!

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    4. Thanks Hank - she's the talent, I assure you. I just love rummaging around in the archives. Fiction seems way too hard!

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    5. I just brought home Lost Luggage after being introduced to Wendall right here...or on FCF? Either way. It's on top of the TBR pile.

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    6. Thanks Judy - it's a great read, despite my natural bias. Cyd Redondo is a riot!

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    7. Yes, FCF! xxx YAY---love hearing this!

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  12. True crime tales set in the past read like fiction--this would be interesting to see how the investigation proceeded given the locale, the politics, the Jim Crow era. I can also foresee a movie....

    Like Kathy earlier in the post, I'd choose Lake Erie--but not Cedar Point! There are small islands off the coast--some private, some uninhabited. But I'd choose Put-in-Bay on South Bass island. Notorious for its wild bar scene, not-so-secret strip club, and a police force that should be called a police farce, its veneer of a tourist-friendly place is pretty thin. Boats of all sizes come and go--and there are already several suspicious deaths on the books.

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    1. Hi Flora, goodness, that South Bass Island would fit in very well in Alaska - especially in decades past, when they were overrun with gold hunters first, fishermen always, and later, people working on or alongside the oil pipelines. Time and time again I was told how much lawlessness was associated with the pipelines - and that all started in the 1970s. That does sound like a great location, yes. Florida surely has plenty of islands like that too - and with that heat and humidity? And crocs. And maybe even sharks! You're also right about this taking place in Jim Crow times - that had a big influence on the case, especially in terms of media coverage. Politics too came into play, the Statehood thing I mention in the article - that was pretty unique as a factor, I think. It certainly took me by surprise - I had no idea Alaska (and Hawaii) weren't states until 1959. A small and poor police force, personal ambitions of law enforcement individuals - it was all there, really.

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    2. WOW! That sounds ready made for a book. Really? That's all real?

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    3. Hi Flora, you're right - all those factors did play a role in what happened. What especially surprised me was the influence that Alaska trying to be a state had on the case - a rather unique thing, I think. I didn't even know Alaska wasn't a state until 1959! The Jim Crow element certainly magnified the press coverage too, for sure, and then there were factors we still recognize now: personal ambitions, a weak police force/investigation and so on. And I'd love it to be a movie - let me know if you know anyone influential! And that South Bass Island sounds wild - and not unlike many places in Alaska, in fact, specially back in the days of the pipeline.

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    7. OMG how embarrassing! Well, I told you I tried Flora! We're having trouble with the Blogger website apparently...

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    8. Some fun today on Jungle Red, right? Thank you for your patience!

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    9. I thought I was looking my mind and repeating myself!

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  13. lCongratulations James! The story sounds very intriguing. I have never been to Alaska, although my twin worked there for a few months on a union organizing campaign.She was based in Fairbanks.
    Where would I ditch a body? I might dump it in the ocean off Cape Kiwanda or Tillamook Head. The woods on top of Tillamook Head might be a good hiding place too. It would be a challenge getting the corpse up there. Of course the biggest challenge would be committing murder!

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    1. Hi Gillian, did your sister like Fairbanks? I have become fond of the place, i must say. There's more to it than being the best place to see the Northern Lights, I think. You're another vote for the ocean - it's 70% of the planet, so surely is the safest place, right? - but yeah, committing the murder aside, what a drag to have to hike with a body too! A vehicle would be easier, but then people will be going there and might find it.... guess you'll need to have solid shoes, plenty of water, and sunscreen.

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    2. It would take lots of planning...almost as much as a book!

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    3. If it was a fiction book, I agree. I'd rather have to plan a body dump. Not the murder - that's too much.

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    4. James, you are funny! Yes, my sister enjoyed Fairbanks, though the work was pretty stressful. I can't remember if they won the campaign. We illegally scattered some of our parents' ashes in the ocean. Way easier than dumping a body.

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    5. Cremation! Of course! The best way to get rid of a body!

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  14. Wow, I'd never heard of this murder, and am intrigued now. Sounds like a pretty juicy scandal, especially for that era. And especially for a place like Fairbanks, which at the time would have been a small town in relation to the Lower 48. Hard to get away with intrigue in that situation, particularly for high-profile main players: Prominent businessman, most beautiful woman in Alaska, and a Black musician.

    Alaska is the only state I've yet to visit, although my husband has been there half a dozen times to fish, hunt, and film for National Geographic, at various times. At this point I'd settle for some whale and glacier watching, and maybe a road trip from large city to large city. Friends have float-fished on some of the waterways, and the photos they brought back were breathtakingly beautiful.

    So many places to hide evidence of a crime, where to choose? Near our rural property in Kentucky are all kinds of types of empty land, hills and hollers were no one ever goes, along with family cemeteries on many former farms. Now, though, it's beginning to get built up, and new subdivisions are appearing. It wouldn't surprise me if more than one covered up crime comes to startling light someday.

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    1. Hi Karen, that's a really interesting thought: modern development unearthing past deeds that no one ever thought would be discovered. And yes, your assessment is correct: all those things make it super-juicy, I have to say. Fairbanks' population at the time was just a few thousand - can you imagine the gossiping and frosty stares from people who might have once been friends or neighbors? No wonder Diane Wells came down to LA as soon as she could. And you must send me a link to your husband's work; would love to see it. It is beautiful up there - so much unspoiled and untouched by people. Some of the cabins people go to hunt in: you fly to get there, they drop you off, and it's almost like you're on the moon...

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    2. ANd even now, the empty space next door to our house is being excavated...(long story) and I am fascinated by the big digger, and how deep the hole is, and what might be in the next shovelful...

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    5. Like the bodies emerging at Lake Mead, but without so much water...

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    6. James, I'm just now seeing your reply. Steve Maslowski is my husband, and you can see his still photos on his website: www.maslowskiwildlife.com He's also written some books illustrated with his work, and has done dozens of wildlife films and commissioned work for various state and federal agencies and commercial companies. The work he did for National Geographic over three summers was for their 1989 film "Valley of 10,000 Smokes". He was one of several cameramen, one of whom put it on YouTube, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ctdym_nMZs

      And thank you for asking about this, because believe it or not, I'd never seen it! It aired on cable, which we did not subscribe to.

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    7. This is James here, Karen. No, we don't subscribe either. But I'm gonna watch this! Thank you!

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    8. Hi Karen, you won one of my books! Please email me your address at jbartlett2000@gmail.com, and let me know if you want a message along with the signature? Or the date or anything? Cheers!

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  15. Congratulations, James. Your book sounds like something I might like. No, I've never been to Alaska but I have always loved reading about it. Way back when I enjoyed Ice Palace by Edna Ferber and I sometimes wonder if it would hold up today.
    For some reason I can still remember a little boy in second grade. His name might have been Jacob and his family was moving to Fairbanks. Why on earth I still sometimes think about that is beyond me, but that's the way memory is.

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    1. Hi Judi, I certainly hope you'd enjoy it if you gave it a try! Yes, I read "Ice Palace" and watched the movie during my research (for those who don't know Edna Ferber's book, it's a story about the fictional city of Baranof (based on Fairbanks) and two residents, one a flashy businessman, the other an old-style local, who clash - of course - over a girl, but also about plans for Alaska to be a state. The Northward Building, where Cecil Wells was murdered, was the inspiration for the title. It was the newest "skyscraper" in the city (and of course where the businessman in the book had his office). It was on screen for a couple of seconds during the movie, which, despite starring Richard Burton, wasn't a thrill-a-minute (at least not for me). A bit of a melodrama really, but an interesting time capsule. Even so, the Northward Building today has the movie poster and newspaper articles in it's front corridor, though alas it has fallen a very long way since those days. I went in when I was there recently, and was amazed to see my book displayed on top of the office water cooler! And I think also it makes sense you often think of that kid Jacob: going to Alaska is a huge thing, even now, and what must a kid have thought of such a thing?

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    2. Yes, a little kid seeing Alaska for the firsettime--that's a moment.

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    3. Yeah, you can only imagine what would go through his mind. It surely seemed like an adventure.

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    4. It must have seemed like such an adventure, at least to him.

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    5. This was in the early Fifties that the little kid and his family moved. I'm thinking now, although I don't remember doing such a thing, that I probably mentioned it to my parents who had always hoped and planned to go there themselves one day.

      I see the movie came out in 1960 and I must have seen it soon after that. To my young mind it was a wonderful movie. Then there was North to Alaska which I saw the following year and had to watch again recently, mostly because of the song.

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    6. Just googled that Judi: the Mex Steiner one? I'll have to have a listen.

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    7. The Johnny Horton song. But I see that Max composed for the TV series, the Alaskans 1959- 1960. I don't recall that at all even though it was on the ABC network which was one of the 2 that we got.

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  16. Congratulatioin on the book! The "plot" takes on a whole new look in that setting, because Alaska is not like any place else. We realized it as soon as we got off the plane at Anchorage Airport...which was hopping at 2 AM in the long Alaska summer night. And the next day my husband rode a bike in at a nearby state park. Like any park, with runners and parents pushing strollers...until a moose crossed his path right in front of him. A memorable trip? You bet.

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    1. Oh wow, how cool is that? Living in California, I was ridiculously thrilled just to see snow every day. And red squirrels too, which don't exist much anymore in most places, and squeak like a dog's chew toy! Yeah, Alaskan airports are their busiest at midnight and the wee hours - nearly all flights seem to leave and arrive then.

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    3. I was secretly hoping I might see one, but I was mainly in cities all the time. But judging by my social media, they get everywhere - and don't mess around!

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  17. Welcome James! This book, the whole way it's conceived with the Alaska setting sounds wonderful. I have been to Alaska - the inland passage but not inland. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Cities and towns felt like stepping back into the Wild West. Fertile ground for storytelling.

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    1. Hi Hallie, thanks for having me! Wendall has done this a few times, and speaks highly of it and you; she sends her love. And yes, there is a wild west/frontier-type vibe to the place, I guess in part because - apart from Anchorage - they are all still small, hard-to-reach cities and towns. You need to be very self-sufficient there, no matter what. And what a history!

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  18. Way back in the 1970s, I lived on Kodiak Island at what was then Naval Base Kodiak, now Coast Guard Base Kodiak. In those times, before speedy communications, it seemed very remote and peaceful. Unlike the Lower 48, crime and violence did not seem random, but purposeful…fisherman out to sea for months, comes home, finds wife in bed with lover, shoots one or both. Not much of a mystery plot. James, looking forward to reading your book. Elisabeth

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    1. Thanks Elisabeth, I get what you mean about random violence in some ways - though as I found, there's always a backstory or three to crimes that seem to have no mystery to them, as it were. In your case: who was the lover? How long had it been going on? Was the marriage a strong one - and if not, why not? The pieces that complete the puzzle, as it were.

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    2. And that's one reason "true crime" is so fascinating..

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    3. For me at least, definitely. This is James, BTW.

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  19. Hank, a shipping tale from my days on Kodiak (early 1970s) : husband and I bought bicycles which had to be shipped from Seattle. Frugal me opted for “ground”, by ship. He went for “air”. Then there was a longshoreman’s strike. My bike arrived months and months after his. Shrug, it’s Alaska. And a second tale with a line I’ll never forget: cantaloupes at the Commissary badly bruised, Commissary Man in response to customer complaint: “Lady, you wouldn’t look so great if you’d come here by ship in a crate.” Elisabeth

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    1. Ha ha! Yes, that sounds about par for the course. To live in Alaska means to be patient I think. And to love the scenery and the outdoor life more than creature comforts we take for granted in The Outside.

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    2. That really made me laugh. True! It's all about the journey!

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  20. Congratulations! This is thrilling and captivating. I have never visited Alaska and am daunted by the awesome area, the vastness and the sheer magnificence. I have been to the Rockies and was enthralled with the experience. When I think of a dirty deed the Laurentians would be a unique area for that.

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    1. Thanks Traveler, that's kind of you to say. I went to the Rockies too in 2019, and loved it. And wow, it is just as vast and untouched as about anything I could imagine. I went on a plane trip and it was just snow-covered mountains on and on and on...

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    2. It's so awe-inspiring to see from an airplane window...

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    3. Jaw-dropping, yes. Though I had unwisely had three hot dogs and beer before we got in the puddle-jumper. I was not the only one so affected...

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  21. Great to hear about your book, James! I saw the mention about the Maine woods--just drove through Jackman on way to Quebec City. Lots of deserted logging roads into uninhabited woods! I tend to have bodies in suburbs, where no one expects them and they lower the curb value of the house.

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    1. Thanks Priscilla! That's another vote for the woods - and in Maine too, I think. Yes, they can seem to just become mesmerizing and all the same, after a while, can't they? The ideal place to get lost - and so not one you might ever willingly go exploring. But then some people just love that scenario, though. And I love that comment about lowering the value of a house! It's always amazed me when people buy houses where someone was murdered: of course they're detached from it, but still....

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    2. Yes, how can there not be bad energy?

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    4. Definitely, especially if you knew the room. And as for a suicide?

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  22. Congratulations James. Your book is certainly a gripping experience which I would treasure. Never have been to Alaska but would love to someday. A setting that lends itself to a crime would be the Adirondacks. When I travelled there it was amazing and I hope to return.

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    1. Hi Petite, I hope you get to read it some day and enjoy it! Yes, the Adirondacks is a perfect place for crime. I wonder how many have already happened there, that we don't even know about?

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    2. Have to agree about the Adirondacks, where I have been many times. Though some areas have been tourist-popular for well over a century there are vast areas that are, by law, forever wild. Heavily wooded, steep, and very empty. Except for the animals. Deadly in winter but dangerous on chilly summer nights as well. Imagine...

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    3. I'd rather not: it's 65 here in LA today, and I think it's cold!

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  23. And James, if you have a moment--how did you first come across this story? You have really captured everyone's imaginations!

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    1. Long story short: previously to this I had written a couple of LA guides, and they both featured true crimes. I came across something related in the archives (it's a plot spoiler, so can't say what) that relates to this story, and happened at a hotel on Hollywood and Vine. I was immediately intrigued, and thought: "I must read the book about that", followed by "I wonder what happened there, and what happened to all the people involved". But there was no book. Not much of anything really, so I started digging and searching online. For about five years....

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    3. Oh, what a wonderful writerly moment!

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  24. I absolutely think there should be more true crime set in Alaska - when we were there in 2007 for the World Mystery Convention, a/k/a Bouchercon, there was a killing right outside the hotel where my family and I were staying! I had no idea until we traveled to Anchorage how much crime there was in the area - and it was such a strange contrast to the setting, a funky, small city surrounded by sea and mountains and lit by a vast open sky.

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    1. Hi Julia, wow! That must have been pretty freaky! Yes, I think part of the cause in Alaska is that so much life is concentrated into one area - like Anchorage - and the surroundings don't really allow for much else human. And of course, so many people come and go, especially in Anchorage. Also, I think the Lower 48 media tends to ignore Alaska - it's so far away, so vast, so little-known by many - hence so few true crime books, perhaps.

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    2. Wow, that's disturbing. Did a lot of people go to that Bouchercon?

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  25. It is SO frustrating! Blogger has decided that some—just SOME—of the comments from James (and me) are spam. RANDOMLY. I think it's because we are answering so fast, and it thinks no human could answer that quickly. HA little does it know about writers.

    I can unspam them, which I just did for some of them, so now it'll look like repeats of some, but there's no other way to do it—long story. Never a dull moment!

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  26. This book sounds so good, James! I've never been to Alaska but Dad spent time there during WW2. I loved The Terror and reading and watching shows about Ernest Shackleton's expedition. As for where I would dump a body? The Louisiana swamps. Weigh it down and say goodbye.

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    1. Perfect. And you just prop the victim up in a boat and row them right out there...?

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    2. Don't even need a boat. Drop him off a bridge or pull over on a road and drag him off to the side where the swamp is. Easy peasy.

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    3. Thanks for the comment Pat - I replied to you countless times, and it kept being deleted. I made a joke to about a victim in a boat being the equivalent of a marine carpool.

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  27. I’ll chime in because this sounds like a great read! I’ve only been to Alaska once, a layover in Anchorage on a flight to Japan in the late 60’s; long enough to get off the plane and take pictures but not much else. A cruise is on the bucket list — when we reach “cruising age”.
    As for dumping bodies; anywhere with crocs! Swamp? Bayou, Everglades????

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  28. I've only made it to Alaska once, and that was via cruise ship. It was part of a family reunion that drew about 50 people. Terribly great fun, and we were always busy. We stopped at several ports, but there's never enough time to do any serious exploring. We've talked about going back and doing something that allows us to get a closer look at things, but who knows how long that will take.

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    1. Yes, the world is so unpredictable…xxx and thank you for your wonderful blog yesterday!

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  29. Congrats on the new book! No I’ve never been to Alaska but it has always been a place I’ve wanted to go to

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    1. Thanks Lisa! Yes, it seems to be on many people's lists!

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    2. So true--it's a tempting destination... sort of, near but far. Familiar, but not.

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  30. James, your book sounds fascinating
    Before Covid I took a trip to Alaska (not a cruise, but a land trip). It was a phenomenal place. What impressed me the most was how nice the majority of the people were. Also it’s amazing that so many choose to live in such a hard environment and are happy about it

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    1. Yes, Kristin Hannah's book--what's it called? Is about that. Oh, The Great Alone. (Although of course, not everyone in the book is tooooo happy...)

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  31. Yes, they're super-friendly people. Especially if you make an effort to learn a bit about Alaskan history - or their town's history - too. Rather than just come as the regular tourist.

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  32. James, your book sounds great! I’ve never been to Alaska but would love to go someday!

    I’m not sure where would be a good place for a dark deed but Alaska certainly seems like a great place given times of the year even it’s dark so much of the time!

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    1. Sorry, my comment didn’t show my name, I’m Lisa Quinlivan.

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    2. That's more like on of those mash-up SyFy movies starring 90's b-list TV celebs. And I would watch the hello out of it.

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  33. Wow! Sounds like a research challenge if there ever was one. I have been intrigued by 2 recent books where the mayhem took place in Antartica, Sharon Bolton's The Split, and Steve Burrows The Foreboding of Petrels.

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    1. Yeah, I've been to Tasmania twice - that's v. close to Antarctica. That would be a good location. The Australian govt icebreaker is based there... wait, a murder on an icebreaker? How cool would that be! I get dibs!

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  34. So sorry I'm late to the party but delighted to have read the post and am adding this mystery to my TBR today! Love it.

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  35. Hi Jenn, no worries. Am glad it seemed intriguing enough TBR!

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  36. James, your book sounds amazing. Not only have I been to Alaska, I was born in Fairbanks.

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    1. My comment doesn’t show my name, Lita Harris

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    2. Hi Lisa, you were born in FB? Did anyone in your family ever mention the case from years gone by?

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  37. Okay everybody, just wanted to say thank you to everyone for replying, and making some great suggestions. I think in the end it's not the snowy wastes of Alaska that are the best place for dark deeds, but a swamp in Louisiana, ideally filled with hungry crocs! All that said, the two giveaway winners are KATHY REEL and KAREN IN OHIO. Please you two send me your details to jbartlett2000@gmail.com and tell me if you want the book signed/a message. Cheers!

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  38. I have never been to Alaska. Congrats on this book. I will have to read. I have traveled out west and there's plenty of open land in Montana and Wyoming.

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  39. Hi Jan, James here - thanks for the kind words. And yes, open land is always somewhere you can hide anything....

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