Lost Girls

Read Lost Girls Online

Authors: Caitlin Rother

Highest Praise for Caitlin Rother
LOST GIRLS
 
“Rother is one of the best storytellers going in the true crime genre today. Written with the verve, pacing, and characterizations of a detective novel ...
Lost Girls
should be on every true crime fan's bookshelf.”
—Steve Jackson
“A gripping account of the chilling disappearances of two San Diego area schoolgirls ... a nuanced inside look at the two police investigations. A must-read.”
—Sue Russell
“Rother is at her best when she boldly dissects how a boy with psychological problems formed into a man indifferent to his monstrous acts toward two young girls.”
—Katherine Ramsland
“A frank and riveting look at the life and mind of San Diego rapist and killer John Gardner.”
—Diane Fanning
 
DEAD RECKONING
 
“We've finally found the next Ann Rule! Caitlin Rother writes with heart and suspense.
Dead Reckoning
is a chilling read by a writer at the top of her game.”
—Gregg Olsen
“Well researched and a quick, engrossing read, this should be popular with true crime readers, especially the Ann Rule crowd.”
—
Library Journal
, Starred Review
“Rother's investigative journalist's tenacity and eye for detail ... set this book above most in the genre. This was one of those true crime tales that gave me chills, and that's not easy to do.”
—Steve Jackson
“With this headline-grabbing case of multiple murder, Rother skillfully tells a breathless tale of unthinkable events that no true crime fan should miss.”
—Katherine Ramsland
“Rother digs deep into the story of this horrible murder—unearthing never-before-told details of the crime, the investigation and the twisted mind of the man who set it all into motion.”
—Susan Leibowitz, producer of
Dateline
's “The Last Voyage”
“Gripping ... Rother gives readers compelling insight into an unthinkable American nightmare. The book is frank and frightening, and it sizzles.”
—Aphrodite Jones
“Impressively reported in a forthright narrative ... a pitch-perfect study of avarice, compulsion and pure California illusion.”
—Ron Franscell
“Gripping, brutal, riveting—once again, Rother delivers a thrilling account of murder and mayhem.”
—M. William Phelps
“A true-crime triumph ... Rother solidifies her star status.”
—
The San Diego Union-Tribune
“Rother is at her best... . This gruesome story is fast-paced and will grip any lover of the true crime genre.”
—North County Times
“A mesmerizing story.”
—
Orange Coast Magazine
 
POISONED LOVE
 
“A true-crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
—Aphrodite Jones
“A gripping and chilling book. A tawdry and twisted story of sex and drugs, deception and murder. And here's the scariest part—it's all true.”
—Tom Murray, producer for Court TV's “Pretty Poison”
“Absorbing and impeccably researched ... a classic California noir story of passion and betrayal and death, with a beautiful, scheming adulteress at the center of the web.”
—John Taylor
“With integrity, class and skill, Rother weaves this complex story seamlessly in the page-turning fashion of a suspenseful novel.”
—M. William Phelps
“Chilling ... Rother paints a portrait of the culture that raised Kristin, hired her, was lured by her beauty, and now must share in the dire consequences.”
—Kevin Barry, producer for Oxygen Network's
The Kristin Rossum Story
“A lively and immaculately researched book.”
—Carol Ann Davis
“A devastating portrait ... an unwavering look at how one young woman fantasized herself into murder.”
—
The San Diego Union-Tribune
“A page-turner.”
—
San Diego Metropolitan
“A gripping account.”
—
San Diego Magazine
“An absorbing page-turner, driven by well-drawn characters and a dynamic investigation.”
—
“A concise and riveting account of one of the most challenging but fascinating investigations of my police career.”
—Laurie Agnew, San Diego Police Department homicide detective
“A riveting and detailed view of a cold, calculated homicide romantically staged as a suicide. I couldn't put it down.”
—Bob Petrachek, Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory examiner
 
BODY PARTS
 
“A must read ... well-written, extremely intense; a book that I could not put down.”
—Kim Cantrell,
True Crime Book Reviews
“Excellent, well researched, well written.”
—Don Bauder,
San Diego Reader
“Page-turning excitement and blood curdling terror ... riveting, fast-paced, and sure to keep you up at night.”
—M. William Phelps
“Rother paints every page with all the violent colors of a malignant sociopath's fever. This kind of frightening and fascinating glimpse into a killer's mind is rare.”
—Ron Franscell
“A superior study of the formation of a serial killer and his lost and lonely victims.”
—Carol Anne Davis
“Shocking, chilling, fast-paced ... a book crime aficionados will be loath to put down.”
—Simon Read
Also by Caitlin Rother
*Poisoned Love
 
My Life, Deleted
(By Scott and Joan Bolzan
and Caitlin Rother)
 
*Dead Reckoning
 
Where Hope Begins/Deadly Devotion
(By Alysia Sofios with Caitlin Rother)
 
*Body Parts
 
Twisted Triangle
(By Caitlin Rother with John Hess)
 
Naked Addiction
 
 
*Available from Kensington Publishing Corp.
and Pinnacle Books
LOST GIRLS
Caitlin Rother
PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
CAST OF PRIMARY CHARACTERS
Investigators:
Sheriff Bill Gore; Lieutenant Dennis Brugos; Sergeant Don Parker; Sergeant Dave Brown; Detectives Mark Palmer, Pat O'Brien and Scott Enyeart; Jan Caldwell; Escondido police lieutenant Bob Benton; Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory examiner Bob Petrachek; California Department of Justice Special Agents Tyler Burtis and Sonja Ramos; FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alex Horan; and forensic anthropologist Madeleine Hinkes
 
Defense attorneys:
William Halsey, Deputy Public Defenders Michael Popkins and Mel Epley
 
District Attorney's Office:
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler
 
John Gardner's family:
Mother Cathy Osborn, half sisters Shannon and Sarina; father “Dirty John” or “DJ” Gardner; stepfathers Dan and Kevin; aunt Cynthia; grandmother Linda; stepmother Deanna Gardner, half sisters Mona* and Melissa*
 
Gardner's ex-girlfriends:
Jennifer “Jenni” Tripp, Patricia Walker*, Donna Hale (mother of his twin sons), and Jariah Baker
 
Chelsea King's family:
Brent, Kelly and Tyler King
 
Amber Dubois's family:
Mother Carrie McGonigle, mom's boyfriend Dave Cave, half sister Allison; father Maurice “Moe” Dubois and his partner, Rebecca Smith; and grandmother Sheila Welch

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