Blinding flash. BANG- and the target was dead.  A missing person report was filed in Franklin, Virginia by anxious parents, searching for their precious teenager. The investigation would follow lead after lead, to no avail. Suspects would emerge, but those responsible would not fall under suspicion, as the frightened family held vigils, offered rewards, and paced with worry, night after night.  Why a conspiracy to commit murder?  How had 'The Plan' evolved?  How did was the target selected?  Why did this happen?  Join Jill as she delves into the first of the Say My Name series, Click, Click, Click, by the hosts of the Sugar Coated Murder podcast, Anne Varner and Karen DeVanie. Happy Hanukkah!  Enjoy the holiday season! Spread the joy!   Holiday and Christmas designs are out on Spreadshop, so make your favorite Murder Bookie SMILE!  15% OFF Dec 7 -10, 2023! Shipping date holiday cutoff dates are coming! Sources, show notes, photographs, news articles, recipe and wine recommendations are on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com By Jill, All Rights Reserved

With the families engrossed, the prosecution of Sean Vincent Gillis begins, with the Defense committed to saving his life and avoiding the death penalty. With his 40-hour confession, this should be a slam dunk, but it is far from that! Legal maneuvering, calls for mistrial, and surprise rulings impact the trial’s progression. Then, the battle of the neuropsychologists begins, as they delve into Sean’s mental illness.  WHY did Sean murder and dismember? Why are cardinal human taboos violated? And, if Sean killed 8 women, who killed the other 50?   Source material, show notes, photographs, maps are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com New designs are out on Jill’s spreadshop! Winter and Christmas- the holidays are coming! Make a Murder Bookie happy! Join Jill on Patreon and get the insider info, discuss all true crime, Q&A, tips and tidbits, and help pick our books! $4 a month! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

In Part 2, They get it.  With over 60 women dead, Baton Rouge Sheriff Offices realize they have a serial killer on the loose! But they’re wrong. There are TWO; the murders of Sean Vincent Gillis are camouflaged by those of Derrick Todd Lee.  No one is looking for Sean Gillis.  As the victims’ families mourn, the investigation intensified, DNA works its magic, and finally, the police follow the tracks to Sean Gillis door. Arrested, he cannot stop talking, sharing the gruesome details of murder and dismemberment, acting like a child sent to the principal’s office instead of recognizing the gravity of his crimes.   Source material, show notes, photographs, maps are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com New designs are out on Jill’s spreadshop! Autumn, Winter and Christmas! Join Jill on Patreon and get the insider info and help pickour books! $4 a month! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a gruesome murder is discovered, with the Sheriff’s office investigating, but the case goes cold. Repeat this over and over, and over as serial killer, Sean Vincent Gillis, kills and mutilates all over the area.  An elderly woman and a housewife, he mostly preys largely on sex workers. But--no woman is safe-- the fear real. And he’s NOT the only one! WHO is Sean Vincent Gillis?   Source material, show notes, photographs, maps are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com New designs are out on Jill’s Spreadshop! Autumn, Winter and Christmas! Join Jill on Patreon and get the insider info and help pick out our books! $4 a month! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

Now deep into the murder motive, each of the suspects are investigated and the evidence scrutinized fully.  Who had a motive and opportunity to commit murder?  Who benefitted from the death of Amy Robsart? Given the court verdict, what happened to the suspects?  And, Jill shares her theory on how Lady Dudley, Amy Robsart died! 2nd cast looks ahead to 1567: Seven year later, Elizabeth I’s cousin, the King-Consort of Scotland, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley is found strangled to death.  Another cousin, Darnley’s wife, Mary, Queen of Scots, begins an inquiry, with a very, very different outcome from Elizabeth I’s court.  Intrigue, conspiracy, betrayal, corruption, and the choices of the two Queens is examined.  How did Amy Robsart-Dudley die? Who killed Lord Darnley? Jill shares her conclusions about the suspicious deaths of the 1560s!     Sources, snack recipe, suggestions, show notes plus CRIMECON 2023 PHOTOS are found on Jill’s blog www.murdershelfbookclub.com Join Jill on Patreon for our zoom True crime and Book Club discussion!!  Get your merch – Jill’s putting pumpkin spice into True Crime! And- the holidays are coming!  Check out Jill’s holiday designs! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

Jill discusses Crimecon 2023 in Orlando!  Being on Podcast Row, meeting her Murder Bookies and meeting so many in the True Crime community! Then, she continues the story of Lady Amy Robsart, found dead at the bottom of the stairs.  In every royal court in Europe, and across every town and hamlet in England, the people of England wonder what to believe of their beautiful, young and unmarried Queen, Elizabeth I, whose relationship with Amy’s husband, Robert Dudley, is described widely as “most intimate.”  Was Amy’s death an accident or suicide?  Where does the 500 yr old evidence take us?  What does the 1560 autopsy report reveal? And, who had motive if a ‘murder most foul’ was committed?  Sources, snack recipe, wine recommendation, show notes plus CRIMECON 2023 PHOTOS are found on Jill’s blog (soon!) www.murdershelfbookclub.com Join Jill on Patreon for our zoom True Crime and Book Club discussion!  Get your merch – Jill’s putting pumpkin spice into True Crime! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

Episode 71: “The Original Staircase”- The Death of Amy Robsart: An Elizabethan Mystery by Sarah-Beth Watkins Part 1 1560: Tudor England. Amidst rumors of adultery, poisoning divorce, and murder, Lady Amy Dudley, nee Robsart, was found dead at the foot of the stairs. Immediately, suspicion fell upon her husband, Lord Robert Dudley, favorite of the newly ascended Queen of England, Elizabeth I. Had he done away with his wife to marry the Queen?  The investigation, interviews, interrogations, and inquest does little to snuff out the speculation and debate—How did Amy Dudley die?  Accident, Suicide, or Murder? 500 years later, we are still asking these questions. Join Jill as she combines the two passions of her life- The Tudors and true crime! And find Jill on PODCAST ROW AT CRIMECON 2023 ORLANDO!!!  So EXCITED! Sources, show notes, a ton of portraits, family trees, and more are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com   Check out her MERCH shop on Spreadshop! Join Patreon here! By Jill, All Rights Reserved.

We met Russ Faria after he was charged with the murder of his wife, Betsy.  Wrongfully convicted, Russ spend 3 years in prison, until he was  finally exonerated (Ep 40-44). Enter new DA, Mike Wood, who begins investigating the investigators for corruption, determined to right the unbelievable wrongs.  In an alleged effort to derail the investigation, former Lincoln County detective, Mike Merkel is implicated, spirally the investigation. Listen to the latest from Russ Faria, who was in the Missouri court room himself.  And what is new with Russ and Carol McAfee? The story isn’t over yet!   Source material, show notes, photographs are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub- May 2022.(Click here)   By Jill, All Rights Reserved

Our author, the "most prolific cold case investigator in the United States for single-event homicides", Chief Clay Bryant chats with Jill, discussing his cold case investigations and a bit on life itself.  His common sense and down to earth brilliance shines through, as Clay shares moments that simply take your breath away—What were the odds THAT could have happened? Get the inside story of the next book, on yet another cold case he solved and another killer off the streets. Murder Bookies, do not miss this discussion, it is sincere, poignant, and uplifting! AND- Announcement: Look for the Murder Shelf Book Club on Podcast Row at Crimecon 2023 in Orlando! Sources, show notes, photographs, maps and food and drink information on the Clay Bryant books is found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com Get your merch for CrimeCon! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

Episode 68 –2ndCast“ Alls Well that Ends Well”- The Cold Case Murder of Fred Wilkerson: Untangling the Black Widows Web in West Georgia by Clay Bryant Part III In Part III, we see Connie Quedens ensnaring Fred Wilderson in her web, entangling finances, escalating demands, culimnating with Fred abruptly vanished, leaving his beloved daughter and son behind. Who had a life insurance policy on Fred?  Connie.  But, nothing tied her to his disappearance.  17 yrs later, Clay Bryant begins to investigate this cold case, and he finds a witness that sets the case on fire! Hear justice arrive in all it’s glory, and the truth of who Connie Quedens is comes out, with many wondering what else she did.   Sources, snack recipe, wine recommendation and show notes are found on Jill’s blog www.murdershelfbookclub.com Join Jill on Patreon! HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT!   Get your merch for CrimeCon Orlando in Sept 2023! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

A horrendously abused wife, Gwendolyn Moore, is found at the bottom of an old well in 1970. The investigation deliberately went nowhere, for 32 years. Pt 2 tells the story, begun in 2003, with a chance phone call that brought the case to the attention of Investigator Clay Moore, who not only recalled the case; he watched her body being recovered that terrible day, as a teenager  Delving in, Clay would go to extremes to get the evidence to charge her killer, a chance to set the record right.   Just days afterward, a chance meeting with mechanic Tim Wilkerson turns the tides of investigation once more. Tim tells Clay his Dad, Fred Wilkerson, is missing- for the last 17 years.  Suspicions abound, but the evidence lead nowhere and the case went cold. Could Clay Bryant do it again, and find Fred Wilkerson?   Sources, snack recipe, wine recommendation and show notes are found on Jill’s blog www.murdershelfbookclub.com Join Jill on Patreon!  Get your merch for CrimeCon Orlando in Sept 2023! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

Back in 1970, the beaten body of a young wife and mother was lifted from an old well just outside Hogansville, Georgia.  The victim, Gwendolyn Moore, had long been married to her violent and abusive husband, Marshall Moore.  Yet, mysteriously, this homicide investigation went cold the day Gwendolyn died, with Hogansville Chief of Police, Buddy Bryant, haunted by the case for decades. 32 years later, Buddy Bryant’s son, Clay Bryant, following in his father’s steps, would delve into a new investigation. Would the cold case thaw?   Sources, snack recipe, wine recommendation and show notes are found on Jill’s blog www.murdershelfbookclub.com Join Jill on Patreon! By Jill, All Rights Reserved

Pt 3: What happens when you are on Death Row?  How does the appeal process work?  What is the human toll?  Is it justice?  We will follow Velma’s loved ones as they struggle with new revelations, and hear from the families of the victims’ as human endurance is tested.  Jill walks you through Velma Barfield’s maze of appeals, arguments for a new trial, and the final emotional outcome.  And, Jill tells you what she thinks of Velma Barfield, the Death Row Granny (of course she does!)   Sources, show notes, photographs, recipe and drink information are found on Jill’s blog: www.murdershelfbookclub.com. Leave comments! Email Jill:    jill@murdershelfbookclub.com and leave a 5 star review wherever you listen! AND- Jill is on PATREON! Now you can support the podcast, and zoom with Jill, getting her take on new developments in true crime! Help her choose the next book too!  Check out Jill’s merch store on SpreadShop with new warm weather designs!   By Jill, All Rights Reserved.

In Part 2, on trial for premeditated murder, Velma Barfield’s attorney, Bob Jacobson has an uphill battle—she confessed to poisoning Stuart Taylor- and 3 other people. With the defense team facing the “World’s most deadly prosecutor” Joe Freeman Britt, only Velma could explain herself. Was she too impaired from her drug abuse to understand what she was doing?  Would she sway the jurors? Could this risky decision save her life? Or was she a cold-calculating serial killer as the Prosecution presents?    Sources, photographs, recipes and wine pairings are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com Email Jill:    jill@murdershelfbookclub.com and leave a 5 star review wherever you listen! AND- Jill is on PATREON! Now you can support the podcast, AND zoom with Jill zoom, getting her take on new developments in true crime! Help her choose the next book too! Check out Jill’s merch store on SpreadShop with new Spring designs!   By Jill, All Rights Reserved.

After a childhood of poverty and abuse, 17-year-old Margie Velma Bullard eloped with Senior Thomas Burke while they were both in high school. Building a happy life, they welcomed a son and daughter, becoming a normal American family. That is, until addiction reared its ugliness, triggering a cascade of painful, inexplicable deaths. Why did so many people around Velma die? Then, the world imploded with devastating shock—Velma was arrested for murder, and the investigation would reveal- it wasn’t the only one.   Sources, photographs, recipes and wine pairings are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com AND- Jill is on PATREON- where you can share in behind the scenes zoom with Jill! and get her take on new developments in true crime!   Check out Jill’s merch store on SpreadShop with new Spring designs! https://murder-shelf-book-club.myspreadshop.com/   By Jill, All Rights Reserved.

Jill chats with the author of She Married the Green River Killer, Pennie Wood. The women speak of serendipity in forging friendships and healing, while uncovering lost memories from Judith Ridgway’s life that enabling the construct the book. Truth revealed, they delve into the normality of Gary Ridgway’s dual life, the roots of his murderous deviance, and a marriage made in deception. Do not miss the insights, peeling back layers to expose truths, and how one woman survived catastrophic change and betrayal. Sources, photographs, recipes and wine pairings are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com ANNOUNCEMENT! Jill is on PATREON- where you can share in behind the scenes zoom with Jill!   Check out Jill’s merch store on SpreadShop with new Spring designs! https://murder-shelf-book-club.myspreadshop.com/   By Jill, all rights reserved.

Denial shattered forever, Gary Ridgway confesses and is sentenced, enveloping wife Judith with the incomprehensible reality- Her Prince Gary did it.  Ridgway best friends, Jim and Linda Bailey share their remembrances; then Gary Ridgway shares, providing disturbing insights. What did he tell Judith, who emerges from the Dark Ages, reborn as she builds a new life, her personal Renaissance.   AND: Who were the young women strangled by the Green River Killer? All 49 are remembered in this trilogy, updating the case with Jill’s analysis of a serial killer.    What’s our next book? Listen now! ANNOUNCEMENT! Jill is on PATREON- where you can share in behind the scenes zoom with Jill!  Sources, photographs, recipes and wine pairings are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com   Check out Jill’s merch store on SpreadShop with new Spring designs! https://murder-shelf-book-club.myspreadshop.com/   By Jill, all rights reserved.

Happily married, Judith Ridgway settles into being the wife of her Prince, Gary Ridgway, nurturing their dogs and cats, her daughters, grandchildren, and Gary’s son.  Living the American dream, Judith gardens and Gary works hard and attends union meetings, life is good—until it all abruptly ends: Gary is arrested for killing 48 women.  World imploding, with him denying he is the killer, Judith is thrown into years of heartbreak, fear, and dismay.  Where there signs she missed? Red Flags? What do you say to your husband, the serial killer? Will Judith survive having her whole world demolished?   Trilogy sources, photographs, links, recipe and wine pairing are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com Contact Jill:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com    Check out Jill’s merch store on SpreadShop with new Spring designs! https://murder-shelf-book-club.myspreadshop.com/

This story begins on the worst day of Judith Ridgway’s life, when detectives came to her home after her husband of 14 year, Gary Leon Ridgway, was arrested. DNA evidence would tie him to victims of the notorious Green River Killer, murdering for over 20 years.  Completely shell shocked, Judith goes is in denial. How had she gotten here?  Jill examines Judith’s life, difficult childhood, marriage and children while in the Sea-Tac area of Washington, bodies of strangled women are being discovered at great regularity, terror seizing the region. Then, Judith meets Gary, her Prince, and they build a life together, a perfectly normal life as the hunt for a prolific serial killer continues.     Sources, photographs, recipes and wine pairings are found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com Check out Jill’s merch store on SpreadShop with new Spring designs! https://murder-shelf-book-club.myspreadshop.com/   By Jill, all rights reserved.

Convicted in the Natalie Kirov case, Joel Courtney is finally extradited to Oregon to stand trial for the murder of Brooke Wilberger.  With no body, Prosecutors knew this was not the easiest case to win. What shenanigans will Courtney pull? Police and the media begin examining other cases that could possibly be linked to Courtney- Katie Eggleston, Stephanie Condon, Leah Freeman, and Kristin Smart.  Was Courtney a serial killer? New, updates on these cases are presented. Questions? Comments?  Contact: jill@murdershelfbookclub.com Check out Jill's blog for show notes, sources, photographs, and maps at www.murdershelfbookclub.com. Check out the Murder Shelf Book Club merch shop! By Jill, All Rights Reserved