by JHowatt | Jun 25, 2021 | Crime Writing
How To Add a True Crime Section to Your Closet. Call a Detective. Before I started my crime adventure with Detective John “Jigsaw” St. John, I never had a problem deciding what to wear. When I was an international airline stewardess, before a flight, I’d head into my... 
by JHowatt | Jun 11, 2021 | Crime Writing
Return of the Beat Cop An article in the Washington Post on May 29, 2021, written by Peter Hermann, a Post reporter who covers crime caught my attention. It was titled: “D.C. police recruits are learning about Black History, go-go-music, and half-smokes. Leaders think... 
by JHowatt | Apr 30, 2021 | Crime Writing
The Coroner and the Cop: Part Four Same day. The clatter of dishes and the clatter of patrons screened the corner table; Danny, St. John, and I huddled in quiet conversation. A waitress dressed in the Phillipe’s uniform had taken our dishes, and the gentlemen were... 
by JHowatt | Apr 12, 2021 | Crime Writing
The Cop and the Coroner: Part Three Same Day: Philippe’s Restaurant, LA. John and I walked into Phillipe’s lunch hour crowd, put in our order, and headed for a back booth. Within five minutes, Dambacher sprinted in, spotted John, and shook his outstretched hand. He... 
by JHowatt | Mar 31, 2021 | Crime Writing
The Cop and the Coroner: Part Two I expected the usual ten minute-drive from the Parker Center parking lot to Philippe’s in lunchtime traffic to take just a few minutes. Normally, he’d zip through traffic like Mario Andretti at the Indy 500. Instead, we were stuck... 
by JHowatt | Mar 22, 2021 | Crime Writing
The Cop and The Coroner: Part One September 20, 1985. I stepped into our master bedroom closet, dodged the wicker laundry basket, a pile of clothes and stack of shoeboxes. My brain buzzed with one question. What would I wear to a meeting between LAPD Detective John...