Burl Barer and Frank Girardot Jr. discussed the book on Investigation Discovery EPIC MYSTERIES on April 9, 2016
Frank Rodriguez, a much-loved counselor of troubled teens, lies dead on the bedroom floor. His wife and step-daughter are in shock, and so is
the medical examiner when he performs the autopsy. Aside from being dead, Frank is in perfect health.Demanding to know the cause of her husband’s death, Angie Rodriguez badgers the police, insisting that Frank was murdered. The cops attribute her assertions to overwhelming grief, but soon they too believe that Frank didn’t die of natural causes.
When the police enlist their number one suspect to help in the investigation, things spiral out of control until police are dealing with a daring plot to murder Angie’s best friend, and allegations of another homicide so evil and perverse that even seasoned L.A County Detectives are shocked beyond belief.
From the book…
“You think you can put blood in a test tube and say `tell me what’s in it,` but that’s not how it works,” said Shafer.
“The first tests came back positive for promethazine and other antihistamines, which was anticipated, but no cocaine, no stimulants, no heroin, no methadone, no marijuana or other drugs were present.” Acting on a hunch, a coroner’s team went back to Angie’s house in hopes of turning up something. They found some ant poison and other
insecticides. Frank’s blood was tested again. The results were negative. This death was becoming an endless source of frustration and suspicion. No one dies without cause. Frank Rodriguez was too healthy to die, and without a cause, the coroner couldn’t issue a death certificate.
Frank, a prudent and responsible man, had life insurance with his beloved wife as beneficiary. Without a death certificate, however, the insurance company couldn’t settle the claim.“As soon as the medical examiner provides a death certificate, Mrs.Rodriguez,” the claims agent told Angie, “we will promptly send you a check. As much as we sympathize with your financial situation, we can’t do a thing until we have the death certificate.” Her financial situation was dismal simply because Frank’s paycheck stopped when his heart did likewise. This is precisely why couples buy life insurance, and Frank was, above all, a most responsible and caring husband who lovingly made sure that his wife would be taken care of in case something happened to him.
Acclaim for A TASTE FOR MURDER
“A true crime murder mystery that will leave you gasping for breath” —Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of BOGEYMAN and NO STONE UNTURNED
“A doozy of a murder”–Suzy Spencer, New York Times bestselling author of BREAKING POINT
“In A Taste for Murder, the authors tell this true-crime mystery like they’re Joe Friday following his gut instincts. Skillfully written, the story unfolds with surprising twists and turns as the authors follow the clues. Burl Barer, with co-author Frank Giradot, has hit yet another home run with this crime story. A Taste for Murder is a smart and well-written who-dunnit tale. —Cathy Scott is an award-winning journalist and Los Angeles Times bestselling author of Murder of a Mafia Daughter and The Killing of Tupac Shakur.
Frank C Girardot, Jr. Is an award-winning journalist, author and television commentator who recently resigned as senior editor for the Los Angeles News
Group, which includes the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Whittier Daily News. Teamed with Edgar Award Winner Burl Barer, Girardot crafts compelling true crime non-fiction thrillers and is frequently seen on major television news networks as an expert commentator. Girardot and Barer will appear together on EPIC MYSTERIES: A Taste for Murder on Investigation Discovery on March 19, 2015.
978-1-942266-35-8 ISBN trade paperback
978-1-942266-36-5 ISBN ebook
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