Product Description

She tried to tell her friends. She even went to the police. No one would believe her--and now she was dead.

Problems had always followed Susan White, but when she remarried and moved to Houston's posh suburbs, she thought the past was behind her--until she met a deputy sheriff named Kent McGowen who would soon become her worst nightmare.

McGowen was an aggressive cop with a spotty record. When Susan rebuffed his advances, she claimed he stalked and harassed her, using her troubled teenage son as bait. And then, in an act of arrogance and revenge, he made good on his threats, setting her up for the kill.

In A Warrant to Kill, Kathryn Casey meticulously pieces together the tragic shards of the case to create a riveting story of vengeance, fear, and justice--of the terrifying power a badge can have in the wrong hands.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163887 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Released on: 2000-10-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780380780419
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A true crime classic! A chilling study where both the victim and the stalker are bizarre and inscrutable..." -- Ann Rule

"Kathryn Casey has crafted a gripping psychological study--a real-life nightmare...A book as fascinating as it is troubling." -- Carlton Stowers, Edgar Award-winning author of Careless Whispers

From the Author
"One day you'll believe me, but by then I'll be dead."

I first heard those words in 1992, repeated by a man in a restaurant piano bar not far from my Houston home. We’d been introduced by a mutual friend, and that night Ray Valentine belted down drinks, his eyes wet with tears, as he told the story of the tragic death of a woman he’d dated, Susan White.

Throughout that hot Houston summer, White had complained that a man named Joseph Kent McGowen was harassing her. She said she’d rebuffed his advances and in retaliation he’d stalked her, threatening revenge against her and her troubled teenage son.

"One day you'll believe me but by then I'll be dead, and it'll be because Kent McGowen killed me," she'd said.

Valentine hadn't believed her. McGowen was a cop, a deputy sheriff who’d sworn to protect and defend. "A cop's not going to hurt you," he’d insisted.

But Valentine didn't know McGowen.

By the time I first heard about her entreaties, Susan White lay buried in her grave, the victim of three bullets fired by McGowen’s county-issued gun. McGowen was on duty, serving a warrant signed by a judge for White's arrest. He claimed he'd fired only when she'd pulled a gun. White’s gun was found on the scene. At first it seemed a clear case of self-defense.

But the rumors persisted, talk of a power-hungry cop not adverse to manipulating the legal system to satisfy a vengeful rage.

In the end, I would spend years investigating Kent McGowen, Susan White, and how their paths so fatally intersected. Theirs is a cautionary tale of the terrifying power of one bad cop and the helplessness of a woman caught in his sights.

I hope you enjoy "A Warrant to Kill." Kathryn Casey

About the Author
Kathryn Casey is a contributing editor and journalist for many national and regional publications including Ladies' Home Journal, Texas Monthly, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Town & Country, and Seventeen. She is based in Houston, Texas.

Customer Reviews

I bought a copy for my best friend
I have this friend who loves true crime books and after reading this I've decided to stick a copy of "A Warrant to Kill" in his Christmas present this year. It's a super book, so engaging. I got in trouble at work because I couldn't put it down. I wish there were more books like this. I love Ann Rule's books and I can see why she recommended this one. You have the same feeling you know the people and the places at the end that you do when you read one of her books. I'm from Houston and this book really has a sense of place.

A gripping, chilling tale
Casey has done an excellent job of putting the reader smack in the center of the action - clearly the result of exhaustive research and an understanding of the people involved. She's sympathetic toward her victim while at the same time acknowledging Susan's mistakes and misguided efforts, and she takes the reader step-by-step through the process that allowed Kent McGowan to retain his badge and plot his awful schemes. It's terrifying to think that such things happen in America today - cops can stalk and target the innocent and get away with it - but this book serves as both an eye-opener and a cautionary message: Power in the wrong hands can be lethal.

A must-read for true-crime fans - or just fans of good writing.

Disturbing True Crime
I feel a short review of books like "Warrant to Kill" are best because no one, however unintentionally, should give away the ending of a true crime story. Set in Houston, WK is a first rate tale of murder of an innocent woman by a police officer. It is obvious early on that this cop never should have been issued a badge. I found WK personally disturbing because I believe there are more bad apples on most big city police forces than we care to admit. The resolution of the crime will definitely leave many readers dissatisfied. This is no fault of author Casey. Was justice done in this instance? One will just have to read WK to find out for themself. What I've always termed the "Ann Rule rule" is in effect! Do not read the centerfold pictures until the end! As in many true crime tales, they give away the ending. Why do editors permit this? WK is an absolutely safe choice for true crime fans, especially those that live in Texas. Recommended!