Smooth Talker: Trail of Death

By: Steve Jackson

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

One morning in July 1974, Anita Andrews, the owner and bartender at Fagiani's Cocktail Lounge in Napa, California was found dead in her bar - raped, beaten, and stabbed to death in a bloody frenzy. She'd last been seen alive the night before talking to a drifter who sat at the end of the bar, playing cards and flirting with her. But the stranger, along with Anita's Cadillac, had disappeared. Unable to locate a suspect, police investigators sadly watched the case grow cold over the years.

Meanwhile, a month after Anita's murder, young Michele Wallace was driving down a road in the mountains near Crested Butte, Colorado, when she gave two stranded motorists, Chuck Matthews and a man named Roy, a ride. Dropping Matthews off at a bar in Gunnison, she agreed to take Roy to his truck. She was never seen alive again, nor could a massive search of the mountains locate her remains. The trail leading to her killer also ran into dead-ends.

Fourteen years later, Charlotte Sauerwin, engaged to be married, met a smooth-talking man at a laundromat in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. The next evening, her body was found in the woods; she'd been raped, tortured, and her throat slashed. The police suspected her fiance, Vince LeJeune, though he proclaimed his innocence to anyone who would listen. Meanwhile, the man from the laundromat couldn't be located. The three murders would remain unsolved, eating at the hearts, minds and lives of the women's families, friends and communities.

Then in the early 1990s, a rookie Gunnison County sheriff's investigator named Kathy Young began looking into the Wallace case and identified a suspect named Roy Melanson, a serial rapist from Texas.

Smooth Talker is the story of Melanson, his depredations, and the intrepid police work that went into bringing him to justice.

©2016 Steve Jackson (P)2016 WildBlue Press

Will be looking for more Steve Jackson books

Would you listen to Smooth Talker: Trail of Death again? Why?

Yes. It was a very interesting book.

What did you like best about this story?

It was hard to put the book down. I love non-fiction and Steve Jackson did an awesome job writing. Another one of his books was mentioned in this book and I will be looking for that next!

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Kevin Pierce is the reason I gave this author a chance. I have many books read by Kevin and he does an exceptional job on every book he narrates!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Smooth Talker of evil

Any additional comments?

I received this audio book at no cost in exchange for a fair and honest review. I would highly recommend this book. It is well worth your time and credit!!

Need more information

Any additional comments?

This was interesting but it could have been so much better if there had been more information. I would have liked to know more about the serial killer - what is his personal/family background? Would love to have more information about the victims, similar to the way Jack Olsen told his stories.

Kevin Pierce helps save the day. He is a fantastic performer and makes books even more interesting than they would be if I read them myself. I love his tone of voice, the emotion he puts into the characters and his rhythm. I sign when I hear his voice because I know it is going to be a good listen.

Chilling And Concise...

tale of a cold blooded rapist and killer whose best weapons were a silver tongue and a slick manner. A good read for true crime fans

great again

another great book by a great author his books are wonderful just sad that the world is full of these monsters he writes about.

Great Story

This book covers 3 different cases perpetrated by the same man, and the work that went in to bringing him to justice. Although it starts out with the bartender victim, I felt that most of the emphasis was placed on the Colorado (the 2nd) victim. The synopsis that accompanied the book when I received it only mentioned the first victim in detail, so I expected that case to receive the most attention.
I found the descriptions of the impact of the killer's actions on the victims friends and family touching, again, especially with the young woman in Colorado.
I remember feeling frustrated that it took so long for justice to catch up to the bad guy, but also a sense of satisfaction as his attempts to paint himself as the victim failed each time it finally did. I also remember feeling certain that there are more crimes he is responsible for that haven't come to light yet, and I wonder if they ever will.
Kevin Pierce does a great job narrating. He is easy to listen to.

I received this audiobook at no cost in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Another good one from Steve Jackson & Kevin Pierce

Would you listen to Smooth Talker: Trail of Death again? Why?

Yes

I had listened to the authors "No Stone Left Unturned" so I was familiar with one of the cases in this book. It was very interesting to have case tied in with others perpetrated by the same criminal. That perpetrators criminal movements were laid out well in this book. The author gives fantastic detail and ties in the cases together very well. As a huge fan of true crime I found "Smooth Talker" to be a very well written portrayal of the string of crimes that is known to be done by the perpetrator. The descriptions of the victims and their lives at the time of the crimes and well as family and friends emotions and reactions gave soul to the story. The details of the crimes and criminal gives goose bumps and the complete soullessness of that man.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Smooth Talker: Trail of Death?

How difficult it was to track the perpetrator down and lock him up gave me chills

What about Kevin Pierce’s performance did you like?

I absolutely adore Kevin Pierce's narration. He is pitch perfect always and especially in the true crime genre is a perfect narrator who provides a great listening experience. There is nothing else that needs to be said about the narration. It's simply spot on.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really. It was well written and performed but not totally "edge of my seat" plus since I knew the details of the Michelle Wallace case there wasn't much new in that part for me.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom

The only thing lacking for me was the beginning of the story. How and where did the criminal grow up? Did he have family? Etc. Those kinds of details build context around a killer that to me is one of the most fascinating aspects of the true crime genre. Perhaps those details are not know in this case. But that was the only thing to knock this book down to 4 stars for me. Other than that it was a great example of true crime writing.

Gritty procedural about smooth talking murderer

Narrator’s voice is well suited for this crime story.

The murder’s spree and his apprehension are clearly described in objective manner.

There's a Special Place in Hell for Him

This is a true crime nonfiction account of how a serial rapist/murderer was brought to justice. It starts with the gruesome murder of a woman in CA in the 70's and a woman's disappearance a month later in CO, both of which became cold cases for years until a rookie investigator in CO started to put the pieces of the CO case together. The book is like an episode of Forensic Files but more detailed and in-depth. I found it fascinating and couldn't stop listening.

Kevin Pierce does an excellent job of telling the story while also performing the dialogue of the various players in this case. He used the right inflection, emotion and cadence for this type of audiobook. He did a good job with both male and female voices, as well as accents. Since I own that I am extremely picky and honestly can't think of one time I got distracted from the story to notice a narration mistake, this essentially means that his performance was either perfect or damn close to it. He is the perfect narrator for true crime audiobooks.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review. The number of stars is based on where I believe this audiobook rates with other audiobooks of the same type, length and general feel-- not where it rates in comparison to all audiobooks of all time.

An excellent true story of a serial killer

This books title describes the killer perfectly. The only problem I had with this book was with the author, Steve Jackson. I think with all the witnesses they had he should have been caught much earlier. I did however like this book a lot and would recommend to "True Crime Buffs " . As for the narrator Kevin Pierce is THE narrator for this genre. Great !

Nothing new, but sometimes there doesn't need to b

Smooth Talker chronicles the crimes of, hunt for, and subsequent capture of murderer and rapist Roy Melanson. Steve Jackson successfully conveys the senseless nature of crime as a whole, as well as how the lives of each victim's family and friends are irrevocably changed forever. Kevin Pierce is my favorite true crime narrator and doesn't disappoint here, his smooth warm cadence is as pleasant as ever. If you enjoy true crime you know what to expect, and if you are new to the genre Smooth Talker is as good a place to start as any. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.