Black Tunnel, White Magic

by Matthew McGough

'This is a book that is surely about killers, but they don't take the spotlight. That belongs to the detectives who work the case, whose eyes are not jaundiced and who steadily, methodically close in. In them you find humanity and hope in a city where killers are often kings' Michael Connelly

'A great true-crime story and a great cop memoir-about how they do it and, above all, why they do it' Lee Child
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A TRUE STORY OF MURDER AND BETRAYAL IN LOS ANGELES FROM LAPD DETECTIVE RICK JACKSON, A KEY INSPIRATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HARRY BOSCH, WITH AN INTRODUCTION FROM MICHAEL CONNELLY

****

Lifelong LAPD Homicide Detective Rick Jackson takes us behind the scenes of the murder case he could never let go.

In June 1990, Ronald Baker was found repeatedly stabbed to death in a tunnel near Spahn Ranch, where the Manson Family once lived. Jackson and his partner, Frank Garcia, were assigned the case.

But who would have motive to kill a straight-A UCLA student? What about the proximity to the Manson ranch? Or the pentagram pendant around Ron's neck? Suspicions soon fall on Baker's two roommates, one Black,
and one white.

As the case unfolds over the years it becomes a sprawling tale of betrayal, grief and redemption - as well as a portrait of Los Angeles on the brink, and America's reckoning with racial injustice in the wake of Rodney King.

Black Tunnel White Magic is a true-crime odyssey into the dark, beating heart of a murder investigation, and shows the true cost of justice for the detectives themselves.

528 pages, Paperback

Published March 4, 2025

About the author

Matthew McGough was born in New York. He is the author of “Bat Boy: Coming of Age with the New York Yankees” and has also worked as a screenwriter for LAW & ORDER. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.

Reviews

[Blase Ciabaton]

While I often enjoy watching true crime series, I don't often read this genre. This book hooked me into the story very quickly. The two primary suspects are incredibly interesting characters, particularly Duncan. Many of Duncan's exploits are barely believable as are many of the things he says.

I particularly enjoyed the references to current events in the LA-area that influenced public perception over time. This included the Charles Manson killings, the Rodney King beating and subsequent riots following the acquittal of the involved officers, the O.J. Simpson trial, COVID 19, etc.

There are really just two aspects of the book I didn't like. First, I did not appreciate inclusion of the full text of all recorded interviews with the suspects. For me, this really bogged down the story. While it makes sense to include some of the information verbatim, much of this could have been summarized.

Second, while Rick Jackson is clearly passionate about his detective work, I didn't like the way that part IV of the book was presented. Detective Johnson is sour grapes that he didn't get his way with the justice system. He jumps through too many hoops to explain why he initially approved a shorter sentence for Duncan, but no longer does.

Overall, I would still recommend this as an interesting read.

[Hans Brienesse]

One would expect a weighty tome such as this to be all dry and boring, but it is everything but that. I was initially intrigued to read that the detective in this case was the model for Michael Connelly's "Harry Bosch" and thought it might prove interesting. It exceeded all expectations. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. One would think that transcripts of interviews with the perpetrators would be about as boring as a crust of bread; far from it. The whole book is crafted together using original transcripts yet is written sort of like a novel, enough to satisfy the most discerning reader. I could run out of superlatives to describe this book but the best I can suggest is Read it!