What do you think?
Rate this book
Thin Line: A Detective's Reckoning with the Dark Side of the Justice System
Can Tony Daniels, a detective from the idyllic town of Normal, Illinois, cross the blue line of police solidarity to help exonerate the man he and his squad convicted of Normal's first...and only...murder of 1993?
At the beginning of the 1993 fall semester at Illinois State University, someone murders senior journalism student Jennifer Lockmiller in her apartment. Tony Daniels, a career police officer and Marine who served for years during the Vietnam War, is named lead detective in Jennifer's case.
Tony, and the squad, first put Alan Beaman, Jennifer's ex-boyfriend, in the hot seat of suspects. Then others crawl out of the woodwork of drugs, sex, and jealousy, and Tony believes they're looking at a complicated mess. Normal Police Department brass disagree, and Tony is pulled off the case. Though Tony keeps saying, "Look at others," the squad only has eyes for Beaman.
In 1995, a McLean County jury convicts Alan of murder and sentences him to 50 years in prison. Post-trial, Tony stands at a crossroads. Can he fight his own demons from a helllish war and a rough childhood to help Alan and those who believe his conviction should be overturned?
Thin Line, a braided true crime/creative memoir, travels through the tumultuous Vietnam War years and the 90s grunge and internet eras to examine issues of domestic violence, substance abuse, and a quest for truth and justice that just might lead to redemption.
At the beginning of the 1993 fall semester at Illinois State University, someone murders senior journalism student Jennifer Lockmiller in her apartment. Tony Daniels, a career police officer and Marine who served for years during the Vietnam War, is named lead detective in Jennifer's case.
Tony, and the squad, first put Alan Beaman, Jennifer's ex-boyfriend, in the hot seat of suspects. Then others crawl out of the woodwork of drugs, sex, and jealousy, and Tony believes they're looking at a complicated mess. Normal Police Department brass disagree, and Tony is pulled off the case. Though Tony keeps saying, "Look at others," the squad only has eyes for Beaman.
In 1995, a McLean County jury convicts Alan of murder and sentences him to 50 years in prison. Post-trial, Tony stands at a crossroads. Can he fight his own demons from a helllish war and a rough childhood to help Alan and those who believe his conviction should be overturned?
Thin Line, a braided true crime/creative memoir, travels through the tumultuous Vietnam War years and the 90s grunge and internet eras to examine issues of domestic violence, substance abuse, and a quest for truth and justice that just might lead to redemption.
419 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 23, 2026
Everyone agreed that a heinous crime was committed. But not everyone wanted justice.
Author Patti Lacy takes a deep dive into the mind of a detective investigating a murder, showing the impact of the violent crime on his mental health, the police department's mistakes and rush to convict, and the aftermath.
My personal take: Once again, "productivity" rears it's ugly head. Measuring productivity is easy; measuring justice isn't.
Author Patti Lacy takes a deep dive into the mind of a detective investigating a murder, showing the impact of the violent crime on his mental health, the police department's mistakes and rush to convict, and the aftermath.
My personal take: Once again, "productivity" rears it's ugly head. Measuring productivity is easy; measuring justice isn't.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review