Bootheel Man

by Morley Swingle

When Allison Culbertson takes the case of Joey Red Horse, an Osage Indian charged with stealing a sacred artifact from the Heartland Mound Builder Museum, she finds herself in the middle of a courtroom battle pitting contemporary American Indians against a private museum over legal rights to the bones of 'Bootheel Man,' a Native American who lived, fought, and loved Cahokia and Southeast Missouri in the year 1050. Morley Swingle combines the historical mystery of the disappearance of 30,000 souls who inhabited Cahokia ten centuries ago with a contemporary murder mystery and legal thriller in a suspenseful story combining history, law, and fiction.

423 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Morley Swingle is a former prosecutor now writing mystery/thrillers and law books. As both a state and federal prosecutor, he personally prosecuted 111 homicide cases and tried 178 jury trials. His cases have been featured on Dateline, Forensic Files and Oprah. His historical mystery thrillers include The Gold of Cape Girardeau (praised as absorbing courtroom drama by Elmore Leonard) and Bootheel Man (finalist for the 2008 William Rockhill Nelson Award for fiction). His true crime memoir Scoundrels to the Hoosegow was called “engrossing” and “highly recommended” by Vincent Bugliosi. His short story “Hard Blows” in the Mystery Writers of America anthology The Prosecution Rests was singled out by Publisher’s Weekly as “dramatizing the challenges prosecutors encounter.” His collection of 16 short stories won the 2024 Firebird Award for Crime Fiction. His law books teach search and seizure law and evidence with a dose of humor. Although relatively well-liked for a prosecutor, he occasionally found it necessary to wear a bullet-proof vest.

Reviews

[Greg Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a museum professional, I had a hard time buying into the idea that a mound builder museum in Cape Girardeau, MO could be a money-making proposition. Otherwise, I thought this was an enjoyable read.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect when first reading the book. Being a former police officer, I followed along with Morley as he wrote about the events that took place. The middle section of the book was amazing as Morley wrote about the Cahokia mounds and what life might have been like.

[Irl Newham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting in the Native American flash-way-back. The geographical local is familiar. The plot is a little over-complicated for my tastes. Still a decent read by a local author. Ending was a little bit of a stretch.

[Carol]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13996656