The Passerby

by Thomas Ray Crowel

Penn County, 1986 Eleven-year-old Trudie Brice is strangled to death in her home two weeks before Christmas. The crime goes unsolved. Twenty years later, writer Ray Krouse is looking for material for his next book and is mysteriously drawn to the little girl's gravesite. When Ray approaches the girl's mother to ask if she would like to know who killed her daughter, she tells him, 'They know' -- a term professional investigators say people use when they know who the 'they' is. Haunted by Trudie's spirit and believing that she deserves no less, Ray and his friend and publicist, Kick Jetton, set out on a long and trying two-year investigation to find her killer. In a community where folks leave their doors unlocked, share their supper, keep an eye out for each other, Ray discovers the townsfolk have different theories about who committed the crime, and mixed feelings about discussing it. Some are reluctant to cooperate, though a handful eventually join Ray to put the pieces of the crime puzzle together. Refusing to look at Ray's new and damning evidence, the Penn County Sheriff's Department continues to point an accusing finger at an Englishman who Ray discovers was out of the country at the time of the murder. The Department quickly informs retired officers not to talk to the writer. With that, the cold case murder of Trudie Brice is left back in the writer's hands. Sorting through interviews, public information files, and newspaper stories filled with details of the day of the crime, and listening to rumors upon rumors, Ray eventually narrows his list to several suspects and finally to one key suspect -- a man who still lives amongst them, a man whose family has been in the community for at least three generations. It wasn't chance or serendipity that led Ray to him. It was divine intervention. Determined to push forward in the investigation on his own, Ray contacts the man he believes to be the girl's killer. Can Ray convince the killer to step forward and confess? Inspired by true events, THE PASSERBY has all the twists and turns of a cold case murder investigation, but with an entirely unique and powerful ending.

Genres: True Crime, Mystery

355 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 2008

Reviews

[Kara]

The only reason I was actually able to finish this book is because it was an independent investigation of the murder of my childhood best friend, labeled as "fiction" to avoid lawsuits. I knew who most of the characters were based on, even though the names were changed.

The good news? It prompted authorities to reopen the cold case due to "new" evidence.

The bad news? The book was poorly written, the author speculated WAY TOO MUCH, and, worst of all, years after the book release and 25 years after the murder, the person who killed her is still free.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Ray Crowel's The Passerby is an exciting story about a small-town murder of a young girl from twenty years ago. Just reading the jacket description was all I needed to get hooked. I simply couldn't put this book down. It was exciting and fast-paced, but not overwhelming. Crowel introduced new characters and revealed facts at just the right times, making it easy to follow the murder investigation. This is a book that is really easy to read, but still has all the elements of a great murder mystery and something much deeper. Set in a small Indiana town and based on a true story, The Passerby reveals more about human nature than meets the eye. It reveals the sometimes shocking dynamics of small-town life and in general, society as a whole. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something entertaining, easy to read, and that will keep them on the edge of their seat.

[Kristina Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's appalling how sometimes terrible secrets stay hidden just because people are unwilling to "rock the boat".......this book brings that tendency into the light.......I couldn't put it down.......I was compelled to know if they discovered the truth behind little Trudie's final hours, if it was the reputed passerby, and if the involved parties would cooperate..........though it was listed as fiction...it read like a true story.......& according to the reviews..........it is......the author just changed the names. Chilling.

[Candace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was just not a fan of how this book was written. It felt cold and distant for some reason. The lead character did seem to have a passion for what he was doing, but I never really connected to him or to any of the other characters. They seemed to be repeating themselves a lot,and I just didn't find it a very fun or interesting read. Still, the premise was intriguing, and I read it all the way through to find out the ending. It just left me unsatisfied.

[Dyan Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt that the language in the book was strange. The sentences were choppy and we were given information that was unnecessary. New characters were introduced without much introduction. The concept was good and the conclusions are okay. I just couldn't get past the style of wriing.

[Mrs. Schrameyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

What can I say about this book? Well, it was interesting in the sense that it was like a murder mystery. The author took some much needed risks to obtain his information and then compiled it in his book. Being from the area, I can see how the local towns people would be challenging.

[Sheryl Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I became interested in this book because the story is based off of true events that took place in a town not far from where I grew up. I like mysteries and cold case murder stories where the perpetrator is found and is brought to justice for his/her acts. In this story, the ending is much different. Surprising to say the least.

The fact that the story is based on true events kept me turning the pages, however, I was not impressed with the writing. The story seemed to drag at times. There was a lot of repetition of evidence and details. The telling of the story was disjointed and the story did not flow. Although the author did well with discovering evidence in this case, his putting it into a fictional story did not work out for the best. At least for me.

[Darel Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like the way an investigator or in this case a writer gathers all the information they can and then lays down a procedure to talk to all the suspects, witnesses and others and then goes about doing that then you’ll
definitely enjoy this book. But if you’re an action fanatic then I would definitely encourage you to pass. Very slow and plodding and quite redundant.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look into a local crime that I remember well from my childhood.

[Shri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good

[Maria Eizenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written! Horrible crime & hope justice for this little girl comes.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

December 1986: Eleven year old Trudie Brice stayed home from school sick with the flu. She was strangled to death and raped her body then placed in a bathtub filled with water. No one was ever charged with her murder. The premise alone is enough to make you not be able to put "The Passerby" down.

Mr. Crowel's book its writer Ray Krouse who uncovers the appalling truth about what happened to Trudie Brice some twenty years earlier-a sad truth that threatens to tear at the ties that bind the townsfolk of this small community. Some step forward to help the writer with his investigation, while others avoid him so as to get "involved," including the victim's parents. Others lie to him. In a story with plenty of twists and turns, it has a surprise ending, one that's new and unique to crime mysteries.

The dust jacket says this book was inspired by true events. If this is so, I can't help but to believe that the impact of Mr. Crowel's book will be great and far-reaching. Perhaps through the loss of an innocent's life society might learn some valuable lessons. Perhaps a voiceless victim might gain her far overdue justice.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was just awful. It read like one long list and ended with a lesson in religion. To further add to my annoyance, the author appeared to be trying to developed a main character who was a fair, balanced and thoughtful man, and instead, created a character who was frustratingly entrenched in outdated gender roles. This would have been fine, but I didn't feel like the character was developed enough that the reader could gain a clear understanding of who this man was and how he developed his particular perspective on life. Instead, I found myself bristling at many of the offhand, unimportant details that appeared in the interactions between the main character and his assistant/publicist. The book had so much potential; Thomas Ray Crowel described small town life very well, and the premise should have been heartwarming. I really wanted to like it, but I should have done my research because the style/slant was not for me.

[Amy Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

IN REAL LIFE: I followed the school bus into town every day on my way to work and saw this little girl get on the bus every day. I noticed the time she didn't get on the bus...and it was that day...although I did not know it until days later. I did not, however, know about all of the drama that went along with this mystery and it really made me sad. Such angst for this small town and heartache and tragedy for her family.

Even though it happened long ago, accusations and hostility came to the surface once again. I wonder if the author thought that this book might stir things up so much that the mystery may be solved. I question his motives but applaud his courage and also wish that would have happened.

Even knowing the story, it was hard to follow because I kept trying to match the fictional characters to the real people and it was distracting.

I can't see how someone who doesn't know the real story would find this book interesting at all.

[Marybeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fictionalized account of a young mid-western girl's murder, circa 1986, and while the perpetrator remains a member of the community, he has neither been convicted nor charged with the crime. Crowel relays a compelling tale about secrets, reluctant witnesses, buried evidence, and the collusion of law-enforcement on the case, but his writing is often stilted and the main characters contrived. Writer and researcher Ray, for example, is deeply sincere, morally just and determined to do his best to solve the little girl's murder, but that's all he is. The character is one-dimensional, as is his side-kick and publicist (and the annoyingly-named), Kick. The story, however, is compelling, and since this appears, by all accounts, to be thinly veiled fiction and based on a real cold case, Crowel does pace the his version of events fairly well and keep readers wondering if the murderer will be brought to justice.

[Gerald Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say that I did not enjoy this book. It reads as a narrative and at times it became quite boring. The characters were never developed and although the author claims it's loosely based on actual events I'm speculative at best. There was really no action to speak of and at times it would wander to things having nothing to do with the story.
I also fail to see how anyone, (especially a woman) could have the name "Kick." If anyone out there knows of someone named kick I'd love to know of it.
There really isn't an end to the book either so be prepared for that. The delving into creationism and the "Almighty," at the end was just weird when I'm supposed to be reading about a murder mystery.
Needless to say I was disappointed in this work.
Sorry Mr. Crowel, I just can't recommend this to anyone.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Passerby is an intriguing story about a small-town murder of a young girl from twenty years ago. I simply couldn't put this book down. It was exciting and fast-paced. Crowel introduced new characters and revealed facts at just the right times, making it easy to follow the murder investigation. This is a book that is really easy to read, but still has all the elements of a great murder mystery and something much deeper. Set in a small Indiana town and based on a true story, The Passerby reveals more about human nature than meets the eye. It reveals the sometimes shocking dynamics of small-town life and in general, society as a whole. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something entertaining, easy to read, and that will keep them on the edge of their seat.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style of this book is not one that I am used to reading. but at the same time I had to keep reading. I needed to know what happened to the little girl Trudie. I put off reading this book, because I can not stand when children are hurt. But this book did not focus on the actual details of the murder. It focused on the cover up and final investigation.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was recommended this book from a family member that actually lives in that area, so I felt really bad when I had to explain that I couldn't even finish the book!! It was really bad, i felt that it was really confusing with all the different characters, and the writing to me just wasn't good.

[Mary Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic detective work in solving this cold case file. Loved the details. Wonder how many cold cases are a result of botched police work. Very sad that this does occur. Rest in peace Trudie "Angel Puss".

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good book, although I found it a bit long winded. Would have liked a little more suspense / action a bit too talkative for my taste.

[Contrary Magazine]

Contrary's review:

http://www.contrarymagazine.com/Contr...