Ivory Tower Cop

I picked up Ivory Tower Cop at the Miami Book Fair--the authors had their booth across the aisle from my booth (I was hawking my book "Landstrike," a hurricane disaster thriller) and for two days I thought it was a non-fiction book based on the cover and title. On the last day of the fair, I purchashed Ivory after hearing from another author on our row that it was fiction and "not bad." I have to say, the cover threw me--it's not very attractive, and the book sat on the bottom of my book pile for a few weeks. But then I had a trip and took it with me, and was I pleasantly surprised. Ivory is a well-written, nuanced crime thriller with some surprising twists and turns. When I started staying up 'til 2 a.m. to keep reading, I knew it was a terrific book. The story centers on David Roth, a criminology professor who comes down out of his ivory tower to become a real-life detective and help solve a string of increasingly violent rapes, while also becoming romantically involved with his alluring female partner. Although there were a couple places near the end of the book where the suspense could have been milked quite nicely, and one of the plot twists a little too predictable, the story ultimately is quite satisfying. The book is based on the real life exploits of one of the authors, George Kirkham, who did take a leave from his life as a professor to become a cop. The other author, Leonard Territo, worked on the infamous Ted Bundy case, so between the two they have a ton of real life experience. I heartily recommend the book. And if the authors get a chance, I hope they'll try a different cover--and maybe even a different title--for this worthy work.

Sometimes study turns to hatred and a yearn for justice. "Ivory Tower Cop" is a true-life inspired story of a criminology professor who goes through the Police Academy and joins the force. David Roth soon finds himself on the trail of a brutal serial rapist after studying these horrible individuals for so long. An intriguing story of academic turned police officer, "Ivory Tower Cop" is a worthwhile read.

The world is full of criminal minds, but it takes a special group of people that are willing to take them on no matter what the odds. Authors George Kirkham and Leonard Territo have given us a book that takes issues ripped directly from the headlines and puts them in our hands for us to devour each and every page. Books like this remind me of the simple truth that many forget: no matter how much evil there is in the world, it is no match for the strong arm of justice and everything good.