Delayed Justice

This book documents the heroic efforts of some of the nation's most prolific cold case detectives. In collaboration the authors, these professionals share their insights, skills, and resources, using their most compelling cold cases as illustrations. The authors examine how cold case investigations differ from standard investigations and why cold case detectives sometimes have success where earlier investigators failed. They also discuss some of the pitfalls of reopening long-unsolved crimes, such as lost or compromised evidence and the difficulty of getting accurate information from witnesses who must rely on fading memories. Looking to the future, the authors discuss new technology that may someday allow investigators to drastically enhance surveillance videos and create a facial recognition database as accurate as DNA analysis and fingerprints. Both true crime readers and fellow law enforcement professionals will find the stories and expert insights described in this book to be fascinating and instructive.

""The Bransons offer a detailed exploration of cold cases - how they get investigated, why some get solved and others languish, and what law enforcement has to do to get those cases closed. These case studies are part methodology and part testimonial to the work of the police and result in a deeply fascinating study of law enforcement tactics and resources." -Publishers Weekly

Jack Branson (Cumming, GA), a retired special agent with the US Department of the Treasury, is now the head of Branson & Associates, a private investigation firm. He has also written a novel, Terminal Justice. Mary Branson (Cumming, GA) is a freelance writer and the president of AptWord, Inc., a literary agency. She is the author of many books, including (with Jack Branson) Murder in Mayberry and Cutting Myself in Half.