Blog Archives
The Cost of Service
The Cost of Service tells the story of what it really costs to live a life built around serving others. It moves through the worlds of the military, law enforcement, and ministry with a mix of personal stories, quiet confessions, and raw honesty. The book lays out the emotional and spiritual wounds that often go unseen, and it does so in a way that feels deeply human. It follows the author’s journey through war zones, patrol units, and church pulpits, and shows how each role demands sacrifice from both the one who serves and the people who love them. It is a book about struggle, purpose, loss, and the long road toward healing.
As I moved through these chapters, I found myself getting pulled in by the simple directness of the writing. It is blunt in places and tender in others. The stories hit hard because they feel lived in. I kept stopping to sit with some of the moments, especially the ones where duty pressed up against heartbreak. The book doesn’t preach. It tells the truth, and it lets the truth sit there. I appreciated that. It reminded me that behind uniforms and titles are people trying to hold themselves together while holding everyone else up.
What surprised me most was how much emotion is tucked between the lines. You can feel the burnout, the loneliness, and the long, quiet ache that comes when someone keeps showing up even after they feel emptied out. The writing can feel heavy, but it is the kind of heavy that makes you reflect on how much people give without asking for anything in return. The book pushed me to consider how easily we forget the weight that service workers carry home with them every night.
By the time I reached the end, I felt grateful. This book is for anyone who loves someone in uniform or ministry, and for anyone who wants to understand why service changes a person. It is also for people who have served and may need the reminder that they are not alone in their struggles. I would recommend The Cost of Service to readers who appreciate real stories told with heart and honesty, and to anyone willing to look past the surface and hear the deeper, quieter truth of what service truly demands.
Pages: 120 | ISBN : 9798989359288
The Criminalization of Addiction: The US vs Gary Scott Hancock Case
The Criminalization of Addiction tells the tragic and deeply personal story of a mother watching her son, Gary Scott Hancock, fall into opioid addiction and then be swallowed by a justice system that confuses illness with criminal intent. Written by Scott’s mother, Dr. G.D. Hancock, a retired professor of finance, the book traces her son’s descent from a normal, middle-class upbringing in St. Louis to a twenty-year federal prison sentence for sharing fentanyl with a friend who later overdosed. What begins as a story about one family’s heartbreak expands into an unflinching critique of how the U.S. legal system handles addiction. Hancock lays out how drug-induced homicide laws, mandatory minimums, and prosecutorial power punish the sick rather than heal them. Through a mix of biography, legal analysis, and raw emotion, the book asks a hard question: when did compassion become a crime?
Hancock’s writing doesn’t hide behind theory or legalese. I could feel her disbelief turning into fury as she realized her son wasn’t seen as a person at all but as a statistic to feed a broken system. The writing moves between moments of aching tenderness and pure outrage. It’s not polished in the literary sense, and that’s what makes it powerful; it’s the voice of a mother who’s seen too much. I found myself angry right alongside her, especially when she exposed how prosecutors twist facts and judges’ hands are tied by mandatory sentences. Her mix of love, guilt, and disbelief feels brutally honest. The tone is emotional but steady, and it carries the weight of lived experience rather than abstract policy talk.
This is a very emotional book. There were moments I had to set the book down to breathe. Still, that exhaustion mirrors what the author lived through. Her background as an academic gives the story structure and evidence, yet she never loses the personal edge. The sections on medical evidence and justice reform could have been dry, but her anger keeps them alive. It’s heartbreaking to see how easily an addict’s cry for help can turn into a life sentence, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how many families must be living this same nightmare without the words to tell it.
I would recommend The Criminalization of Addiction to anyone who believes justice should be fair, or who thinks it already is. It’s especially important for lawmakers, medical professionals, and families dealing with addiction. The book isn’t easy to read, but it shouldn’t be. It made me ache, it made me furious, and it made me want change. If you’ve ever looked at addiction and thought, “That could never touch my family,” this book will prove you wrong.
Pages: 54 | ASIN : B0FNLX2T2K
Fifty Shades of True Crime
Fifty Shades of True Crime is a wild ride through the strangest and darkest corners of human behavior. Author Douglas Fifer, a former Alaskan cop, strings together story after story of crimes soaked in sex, kink, and shocking perversity. From bestiality cases in small towns to necrophilia, from bizarre arrests involving vegetables to chilling encounters with killers, the book leans on real-life cases to show just how messy and twisted desire can be. It’s told with a mix of dark humor and blunt honesty, which makes it both grotesque and oddly entertaining.
At times, I laughed, mostly at Fifer’s cop-gallows humor and his no-nonsense storytelling. Then a few pages later, I felt queasy. The stories don’t hold back, and the details are unflinching. His style is raw, sometimes crude, yet always conversational. It felt less like I was reading a book and more like I was being told insane stories by a cop who had seen too much but knew how to keep you hooked. I appreciated how he threaded in questions about morality and kink, forcing me to reflect on where the line between fantasy and crime really lies.
I also found myself admiring his honesty. He doesn’t try to sanitize the brutality of human desire or the failures of the legal system. Instead, he puts it all out there, and whether you’re disgusted, amused, or both, you can’t look away. One story that stuck with me was the “Cool as a Cucumber” case. A drunk driver in Anchorage not only crashed his minivan but was also discovered with a massive cucumber, wrapped in plastic, stuck inside him. The image is outrageous and grotesque, yet Fifer tells it with such dark humor that I couldn’t help but laugh and cringe at the same time.
I’d recommend Fifty Shades of True Crime to readers who like their true crime with a heavy dose of shock and unfiltered storytelling. If you want a book that dares to blend the outrageous with the horrifying, and if you can handle humor in the middle of horror, this book will grip you from start to finish.
Pages: 229 | ASIN : B0D7X1SDFC
A Realistic Picture
Living the Dream is a raw and detailed memoir that chronicles your journey through the Thames Valley Police’s Direct Entry Detective program, sharing insights into the bureaucracy, exhaustion, moral conflicts, and the emotional highs and lows. Why was this an important book for you to write and share?
I felt it was important to write this book because I know I’m not alone in this experience. Many good people join the police determined to make a difference, but after only a few years they leave disillusioned and burnt out. I wanted to shine a light on why the system isn’t working, and the most powerful way to do that was by sharing my own story.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I wanted to highlight some of the issues within British policing, particularly with regards to training of new recruits, but also in the wider culture and processes of the organisation. It was equally important for me to share a realistic picture of policing—not the glamour and heroics portrayed on TV, but the reality of the work, with all its pressures and complexities.
What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
The most challenging part was revisiting certain events in detail, some of which were quite upsetting. That’s why I couldn’t begin writing immediately after leaving the police—I needed time and distance from the more difficult memories. The most rewarding part has been seeing the finished book, which I’m incredibly proud of. On top of that, receiving such positive feedback has been hugely rewarding. Even close friends and family have said they now understand much more clearly what I went through.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I hope readers find the book both insightful and engaging—a genuine look behind the scenes of real police work. More than that, I hope it gives people a sense of just how demanding the job is, and why we should value the officers who do it every day. Finally, if the book reaches those in positions of influence, I hope it offers an honest insight into the urgent changes needed to repair and strengthen the policing system.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram
This powerful memoir will captivate, enlighten, and take you far beyond TV’s glamour and heroics. Join Jade on a journey that is eye-opening, deeply personal, and profoundly human—as she discovers what it truly means to live the dream.
Living the Dream: Confessions of a Trainee Detective
Jade Cameron’s Living the Dream is a raw and detailed memoir chronicling her journey through the Thames Valley Police’s Direct Entry Detective program. From training school at Sulhamstead to the intense rotations in frontline policing, CID, and the Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit, Cameron walks us through every major stage of her policing experience. Her voice is candid and self-aware, painting a picture that is often at odds with the glossy, heroic portrayals of policing in popular media. Rather than just highlighting dramatic chases or high-profile arrests, the book delves into the bureaucracy, exhaustion, moral conflicts, and the emotional highs and lows of trying to serve justice from inside a creaking, often contradictory system.
What struck me most about Cameron’s writing was how unfiltered it felt. Her tone is not academic or lofty, it’s personal, conversational, and painfully honest. She doesn’t flinch from showing us the mess behind the badge: the inconsistencies in training, the petty politics, the emotional toll of witnessing trauma, and the disillusionment that sets in when reality doesn’t match the dream. I found myself frustrated on her behalf, especially during the parts where senior officers were more obsessed with hat angles than officer readiness. The sense of institutional rigidity, the disconnect between the supposed values of the police and their day-to-day actions, came through powerfully. Her prose didn’t try to impress; it tried to tell the truth. That made it all the more impactful.
At the same time, what made the book really compelling was that it wasn’t just a complaint. Cameron never acts like she’s above the job or the people she worked with. She respects the mission of policing and clearly cares about victims and doing good work. But she also refuses to ignore the cracks in the system or the way people burn out trying to patch them. Some of the more emotional chapters, especially her breakdown, the cases that haunted her, and her eventual decision to quit, were tough to read. You could feel the weight of it all pressing down. Her honesty about the mental strain and the constant balancing act between professionalism and personal wellness felt incredibly important.
I’d recommend Living the Dream to anyone curious about what being a modern-day detective is actually like, beyond the TV scripts and recruitment posters. It’s not a sensationalized tell-all. It’s the story of someone who believed in the job, gave it her all, and eventually had to walk away. If you’re thinking about joining the police, if you’ve ever burned out from a system that didn’t quite work the way it should, or if you just want to understand the complex realities of public service, this book is worth your time. It’s thoughtful, brutally real, sometimes funny, and often heartbreaking.
Pages: 230 | ASIN : B0F7C6X6KK
Become Advocates
Tucson 9-1-1: Do The Right Thing! is a deeply personal, sometimes fiery, and always passionate insider account of the rise and fall of Tucson’s emergency communications center. Why was this an important book for you to write?
9-1-1 service is so critical to emergency services, but it suffers everywhere from neglect for political reasons. A little advocacy could easily turn this around, but there are no advocates. I want people to know how they can save lives simply by letting government officials know that we are watching. I want people to become advocates. After 14 years, the 9-1-1 service of Tucson has only degraded even more. Why is this tolerated?
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Anyone would imagine that doing great service for people who call 9-1-1 is automatic, a no-brainer. However, the reality is far different. I had this personal experience, but this same kind of truth is paralleled everywhere. I felt it was important to report the facts and quote the actual communications because readers could accurately judge the behavior of myself and all involved. Some might see me as a troublemaker, but then they will have to wonder that no one else was speaking for the victims calling 9-1-1 and dying quietly. Someone should speak for them.
How did you balance the need to be honest and authentic with the need to protect your privacy and that of others in your memoir?
I am not sure that I protected anyone. I deliberately avoided naming some people in some situations to prevent unfairness and harm to them. Maybe, I was too protective, but I don’t think anyone would say so. It’s a memoir, so I could not be honest and still protect myself.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
Demand what you value from your elected officials because politics governs what happens. Advocacy is necessary. Nothing is easy.
Author Links: GoodReads | Linkedin | Amazon
Light Will Always Shine Through
Black, White, and Gray All Over: A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement follows your career in law enforcement giving readers the good and bad of it all. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This book was important because of the turmoil and racial strife our country is experiencing right now, primarily as a result of law enforcement interactions. I felt that it was important to talk about these issues from both sides by someone who was an expert in each issue. It was also important for me to leave a legacy for my children and their children. I know nothing about my great grandparents and little about my grandparents. Now, at least my descendants will be able to walk in my shoes, so to speak.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
When I starting writing it, I thought the hardest part was going to be the part where my colleagues were murdered. But as I got deeper into the story, I realized that I had a lot of unresolved childhood issues. Writing about that, although traumatic, was as therapeutic as if I had seen a professional therapist.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?
Never quit. No matter how many times you fall down, get up at least one more time.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
Unity. We are all the same, no matter what race, color, gender, or sexual preference. Love is the single most important thing we as humans have. Wherever there is darkness, light will always shine through. If you’re unsure which way to go, stay in the gray until the light finds you.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Instagram | LinkedIn
Black, White, and Gray All Over
Black, White, and Gray All Over: A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement by Frederick Reynolds is a fantastic memoir surrounding his tumultuous life as a black cop in Compton, California. The book deals with sensitive topics such as racism, police brutality, poverty, and crime. As a cop, Reynolds encounters horrific situations that allow him to showcase in his book the many difficulties and traumatic events that cops in America have to deal with daily. Through his unforgettable story, he invites the reader to take a look from the inside at what it’s like to work in law enforcement in one of the most crime-ridden cities of America. This well-crafted book is highly informative and brings a critical perspective on life: it’s not all black and white; there are also gray areas that are constantly being navigated and make things more complicated to understand.
This revealing memoir tells the emotional story of the author’s road to personal improvement. Reynolds describes perfectly what it was like growing up in a dysfunctional family and how he almost kept going down the wrong path as a young person. We get to see the dangerous lifestyles that many people are introduced to from an early age and how hard it is to get out of them without the appropriate support system. His job as a cop helps him build a life for himself and his family. However, this didn’t come right away. Many obstacles had to be overcome, getting to witness in the process one of the most heartbreaking and cruelest realities of the worst areas in Los Angeles County.
Reynolds tells his personal story with great detail. His descriptive writing is carried out through every chapter. From his life as a child to his eventual retirement, he gives as much context as possible to the reader, creating a complete and holistic perspective of his life. He makes sure to display the real problems and corruption that he saw while working as a cop. He also shows the reader how challenging and thankless the job of being a cop in America is. This allows him to exhibit the complex and traumatic lives people who work in law enforcement have to deal with. His detailed accounts of murders, shootings, drug deals, and gang violence were very tough to read, and it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to lead a life where such events are part of your daily routine.
Black, White, and Gray All Over: A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement is a relevant book that will help readers understand the history of racism and discrimination that this country has had. Police work is probably one of the most demanding jobs out there, and through this book, you’ll get a better understanding of all the sacrifice it takes to carry out this necessary profession. Bad people come in all genders, races, shapes, and sizes; some even wear badges, so it’s important to remain human and avoid judging too harshly those that happen to look different than us or have had the misfortune to grow in disadvantageous circumstances.
Pages: 477 | ASIN : B09JF9VB4Z
LITERARY TITAN 