Hands That Heal - Hands That Kill (Daryl Richardson Crime Mysteries, #1)

A rash of drug overdoses and a mounting death toll has the normally tranquil New England Berkshire communities in a state of near panic. Most alarming is the deaths are attributed to powerful pain killer drugs, not heroin.When a firebrand Congressman's granddaughter is among four young people murdered during a drug-fueled party, the crisis explodes with headlines across the country after the Congressman tells the press her death was a personal attack against him to sabotage his plans to run for President. Assigned by the US attorney to lead a Federal investigation, major crimes legal consultant Daryl Richardson soon uncovers a clandestine drug trafficking scheme, a shadowy pharmaceutical company run by medical professionals, and learns the Congressman is no stranger to murder. Not a Superman or Rambo, Daryl uses his detective experience and intellect to work through a death threat and sort out whose hands heal and whose hands kill.

JW Lucas, author of the Daryl Richardson and Dan Dragona Crime Mysteries series, is a retired law enforcement Detective Sergeant and Healthcare Security executive, his careers spanning forty-five years.
As a detective, he received advanced training in crime scene processing, evidence, and forensics, including being among a select group of investigators who received intensive personal training from internationally renowned forensics expert, Dr. Henry Lee, at the University of New Haven, Connecticut.
In February 1981, he led the criminal investigation of a murder that prompted shocking, sensational headlines worldwide that created a media frenzy.
Coming to be known as the 'Devil Made Me Do It Case,' the accused, through his attorney, made the unprecedented claim of demonic possession as a defense.
The murder became the basis for the 1983 ABC television movie, 'The Demon Murder Case,' the screenplay written by Academy Award winner William Kelly, (Witness, starring Harrison Ford) and more recently, the 2022 Warner Brothers distributed movie 'Conjuring 3,' and a 2022 two-hour Discovery TV Network documentary 'The Devil Made Me Do It.'
He has led many major crime investigations, including homicide, kidnapping, serial bank robberies, undercover narcotics, and white-collar crimes.
His crime mystery series focuses on the human side of the investigators; the doubts and frustrations they encounter with unexpected twists and turns in their cases, the emotional toll horrific crime takes on its victims and their families, and the use of forensics and technology to solve the crimes.
JW Lucas lives in Connecticut. He enjoys hearing from readers at:
jwlucasbooks1@gmail.com