Fire in the Desert: The True Story of the Craig Titus-Kelly Ryan Murder Mystery (Paperback)

~ Glenn Puit (Author)
Key Phrases: fitness show, Las Vegas, Pierson Foley, Melissa James (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On the morning of December 14, 2005, Las Vegas police and firefighters were called to the desert outside of Las Vegas. A 2003 Jaguar was in flames, and inside the trunk of the vehicle was the badly burned body of a young Las Vegas woman named Melissa James. The 28-year-old had suffered a horrifying fate -- she was restrained, her face was covered with duct-tape, and she was set on fire.

The disturbing discovery prompted a massive police investigation, and within hours, detectives were standing at the front doorstep of two of the nation's most recognized fitness celebrities -- Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan.

Titus is a past place finisher in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition, and his antics appropriately earned him the nickname the "Bad Boy of Bodybuilding." Meanwhile, his elegant wife, Ryan, is widely recognized as one of the premier womens' fitness competitors in the country.

But within the week, the two would be known as something else: murder suspects in the death of James, who was their live-in personal assistant.

* Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter and true crime author Glenn Puit has the inside scoop on the evidence gathered by Las Vegas police against the couple.

* Fire in the Desert serves as an evidentiary handbook for those following the case, providing a detailed legal analysis by Las Vegas courtroom experts.

* The book offers an independent examination of the fitness couple's sordid lifestyle, their actions before and after their personal assistant was found dead.

About the Author

Glenn Puit covers the criminal justice system in Las Vegas for the Review-Journal. He was the first reporter in the nation to document the identity of John Doe #2 in the Oklahoma City bombing while working as a reporter in Florence, South Carolina.

He is also the author of Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas' Most Notorious Female Killer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Stephens Press (February 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932173749
• ISBN-13: 978-1932173741
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #228,548 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Pre-Trial Rough Draft, March 13, 2007

By	The JuRK (Our Vast, Cultural Desert) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I'm sure there will be a final draft from this writer about the Titus-Ryan murder after the trial is over.

If you want to see a lot of raw data without much commentary or background, this book is definitely worth a look since it includes complete interviews and short summaries of official police reports. The manuscript is rife with weird indentations and sloppy typos, but you get the facts of this lurid and disturbing case.

I'd tell you to wait for the final draft but this book is definitely worth reading for a review of what's going to show up in the upcoming trial. Unless you live in Las Vegas and have access to regular reports, you'll at least this need this book to get an idea of the twists and turns going on right up to today!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FANTASTIC pre-trial book, January 27, 2007

By	Veronica T. (California) - See all my reviews

I bought and read this book because I think Glenn Puit's first book (Witch) was fantastic and because he's a talented reporter for a major Las Vegas newspaper.

While other true crime pre-trial books are presented in a way that gives the reader an idea where the author stands, and many true crime pre-trial books read like a post-trial / conviction book, Fire in the Desert is just the facts with portions of actual transcripts and other factual information gathered so that the reader can form his own conclusion. Readers get a glimpse into what the jury is in for. It truly is a handbook for the trial. It's also presented in a way that allows the reader to ponder how he or she might present the case in the role of prosecutor or defense attorney.

It's a real page turner too. One of those books that was hard for me to put down because I wanted to know what comes next.

The binding and the actual pages are very nice quality. There are fantastic color pictures inside too.

Can't wait for the post-trial book by Glenn Puit.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wrote this book prior to a jury verdict, August 7, 2007

By	Anthony M. Wright "AMW" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mr. Puit is a very thorough journalist and a great writer, however many attorneys in Las Vegas felt that his book was premature because a jury had not yet decided the case.

However, the information provided in the book gives the reader the sense that a guilty verdict is inevitable. As in Mr. Puit's other book "Witch" he leaves some questions open for the reader to decide. In this book, we are left to ponder whether both the Husband and the Wife are responsible for the murder or whether the Husband is more culpable and the wife merely a pawn of her Husband's will.