A Force for Evil: Assassination in a Small Town (Paperback)

~ William Krueger (Author)
Key Phrases: shoplifting case, Small Town, Ruth Martin, Ann Mardis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A Force for Evil is the true story of the Fry Murder Case, which occurred in Lincoln, Illinois the summer of 1976. It is a reflection on the crime of murder: how the crime affected the community, the families of the victims and how the crime was solved. The story takes you from the time the killer was a child up to and including his commission of the crime, his arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing. It involves the process of the investigation as seen through the eyes of the author, who was one of the investigating detectives. It relates how, like the work of a jigsaw puzzler, the detectives gathered, analyzed and put the pieces of the puzzle together to bring the investigation to it's ultimate conclusion. Russell Smrekar, a college student, commits a theft of a few dollars worth of meat from a super market. In order to save himself from punishment he determines to eliminate all witnesses against him. In his resolve to carry out his plan not only are people murdered, but also others are made to disappear never to be seen again. Read how a small town police department working incooperation with other agencies solved a heinous crime and the methods used to bring a killer to justice. The book details not only how investigations were carried out by routine police work, but also by use of the para-normal bordering on the occult.

About the Author

Chief William A. Krueger has served in law enforcement for 35 years. He retired from The Lincoln, Illinois Police Department in 1980 and was than appointed Chief of Police in Salem, Illinois. He has served as an agent for the Midstates Organized Crime Information Center(MOCIC), a U.S. Justice Department program to assist local, state and federal agencies in gathering criminal intelligence on organized crime. Chief Krueger holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and is a past president of the Illinois State Chapter of the National Academy Associates. He is a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War. This is Chief Krueger's first book. "A Force For Evil" is a true crime case occurring in 1976 in Lincoln, Illinois. He was the Detective Sergeant assigned to the Fry Murder Case from which the story is drawn. "Between Moonlight and Murder" is Chief Krueger's second book. A novel that is based on a true crime which occurred in Lincoln, Illinois during the summer and fall of 1882. He presently resides in Leesburg, Florida with his wife, Kathryn, and two dogs, Rhaggs and Dakota.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (December 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410766985
• ISBN-13: 978-1410766984
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #843,440 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bonnie J. Thompson, Author of "Process of Elimination" and "True Facts & Findings", February 18, 2007

By	Bonnie Thompson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Former detective William Krueger withheld the truth and misinformed the public about the most important facts and evidence gathered in the Ruth Martin case. He further misled the public when he stated in his book that no direct evidence connected to Martin's disappearance was found and no suspects were developed. I am in the position to inform people that what Krueger printed in his book is not true because I've been investigating and writing about these murders for many years; I'm very familiar with the evidence gathered in these cases as well as the courthouse and police records pertaining to these 1976 murder investigations. In addition, I'm the daughter of Roger W. Thompson, the Logan County State's Attorney who convicted Russell Smrekar of the Fry double homicide. The chain of custody pertaining to the evidence in the Martin case reveals that Krueger and his former partner, detective Tom Mauer, came into direct contact with monumental evidence, which provided these two former detectives with an excellent lead to a possible suspect/accomplice in Ruth Martin's disappearance/murder. However, I have found no record that this possible suspect/accomplice was ever questioned by law enforcement in regard to Martin's mysterious demise. Krueger also presented false information about the BC Rich guitar that was stolen in the Lincoln College dorm room burglary. Krueger claimed that his former partner, Mauer, searched "Smrekar's car, a white and blue Buick Skylark", and found the BC Rich guitar in the trunk. That is a complete falsehood. The BC Rich guitar was discovered at an apartment in upstate Joliet, IL - Joliet Police Officer M G. Taylor shipped it to Tom Mauer at the Lincoln PD. Smrekar didn't even own the Buick Skylark in 1975. It's my strong opinion that both former detectives Krueger and Mauer need to be interrogated about some particular "True Facts & Findings" concerning the Martin case.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars distortion of facts, July 29, 2005

By	Lewis Alexander - See all my reviews

This book should be listed as fiction since it is so full of errors, misrepresentation of the facts, and elimination of much of the real evidence. Krueger is either a deliberate liar and in some way connected with the murders or prefers fiction to fact.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Force for Inaccuracy, June 10, 2008

By	V. Cunningham (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Force for Evil: Assassination in a Small Town (Hardcover)

This book is full of inaccuracies and discrepancies. On page 39 this 'detective' states he will not reveal the name of the killer's girlfriend, by page 119 he has ratted her out in black & white. One chapter says 2 young boys saw a dark car, another chapter states they saw a blue & white car. Which is it? The real kicker is page 82 where the 'detective' refers to another major murder that happened in that area a couple of months prior to the Fry murders. By time he wrote this book, it was a well know fact which girl was tied up and should have known how to spell the girl's name correctly that escaped. It was also a well-known fact by the time of the writing that this killer did not drive himself to the hospital. It is hard to believe that a detective living in Lincoln IL at that time could not have gotten his facts straight on this prior major murder case. Perhaps he would have been better off leaving that part of it out all together. I went to that trial, I know. If the writing of this book is anywhere similar to the work of a major detective in this case, then my opinion is that he must have done some sloppy detective work. As for the chapter about the psychics, I have not lived in Illinois for over 25 years now and the part about water with a capital K? A detective living there could not figure it out? Hello?? Has anyone in Lincoln, Illinois never heard of Kickapoo Creek? I have ordered another book about this same case and cannot wait to receive it to see if that author has anything straight. I lived in the area at the time of both murders. I remember them both....well. Things like that stay with you. They just don't go away.