Member Reviews

Janice Starr, a young college co-ed, goes missing in 1981 without a trace. Or, actually, there were tons of traces. The all-male cops on the case simply didn't want to pay attention to them. Kay Schucker, the lone woman on the force, takes up Janice's case and brings her story to light, ultimately proving that she is a badass and the men around her were trash.

Peterson's writing was very comprehensive and flowed in an exhilarating narrative. Kay and Janice's story is that of feminine strength, resilience, and the gender inequalities and power struggles that shaped their fates. While much of the inequality is "of the time," sadly women still frequently face such unfairness in judgement.

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In the Wind is the fascinating true crime story telling how a persistent and tenacious Detective fought apathy and sexism ,to the extent of putting her job on the line, to investigate the disappearance of a young student.
Detective Kay Schucker was the first female detective in her department, something that her sexist and patronising colleagues and some of her bosses didn't appreciate.
In 1981 college student Janice Starr vanished without trace. Kay Schuker was the Lead investigator and what she discovered in Janice's diary greatly concerned her,not least her relationship with Army Captain Dwight Beddingfield. That same diary had Kay's colleagues labelling dismissing the missing student as a good time girl who had probably just moved on and not believing that the well-respected Army Captain was anything less than an upstanding family man.
With both herself and the missing girl being criticised,derided and fobbed off Kay decided to launch her own unofficial investigation, something that nearly got her fired.

This is a true story that reads like a work of fiction, from the feisty and determined female detective who won't give up to the extremely unusual methods used in the investigation to the shocking conclusion.

The book highlights the awful attitudes to women at the time, or probably more accurately the lack of any need to hide them back then. People who should have listened to and helped Kay Schucker instead ridiculed her and actually tried to block her investigation.

An excellent read.

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Peterson told Janice Starr’s story in a way that really captivated the reader. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about the life and death of Janice, which kept me reading. A well researched and written book.

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"In the Wind" by Ron Peterson is a non-fiction true crime story of tragedy and perseverance. Janice Starr, 23, transfers to the Army Reserves in hopes of obtaining her degree so she can commission. Many describe her as sweet, kind, smart, and focused. Janice goes to Old Dominion University in Virginia, until one day she just disappears. Officer Kay Schucker is determined to find Janice and arrest the perpetrator, however, she faces tough obstacles as being the first female cop in their district. While Kay navigates the system, she's told to tread lightly and to quickly solve the case-whether that includes finding Janice or not.

This story highlights how foul play among our service members has been happening for decades. I recommend reading to keep Janice Starr's memory alive.

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In the Wind
The Disappearance of Janice Starr
by Ron Peterson
4 stars

Disturbingly fascinating book about the disappearance and murder of Janice Starr. Ron Peterson has done a remarkable job of filling in the holes of her disappearance with painstaking research into the life and death of Ms. Starr, whose life was cut far too short after falling for the wrong man.
I had not heard of Peterson or Janice Starr prior to this book, but he is a talented author and writer. I appreciate when true crime writers do not sensationalize the death or the killer. I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

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This was a very enjoyable true crime read about a tenacious woman detective who has to overcome and ignore her male counterpart's derision to solve a case and ultimately recover the victim’s body for the family. Very inspiring story of detective investigating a sad loss in a crazy case.

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Oh, how I love me some good true crime. I thought I might not like this very much since it’s very dated (disappearance was in 1981) but it was very good. Very good.

In 1981 Janice Start, 23, a college student, Army veteran and ROTC member at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia went missing. One of the only clues in her disappearance was her daily diary.

Detective Kay Schucker who was the first female police officer with the Chesapeake Police Department and who, believe me, went through some stuff which is so infuriating to read about, was the lead on Janice’s case. She began to suspect Janice’s ODU ROTC professor Dwight Beddingfield, a real ass, and who was married and had three kids. Kay’s superiors…”warned her off” would be a nice way to put it…Bedfingfield as a suspect, him having the support of the Army and all.

Other than my sorrow for Starr, which is obvious, and my dismay at all Schucker went through, I’m also sorry that out of Officers Tillett, Forelli and Dilday only one of them survives to read this book to be faced with their misogynistic, horrific treatment of both Starr and Schucker. Read this to be reminded of the bad old days that some politicians would like to see us return to. Give this to your true crime-crazy younger daughters so they can see the way that women, both victims and law enforcement officials were treated not so long ago (and it’s not like things are fixed.)

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This is a great true crime account which includes a great deal of balanced information about the parties involved and the investigation process. Much of this, for me, was a bit overshadowed by the fury I felt when reading of the discrimination experienced by the women - including the victim herself and the police officer who solved the case. It’s an important piece of context of the time but, with a modern eye, it is just infuriating to see the barriers put in place for these women. This is not to say the author should not have included this - it is an important contextual factor - but more a reflection of how well they represented it! I appreciated the concluding information about where the various parties “ended up” as this left no loose strings to what was a very interesting case.

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