The Murder Gene bookcover

The Murder Gene

A True Story
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Description

As the soft-spoken, highly intelligent son of missionaries in Morganton, North Carolina, Luke Chang gave no indication of the killer he would become. But after hacking into a teacher's computer at his school, a stint in the Marines was his only option.

As a young recruit, Luke was taunted for being a virgin who didn't cuss, drink, or smoke pot. That all changed when Luke met Casey Byrams, a fun-loving musician and fellow Marine from Cullman, Alabama. Their friendship set off a series of events that would eventually lead Luke to Pendleton, Oregon, where he brutally murdered nineteen-year-old Amyjane Brandhagen in August 2012. When Luke attempted to kill another woman almost a year later, Pendleton Police knew they had a serial-killer wannabe on their hands.

Some forty years prior to Amyjane's murder, Luke's maternal grandfather, Gene Dale Lincoln, murdered a young Michigan woman and attempted to abduct a twelve-year-old girl. The similarities between the violent actions of grandfather and grandson compels the question: Is there such a thing as a murder gene?

Product Details

PublisherKoehler Books
Publish DateMay 10, 2022
Pages252
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconPaperback / softback
EAN/UPC9781646636464
Dimensions9.0 X 6.0 X 0.6 inches | 0.8 pounds

About the Author

Karen Spears Zacharias is an award-winning author of numerous books, both fiction and nonfiction. A former crime beat reporter, she has taught journalism at Central Washington University, and her work has been featured on NPR, CNN, and Good Morning America. Her op-eds have appeared in The Washington Post and The New York Times. A Gold-Star daughter, Karen divides her time between her home in Deschutes County, Oregon, and her hometown of Columbus, Georgia. For more information check out karenzach.com.

Reviews

"The attention to detail and the resort to careful sourcing makes The Murder Gene a notable addition to the annals of crime reporting." -Les Zaitz, publisher and editor, Oregon's Malheur Enterprise; founder and editor, Salem Reporter

"Written with compassion and insight, The Murder Gene comes off as a cross between Forensic Files and In Cold Blood. I love this book." -George Singleton, author of You Want More: Selected Stories

"The Murder Gene is proof, yet again, that Zacharias has a strong passion for the truth. Her in-depth research, along with her humanity for the victims she is writing about, make this book a compulsive read." -Angela Pursel/ The Next Chapter Bookstore/Hermiston, Oregon

"Award winning author Karen Spears Zacharias has done it again with The Murder Gene. Using her expertise as a former investigative journalist and her writer's gift of prose, Zacharias effortlessly weaves the science behind DNA with the intrigue of true crime. The result is a page turning book that chronicles crimes of murder committed by members of the same family and addresses the age old question - are humans compelled by nature or nurture? The Murder Gene is bound to create robust discussions and will stay with the reader long after the last page has been read. -Michael Morris, author of Man in the Blue Moon

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