Al Wiman, former investigative reporter, KABC and KCBS, Los Angeles:
(He helped the LAPD break the Charles Manson cult murder case in 1969)

"Murder on Rouse Hill can be likened to an extended episode of Law and Order, bookended by eerie segments of The Twilight Zone. It is an intriguing read. Alan Terry Wright is a true history detective who left no leaf unturned in seeking the truth of this 1915 brutal murder in rural Missouri."

Judge Robert H. Dierker, Jr., Missouri Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit:

(Author of The Tyranny of Tolerance)

"Inspired by his mother’s reminiscence of a fearful childhood encounter on a country road, Alan Terry Wright brings to life a long-ago murder in another era: backwoods Missouri, in 1915. Murder on Rouse Hill is an absorbing tale of law and order and the vagaries of justice. Wright's story is a tapestry of extravagant women, shifty bankers, sturdy lawmen, frustrated lynch mobs, clever lawyers, and survival of the only eyewitness to the gruesome crime—a horse! Was justice thwarted by cunning and well-connected defense attorneys, or was the impassioned prosecutor’s case against Charlie Balckburn just too thin? Wright provides a wealth of detail, but readers will have to make up their own minds."

Kenneth H. Winn, PhD, State Archivist of Missouri:

(Co-editor of The Dictionary of Missouri Biography)

"Murder on Rouse Hill makes 1915 Stoutland, Missouri, come alive with a cast of real characters from our past: the prosperous bachelor farmer who mistakenly believed that a man's word was his bond; the village's haughty and proud would-be aristocrats; the town square idler and busybody; and a roused mob ready to take justice into their own hands. Wright's feeling for the period is impeccable. This is a remarkable work of historical reconstruction…without the endnotes, it would hardly be possible to know where history ends and fiction begins."

Dee Joyce-Hayes, Circuit Attorney, City of St. Louis, 1993–2001:

"Murder on Rouse Hill reminds us that even back in the 'good old days' justice wasn’t necessarily swift or certain. Circumstantial evidence surrounding Jap Francis’s murder pointed squarely at Charlie Blackburn—12 men 'good and true' all agreed. The problem was that 36 more could not! Colorful and wholly credible, this 91-year-old murder story seems lifted right off the front pages of today’s newspapers."

Vince Schoemehl, Mayor, City of St. Louis, 1981–1993:

"Remarkably engrossing, this very readable tale gives important insights into the social and economic life of Missouri in the early years of the twentieth century. I found the political elements of the story most intriguing and illuminating."

Flossie Shamel, Book reviewer, Lebanon Daily Record, September 23, 2007:

"These characters from the past remind me of the good old days when a man's word was his bond and though justice was not certain or accomplished, it keeps us alert and grateful for our heritage of days gone by."

Kirk Pearce, Lebanon Daily Record, September 30, 2007:

"Remarkably engrossing, this very readable tale gives important insights into the social and economic life of Missouri in the early years of the twentieth century. I found the political elements of the story most intriguing and illuminating."

Ra'Vae Edwards, News Tribune, November 7, 2007:

"[Mayor Della] Sage said area residents have been talking about [Murder on Rouse Hill], which was released in August. She believes the book may even put Stoutland 'back on the map.'

"'It's a great book and it was exciting to me because one of my relatives is mentioned in it,' Sage said. 'I think it could really be a positive thing for our small town.'”

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"Bob Wright, no relation to the author, maintains an online news site for the town.…Bob said he enjoyed Wright's book and also has family mentioned in the book.

"'The author is masterful in setting the scene of that particular time. The story is powerful, mysterious, engaging. I hope it is picked up by a national venue like NBC's Unsolved Mysteries,' Bob said."

Harry Levins, St. Louis Post Dispatch:

"I simply couldn't put the damned thing down. The story of a long-ago small town bringing its anger to bear on Charlie Blackburn grabbed me . . . the sociology is superb and the story gripping. If Missouri history is your thing, Murder on Rouse Hill may be your book."

Keith A. Sculle, PhD, Director of Research, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library:

"Historians are good at analysis rendered in an impersonal tone. Novelists are good at inspiring important reflections because they invite readers to relive experience. Wright shows the historical novelist's way to good advantage."

Sara Porter, West End Word, December 26, 2007-January 8, 2008:

"Wright tells the story of this crime on two levels, as both a realistic story and a fictional novel, and he manages it pretty well. His sense of realism is revealed in his knowledge of the court proceedings and of life in Stoutland. . . .  [H]e has a good eye and ear for Stoutland and its residents.…He also does a commendable job of detailing the murder itself and the ensuing court procedures.

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"In the end, Murder on Rouse Hill shows that sometimes justice takes a little bit longer."

Laura L. Valenti, Ozarks Magazine, December 2007/January 2008:

"The author based as much of his account as possible on his research and fictionalized other portions as needed to fill in the missing parts of the story—thus the name, docu-novel.

"This is an intriguing way to relate a true crime story in which essential parts are missing. Even at over 400 pages, Murder on Rouse Hill never lags and is filled with insights into small-town turn-of-the-century rural life."

James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review, February 2008:

"Murder on Rouse Hill is a dramatic tale of greed, fraud, political clout, and death-dealing of the cruelest kind.… [An] engaging historical novel."