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Richard T. Cahill Jr.
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Sidetracked: The Betrayal And Murder Of Anna Kithcart Kindle Edition

by Richard T. Cahill (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
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The author of Hauptmann’s Ladder recounts the true crime story of a gruesome murder in a New York town and a police investigation gone awry.

As the sun rises over the quiet city of Kingston, New York on July 12, 1988, a local transient discovers the remains of 19-year-old Anna Kithcart. She was strangled and beaten to death, with the letters “KKK” carved into her thighs.

While her heartbroken family mourns, and the police work around the clock to uncover the truth, the investigation is complicated by the entrance of the Reverend Al Sharpton who insists that a racist killer is responsible. As investigators struggle to find evidence, Sharpton and his supporters denounce the entire area as a “Klan den” and make public pronouncements that a “racist cult” is operating throughout the area.

Then, as if things can’t get any worse, the transient who found the body confesses to an unspeakable sexual act against the corpse. Almost immediately after the media reports his alleged depravity, he changes his story and accuses the police of making him a patsy and a scapegoat. To add to the expanding circus, he tells the world he is really an undercover agent for the CIA, FBI, and Interpol.

Only solving the crime can quell the chaos that threatens to ignite a powder keg of racial tension and get past the rumors to catch the real killer. But can investigators overcome the outside forces that repeatedly sidetrack their efforts?
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  1. Print length
    385 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    WildBlue Press
  5. Publication date
    November 22, 2017
  6. File size
    4345 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard T. Cahill Jr. is the INDIEFAB True Crime Gold Medal Award winning author of Hauptmann's Ladder: A Step-by-Step Analysis of the Lindbergh Kidnapping. He has lectured extensively on the case. He has been an attorney in New York for over 20 years.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09CSSNHCP
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ WildBlue Press (November 22, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 22, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4345 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 385 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

About the author

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Richard T. Cahill Jr.

Richard T. Cahill Jr.

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
58 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lee Husemann
5.0 out of 5 stars Great TC read!
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
I had not heard about this crime before so it made this book all the more interesting. Anna Kithcart was just 15 years old when she was brutally murdered and the letters KKK carved in her body. This is a very well researched and well written account of her murder and resulting trial. I highly recommend this book to any true crime fan as it will definitely not disappoint.
3 people found this helpful
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Kristin Stewart
3.0 out of 5 stars Strong Trial Writing, Lacks Character Development
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2018
I would <i>like</i> to give this book a 3.5 because it really was well-done. But with that being said, it completely lacked character development. Part of me appreciated that the author got straight to the crime, but the other part of me wanted to know Anna Kithcart. We get very little information about her. I realize that may be because the family did not want to assist with the book, but there are other ways to flesh out the story of a victim's life in order to spotlight them rather than their demise. I don't even really feel that we got a strong picture of who the killer was aside from this time in his life.

I have to say the breakdown of the trial was phenomenal. I <i>loved</i> the commentary on how the lawyers were doing and how at any point they had made a mistake or won a point. It made it much more interesting that just reading court documents. The author obviously has a strong understanding of the legal system and how a trial works, and I really enjoyed reading it.

I <i>guess</i> it was important to include Sharpton and Maddox in this book? I guess? But really, that part seemed wholly unnecessary.

I appreciated the author sharing his opinion on what really happened the night that Anna's life was taken. It was insightful, and let's face it, probably pretty darn accurate to what actually happened.

Overall, I was very pleased with this book.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Custome JOAK
4.0 out of 5 stars This was an easy book to read although the title confused me somewhat
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
This was an easy book to read although the title confused me somewhat. I thought about half way thru they were going to find the"real killer". But I realized that the title referred to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson trying to get involved and create chaos and link it to the racial unrest of the time and area.
The coverage of the trial was interesting and presented well. I will look forward to reading more books by Mr. Cahill
2 people found this helpful
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Dara M
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing story and great reporting
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
As a journalist for a small town newspaper, I enjoyed the gore and process of reading through this murder investigation. I think reviews which point out the media circus around the case is pretty accurate but the story remains a sign of the times.
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Sandra
2.0 out of 5 stars B-O-R-I-N-G!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
I'll admit, my two star rating is based on about 50% of this book. I finally had to give up and just stop reading it. I really tried to get into the story but I finally gave up. This book, for me, was just plain boring!! It was choppy and hard to follow. There were many characters that were hard to keep up with. I was not enjoying the book and therefore it was hard to want to pick it up to read. Would I recommend it to other true crime buffs? Never!
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Denise Wallace
5.0 out of 5 stars Was this a racial killing?
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2018
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A murder that has Reverend Al Sharpton screaming from the mountain tops that the Klan was involved. But were they? A story that will keep you guessing...
2 people found this helpful
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Sharon Pettigrew
1.0 out of 5 stars Only read if you can abide footnotes!
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
Chapter one, 8 pages, 21 footnotes. That was way too much for me. Gave up halfway through chapter 2, waste of $6.99 for me. I read true crime exclusively and I have never come across a book with so many in all my years
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Kasi
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
The case is from my home town
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