Murderer With a Badge: The Secret Life of a Rogue Cop

Rating:
Summary: Excellent story about a cop gone bad
Review: My interest in this story is due to one of the murders that Leasure committed took place a few blocks from my home. When the 1980 beauty shop killing occurred, it shook the community for how random and senseless it was. I also knew an LAPD officer who was close friends with Leasure and who was really shocked when all this came out. The story is full of great details, and is a must read for people who love true crime tales, or anyone who wants to keep up on any non-fiction having to do with Los Angeles.

Rating:
Summary: He liked to give motorists a warning -
Review: The kind of cop i would like to pull me over - he liked to give traffic violators a verbal warning instead of a ticket, wish we had traffic cops like that here in Reno. But he built an 8 car garage and filled it up with stuff stolen from yachts. He had a WWII trainer plane, several corvettes, and his own yacht. A mild mannered cop who slept around on his wife, stole and was involved in three murders, but he hated to write tickets! His wife was an LA prosecutor, but she claimed she did not know about her hubbie cops illegal activities. She did not even know about his affair with a young Chinese woman. A great read - I could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: He liked to give motorists a warning -
Review: The kind of cop i would like to pull me over - he liked to give traffic violators a verbal warning instead of a ticket, wish we had traffic cops like that here in Reno. But he built an 8 car garage and filled it up with stuff stolen from yachts. He had a WWII trainer plane, several corvettes, and his own yacht. A mild mannered cop who slept around on his wife, stole and was involved in three murders, but he hated to write tickets! His wife was an LA prosecutor, but she claimed she did not know about her hubbie cops illegal activities. She did not even know about his affair with a young Chinese woman. A great read - I could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Good job but looooong!
Review: Those familiar with Author Humes know that his stories are lengthy and detailed. "Murderer with A Badge" is no exception. The central character is Bill Leasure, a quiet, mild mannered, unassuming Los Angeles traffic cop. Outwardly, he could put in his 20 years, qualify for a pension and quietly pass from the scene. That is the picture Leasure would paint for the public. His accusers in the DA's office and LAPD would present a different portrayal. They believe that Officer Leasure is guilty of arranging murder, committing murder, a WIDE range of burglaries, possession of stolen goods and even adultery. The formal charges against Leasure are extensive with many charges,incidents, witnesses, and accomplices to sort through. They were so extensive that several hard core low life criminals were granted immunity to testify against him. How the author, the trial judge, the District Attorney and the defense counsel kept the real life maze of facts, truths, lies, contradictions and witnesses straight are a wonder. MWB is a complicated tale and very challenging for the average reader. This reviewer admits to simply losing track toward the end. Author Humes still does a wonderful job of trying to make sense of it all but in truth MWB could easily have been compressed into a shorter story. The ending is somewhat muddled but so are many true crime resolutions. Life is like that and MWB is no exception. Please note that this reviewer did not reveal the ending, as did at least one reviewer below. MWB is a 5 star tale with one deducted for its' extensive length. It is arguable whethet even hard core true crime mavens would add back the fifth star. Two closing notes: 1) I purchased MWB "used". Amazon and the previous owner handled the transaction from a previous owner. 2) The "Ann Rule rule" can be suspended for MWB. The centerfold pictures are not giveaways to the ending and may actually assist in sorting out the action and characters.

Rating:
Summary: Good job but looooong!
Review: Those familiar with Author Humes know that his stories are lengthy and detailed. "Murderer with A Badge" is no exception. The central character is Bill Leasure, a quiet, mild mannered, unassuming Los Angeles traffic cop. Outwardly, he could put in his 20 years, qualify for a pension and quietly pass from the scene. That is the picture Leasure would paint for the public. His accusers in the DA's office and LAPD would present a different portrayal. They believe that Officer Leasure is guilty of arranging murder, committing murder, a WIDE range of burglaries, possession of stolen goods and even adultery. The formal charges against Leasure are extensive with many charges,incidents, witnesses, and accomplices to sort through. They were so extensive that several hard core low life criminals were granted immunity to testify against him. How the author, the trial judge, the District Attorney and the defense counsel kept the real life maze of facts, truths, lies, contradictions and witnesses straight are a wonder. MWB is a complicated tale and very challenging for the average reader. This reviewer admits to simply losing track toward the end. Author Humes still does a wonderful job of trying to make sense of it all but in truth MWB could easily have been compressed into a shorter story. The ending is somewhat muddled but so are many true crime resolutions. Life is like that and MWB is no exception. Please note that this reviewer did not reveal the ending, as did at least one reviewer below. MWB is a 5 star tale with one deducted for its' extensive length. It is arguable whethet even hard core true crime mavens would add back the fifth star. Two closing notes: 1) I purchased MWB "used". Amazon.com and the previous owner handled the transaction quite capably. 2) The "Ann Rule rule" can be suspended for MWB. The centerfold pictures are not giveaways to the ending and may actually assist in sorting out the action and characters.

Rating:
Summary: MURDERER WITH A BADGE
Review: VERY INTERESTING STORY. CANNOT BELIEVE HIS WIFE DID NOT KNOW OF ALL HIS INVOLVEMENT OF STOLEN GOODS.WHAT A DISGRACE FOR LAPD..HE WAS LUCKY HE TOOK DEAL SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN MUCH HARDER SENTENCE. SO MANY LIVESCUT SHORT..WHERE IS HE NOW? BOOK WELL WRITTEN. EXPOSING THE CORRUPTION THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE IN MANY OTHER PD.LEASURE WAS A DISGRACE TO HIS PROFESSION. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AND WIFE THIS MANY YEARS LATER TERM OF 15 YEARS FINISHED..

Rating:
Summary: MURDERER WITH A BADGE
Review: VERY INTERESTING STORY. CANNOT BELIEVE HIS WIFE DID NOT KNOW OF ALL HIS INVOLVEMENT OF STOLEN GOODS.WHAT A DISGRACE FOR LAPD..HE WAS LUCKY HE TOOK DEAL SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN MUCH HARDER SENTENCE. SO MANY LIVESCUT SHORT..WHERE IS HE NOW? BOOK WELL WRITTEN. EXPOSING THE CORRUPTION THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE IN MANY OTHER PD.LEASURE WAS A DISGRACE TO HIS PROFESSION. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AND WIFE THIS MANY YEARS LATER TERM OF 15 YEARS FINISHED..