NonFiction from Ralph Pezzullo


	Nonfiction Most Evil Jawbreaker Plunging Into Haiti At the Fall of Somoza *Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hodel* September 22, 2009 Dutton Steve Hodel with Ralph Pezzullo # ISBN-10: 0525951326 # ISBN-13: 978-0525951322 Using forensic, visual, and circumstantial evidence, *Most Evil, when read cover to cover, leaves readers with little doubt that not only was Hodel's father the Zodiac but he was also the "Lipstick Killer" in 1945 Chicago and the Dahlia-copycat "Jigsaw Murderer" in Manila. As Hodel writes, "Serial killers don't stop until they're caught, go to prison, or die." George Hodel is known to have killed and dismembered the Black Dahlia at age 40. He died in 1999 at the age of 91. It would be naive to think his reign of terror was isolated to 1947 Los Angeles. Most Evil* is a call to arms for law enforcement to re-dedicate themselves to the Zodiac case. Hodel believes that detectives are holding forensic evidence that links his father to the Zodiac. "The Zodiac case in particular has been complicated, immensely time consuming and frustrating," Hodel writes in the conclusion. "Some of the difficulty has been the result of different jurisdictions conducting their own investigations into what initially appeared to be separate crimes. Since 1970 the California Department of Justice has assumed the role of coordinator of the Zodiac investigations by various local police and sheriff departments. That's why I suggest that California DOJ headed by Attorney General Jerry Brown conduct the follow up investigation that results from my book." Hodel has personal possessions of his father's that he believes will link his father's DNA to a known sample of DNA from the Zodiac, if officials heed his call to develop the evidence already in their possession. *Most Evil* delivers more than just shocking evidence and hard-hitting facts -- it presents a level of personal connection between a detective and a criminal, a son and his father, that rivals every true-crime book preceding it. Plunging Into Haiti: Clinton, Aristide, and the Defeat of Democracy July 2006 University Press of Mississippi An ASDT-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Book Winner, 2006 Douglas Dillon Award given by the American Academy of Diplomacy ISBN 1578068606 Buy it online An inside account of the backroom negotiations that entangled the United States in the sufferings of its island neighbor. For much of the early 1990s, Haiti held the world’s attention. A fiery populist priest, Jean Bertrand Aristide, was elected president and deposed a year later in a military coup. Soon thousands of desperately poor Haitians started to arrive in makeshift boats on the shores of Florida. In early 1993, the newly elected Clinton administration pledged to make the restoration of President Aristide one of the cornerstones of its foreign policy. But that fall the U.S. let supporters of Haiti’s ruling military junta intimidate America into ordering the USS Harlan County and its cargo of UN peacekeeping troops to scotch plans and return to port. Less than a year later, for the first time in U.S. history, a deposed president of another country prevailed on the United States to use its military might to return him to office. These extraordinary events provide the backdrop for Plunging into Haiti—Ralph Pezzullo’s detailed account of the international diplomatic effort to resolve the political crisis. Through his father, Lawrence Pezzullo, who served as the U.S. special envoy to Haiti, Ralph Pezzullo gained access to important players on all sides. He tells the story of talented, committed men and women from the United States, France, Argentina, and Haiti who dedicated themselves to creating an outcome that would benefit Haiti and the rest of the world. With the energy of a political thriller, Plunging into Haiti fleshes out the central political struggle with threads of Haitian history and will engage readers with a general interest in Haiti as well as students of foreign policy. Using his unique perspective and access, Ralph Pezzullo covers the aftermath of the Clinton administration’s diplomatic maneuvers to show an island still in turmoil. "*Plunging Into Haiti* is a must-read for all who would know how foreign policy is actually made, day by day and by fallible and vulnerable people, rather than as the abstract process usually depicted." - James Morrell, Executive Director of the Haiti Democracy Project "*Plunging Into Haiti* is a fascinating and important contribution to our understanding of U.S. efforts to resolve Haiti's 1991-1994 coup crisis and the Aristide presidency in office and in exile. Based on his unique access to sources and a playwright's sense of language, character and drama, Pezzullo presents a Potemkin Village of posturing self-righteousness and counterproductive, sometimes inexplicable decisions and actions by all sides. He shows the context of petty Haitian elite struggles over minuscule state wealth and U.S. power struggles largely impelled by the desire to prevent refugees from reaching the United States." - Henry (Chip) Carey, Professor of political science, Georgia State University "The complete, often dramatic, detail from primary sources, American, Haitian and UN, gives full flavor to the international community in time of crisis. Ralph Pezzullo's work adds to the study of modern Haitian history and to our understanding of the UN's still evolving role as international crisis manager. It also underscores our need to know cultures, national history, and individual personalities before pretending to set effective policies and fix courses of U.S. diplomatic and military action." - Timothy Carney, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, 1998-1999 "Highly ambitious and especially valuable, not only as a diplomatic case study drawing on a number of important primary sources, but also as a major contribution to the resources on Haiti itself." - Ambassador Timothy M. Carney At the Fall of Somoza Lawrence Pezzullo and Ralph Pezzullo ISBN 0-8229-3756-5 January 1994 University of Pittsburgh Press Hardcover $34.95 A powerful narrative describing the fall of Nicaragua's dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle - evoking the vivid colors, sounds, and smells of a volatile Managua, torn by violence and fear. Told from the perspective of a top U.S. official on the frontlines of diplomatic activity during the final weeks of the Nicaraguan Revolution. "Eye-opening. A fascinating look at a failing dictator." - Booklist "Highly recommended." - Library Journal "Unusually frank and gripping. A fascinating, hard-hitting narrative …based on eyewitness participation in the dramatic events of these years, and extensive research and interviews." - Foreign Affairs "Paced like a thriller. A rattling good read …well-researched and informative." - The Baltimore Sun "No other account of the fighting during the last few weeks of the Somoza regime is as good as this one." William M. LeoGrande, American University