You may be shocked to know that at times real life stories about murders can actually be more gory and brutal than those written about in fiction. To cap it off, they don’t necessarily happen in the big cities. They can happen in nondescript small towns all over America. M. William Phelp’s book “Where Monsters Hide” is one such story. If violence and a lot of bloodshed put you off, you can skip this book! This is a true crime story pieced together by the well-known investigative journalist and New York Times best-selling author, M. William Phelps. The book is based on his in-depth research into true crime with a special interest in solving mysteries of those reported missing. Data shows that many of those listed missing are never found again. A fair proportion of these people, young and old, male and female, are later discovered to have been killed.
One such case is covered in great detail in this book. An US Air Force veteran aged 53 called Chris Regan goes missing one day in October 2014 in Iron River, a small town in Michigan. Laura Frizzo, the Chief of Police is intrigued about the man’s sudden disappearance more so because early investigations show that he and his son, who lived in another town, had planned to shift to a new location in North Carolina only a few days later. As the investigations picks up steam, suspicion falls on Jason Cochran, a known drug addict who is prone to depression and alleged to have a violent past. Later, Chief Frizzo wonders if Jason’s wife Kelly has more to do with the case that she makes out to be. Kelly it is learnt, was the girl friend of Chris Regan, the man who went missing. Indeed, they had been together shortly before he vanished.
In her investigation, Chief Frizzo is helped by Detective Jeremy Ogden of the Hobart Police Department . They are persistent despite coming across many obstacles in their investigation not the least of all being Kelly Cochran herself. She is well-educated yet street smart and is a smooth talker. The case takes a major twist when Jason Cochran is found dead, allegedly due to an overdose of drugs. The investigators want to know whether his was a natural death, a suicide or was he killed? If he was killed, did his wife Kelly have anything to do with the murder? And of course, was he killed because he knew too much about his wife’s affair with Chris Regan, the man still untraced?
Overall, the book is interesting. It explains in considerable detail the difficulties involved in solving such extremely complex cases. It delves into the minds of psychopaths, giving you an understanding of why it is more difficult to deal with them and bring them to justice. I shall not spoil the book by telling you what actually happened to Chris Regan and later to Jason Cochran- and why! For this, you would need to read this book for yourself!
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