Killer Triggers

Joe Kenda

Mar 2021 · Blackstone Publishing

About this ebook

The most common triggers for homicide are fear, rage, revenge, money, lust, and, more rarely, sheer madness. This isn’t an exact science, of course. Any given murder can have multiple triggers. Sex and revenge seem to be common partners in crime. Rage, money, and revenge make for a dangerous trifecta of triggers, as well.

This book offers my memories of homicide cases that I investigated or oversaw. In each case, I examine the trigger that led to death. I chose this theme for the book because even though the why of a murder case may not be critical in an investigation, it can sometimes lead us to the killer.

And even if we solve a case without knowing the trigger, the why still intrigues us, disrupting our dreams and lingering in our minds, perhaps because each of us fears the demons that lie within our own psyche—the triggers waiting to be pulled.

Ratings and reviews

I love Joe Kenda. He tells the cold, hard truth of his profession. His candid approach is riveting. My appreciation for him is heightened when he talks about the emotional toll it took on him over the years, and yet he found a way to get some relief and was able to encourage others to do the same without shame. What a beautiful thing!!

Lt. Joe Kenda, a twenty-three-year veteran of the Colorado Springs Police Department, spent twenty-one years chasing killers as a homicide detective and commander of the major crimes unit. Kenda and his team solved 356 of his 387 homicide cases, getting a 92 percent solve rate—one of the highest in the country. Rage, fear, money, envy, fear, sex, and sometimes just plain evil --- these are the most common triggers for homicide. Lt. Kenda takes the reader on some of his cases that involved some ...if not all, of the most common triggers. Per Lt Kenda, even though the why of a murder case may not be critical in an investigation, it can sometimes lead to the killer. For the true crime aficionado, this is a terrific book. Facts are presented along with Kenda's thoughts at the time. Sometimes I could hear the sadness in his literary voice, sometimes the anger at not finding justice for a victim. I could also hear the humor .. My favorite chapter was the one in which police dogs were featured ... how much training they have, exactly when they're used ... and the distinct personalities of some of them... and also of the handlers. This is very well written with intriguing stories by a man who knows. Many thanks to the author / Blackstone Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this most interesting book. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I first became aware of now retired Lt. Joe Kenda through his television show Homicide Hunter, which is a real life account of the crimes that he investigated with a career that spanned 23 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department. Solving 356 out of the 387 crimes that Kenda and his team investigated, Killer Triggers takes the reader through some of these cases, in particular those that were motivated by sex, money and drugs. For a true crime fan, this book and his previous, I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime, is a must read penned by an amazing man who stopped at nothing to bring justice for the victims and their families.

About the author

Lt. Joe Kenda spent twenty-one years chasing killers as a homicide detective and commander of the major crimes unit in Colorado Springs. After retiring from law enforcement, he starred in Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, an American true-crime documentary series that ran for nine seasons on the Investigation Discovery network and was aired in sixty-nine countries and territories worldwide. At its peak, Homicide Hunter averaged 1.9 million viewers in the US. All Is Not Forgiven is his first novel.