The Valley of the Shadow of Death

June 22, 2015
In this unconventional memoir, Alexander—a former All-Pro cornerback in the National Football League during the late 1960s and early 1970s—reveals the chilling details surrounding the cold-blooded murders of his mother, sister, and two nephews in August 1984. These gang-related killings set the community of South Central Los Angeles on edge and formed divisions within the previously close-knit Alexander family. The author eventually took to the streets of L.A.’s underworld, a vigilante on the hunt for the killer. With extensive input from San Francisco State University criminal justice professors Gerould and Snipes, Alexander weaves a compelling narrative that rivals a first-rate thriller. Relevant, concise histories of L.A. gang warfare and capital punishment add context, and Alexander recounts the killers’ trials with unexpected detachment. He inserts stories from his athletic career but only to advance the primary narrative. The book ends on a high note: with the killers finally behind bars, Alexander, now 74, has rebuilt his life in California with a new wife and five adopted children from Haiti. Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media.