Grave Accusations

September 24, 2001
Police reporter Egger, Associated Press Award recipient for her work with New Mexico newspapers, delivers a compelling true-crime story involving Paul Dunn, a 16-year veteran of the Farmington, N.Mex., police department. In 1994, his estranged 31-year-old wife, Monica, died by gunshot while their children were in the house. Paul, age 35 and inside the house at the time of the shooting, was suspected of pulling the trigger; he was fired from the police department and, despite passing polygraph tests, indicted by a grand jury. Because of extensive pretrial publicity, the trial was relocated to Gallup, N.Mex. Paul claimed Monica had committed suicide, and the defense read her suicide letter ("I just don't have any more strength or power to go on"), which outlined funeral arrangements. Did Monica accidentally shoot herself while trying to manipulate her husband with a suicide threat? Egger calls this defense theory "the only thing that makes sense." The jury deliberated only an hour before finding Paul not guilty. Egger recounts the couple's stormy, adulterous marriage, the horror of Monica's death and the media frenzy surrounding her funeral, spotlighting Paul's emotional turmoil as he lost custody of his children and was ostracized by fellow officers, relatives and townspeople. An appendix includes Farmington citizens' praise for Paul's police performance, Monica's suicide letter and the grand jury foreman's statement that Paul wouldn't have been indicted if the grand jury had seen it. Egger has skillfully combined Paul's and others' memories with a variety of sources, including court documents, interviews, testimony and press accounts into a potent psychological drama.

November 15, 2001
Former New Mexico policeman Paul Dunn was charged with murdering his estranged wife, Monica Dunn, in April 1994 in Farmington, NM. This account of Paul's relationship with Monica, her death, and the succeeding trial follows what could be an intriguing story line. Unfortunately, the book does not live up to its potential. Much of the writing in this collaboration between Dunn and New Mexico reporter Egger is sensationalistic and overly dramatic. There are many instances of descriptive details that have no apparent relevance to the story (e.g., do readers really need to know what type of clothes the defense investigator wore as a teenager or that the landmark called "Peter Rock" looks like a giant penis?). Some of the dialog appears to have been taken directly from trial transcripts, with every "uh" and "um" included, while other dialog is clean. Inconsistencies such as these make the book a tedious read. Public libraries in New Mexico or other nearby states may want to purchase this book if there is local demand, but other libraries should steer clear. Sarah Jent, Univ. of Louisville

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.