Pinkerton, founded as the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, is a private security guard and detective agency established in the United States by Scotsman Allan Pinkerton in the 1850s and currently a subsidiary of Securitas AB. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861. Lincoln later hired Pinkerton agents to conduct espionage against the Confederacy and act as his personal security during the Civil War. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency hired women and minorities from its founding, a practice uncommon at the time, as they were useful as spies. At the height of their power, the Pinkerton Detective Agency was the largest private law enforcement organization in the world.
JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty queen who was killed at the age of six in her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. A long handwritten ransom note was found in the home. Her father, John, found the girl's body in the basement of their house about seven hours after she had been reported missing. She had sustained a broken skull from a blow to the head and had been strangled; a garrote was found tied around her neck. The autopsy report stated that JonBenét's official cause of death was "asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma". Her death was ruled a homicide. The case generated worldwide public and media interest, in part because her mother Patsy Ramsey, a former beauty queen, had entered JonBenét into a series of child beauty pageants. The crime is still considered a cold case and remains an open investigation with the Boulder Police Department.
The Atlanta murders of 1979–1981, sometimes called the Atlanta child murders, was a series of murders committed in Atlanta, Georgia, between July 1979 and May 1981. Over the two-year period, at least 28 children, adolescents, and adults were killed.
William James Flynn was the director of the Bureau of Investigation from July 1, 1919, to August 21, 1921.
Sons of Thunder is an American action crime drama television series created by Aaron and Chuck Norris that aired from March 6 to April 17, 1999 on CBS. It was a spin-off of Walker, Texas Ranger.
The Closer is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a closer—an interrogator who not only solves a case, but also obtains confessions that lead to convictions, thus "closing" the case. She sometimes uses deceit and intimidation to persuade a suspect to confess. The series ran on TNT from June 13, 2005 to August 13, 2012.
Karin Slaughter is an American crime writer. She has written 21 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, Blindsighted (2001), was published in 27 languages and made the Crime Writers' Association's Dagger Award shortlist for "Best Thriller Debut" of 2001.
Joseph Peter Spano is an American actor best known for his roles as Lt. Henry Goldblume on Hill Street Blues and FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell on NCIS. He also voiced the Chuck E. Cheese character, Pasqually the Chef, from 1977–1983.
The Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple bombing occurred on October 12, 1958 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple, on Peachtree Street, housed a Reform Jewish congregation. The building was damaged extensively by the dynamite-fueled explosion, although no one was injured. Five suspects were arrested almost immediately after the bombing. One of them, George Bright, was tried twice. His first trial ended with a hung jury and his second with an acquittal. As a result of Bright's acquittal, the other suspects were not tried, and no one was ever convicted of the bombing.
Kathryn Johnston was an elderly Atlanta, Georgia, woman who was killed by undercover police officers in her home on Neal Street in northwest Atlanta on November 21, 2006, where she had lived for 17 years. Three officers had entered her home in what was later described as a 'botched' drug raid. Officers cut off burglar bars and broke down her door using a no-knock warrant. Police said Johnston fired at them and they fired in response; she fired one shot out the door over the officers' heads and they fired 39 shots, five or six of which hit her. None of the officers were injured by her gunfire, but Johnston was killed by the officers. Police injuries were later attributed to friendly fire from each other's weapons.
Taurean Blacque was an American television and stage actor, best known for his role as Detective Neal Washington on the series Hill Street Blues. He stated that he chose the name "Taurean" because his astrological sign was Taurus. He was at one time a national spokesman for adoptive services. Blacque was a Christian, and his faith influenced his desire to be involved with adoption.
Faithless is the fifth novel in the Grant County, Georgia series by author Karin Slaughter. It was originally published in hardback in 2005. It was a #1 The Times bestseller. Previous books in the series are Blindsighted, Kisscut, A Faint Cold Fear, and Indelible. These books star Sara Linton, Jeffrey Tolliver, and Lena Adams.
Triptych is a 2006 thriller novel by American author Karin Slaughter. The first in her Atlanta series, the novel centers on Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and features Angie Polaski. The audiobook is narrated by Michael Kramer.
Undone is a 2009 novel by bestselling author Karin Slaughter that combines characters from her Atlanta series and her Grant County series. It is her ninth full-length novel. Undone was published under the name Genesis in the UK, Australia, and other non-US markets. The audiobook is narrated by Kathleen Early.
Broken is the seventh book in the Grant County series by author Karin Slaughter. It was originally released in hardback in June 2010. The previous books in the series are Blindsighted, Kisscut, A Faint Cold Fear, Indelible, Faithless and Beyond Reach.
Fallen is a novel by bestselling author Karin Slaughter that combines characters from her Will Trent series and Grant County series. It is her eleventh full-length novel. It was originally released in hardback in June 2011. Her other novels that combine the Will Trent and Grant County series are Undone and Broken.
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP).
Bosch is an American police procedural streaming television series produced by Amazon Studios and Fabrik Entertainment starring Titus Welliver as Los Angeles Police detective Harry Bosch. The show was developed for Amazon by Eric Overmyer, and the first season takes its inspiration from the Michael Connelly novels City of Bones (2002), Echo Park (2006), and The Concrete Blonde (1994). It was one of two drama pilots that Amazon streamed online in early 2014, and viewers offered their opinions on it before the studio decided whether to place a series order. The seventh and final season was released on June 25, 2021. A spin-off series, Bosch: Legacy, premiered on Amazon Freevee on May 6, 2022, and was renewed for a second season prior to its premiere.
Watchmen is an American superhero drama limited series based on the 1986 DC Comics series of the same title, created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The TV series was created for HBO by Damon Lindelof, who also served as an executive producer and writer. Its ensemble cast includes Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Andrew Howard, Jacob Ming-Trent, Tom Mison, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Louis Gossett Jr. and Jeremy Irons. Jean Smart and Hong Chau joined the cast in later episodes.
