"This book approaches a long-silenced crime with restraint, rigor, and a clear commitment to truth rather than spectacle.
What struck me most was your insistence on restoring Henrietta Ragan`s humanity. Too often in unresolved cases, the victim is flattened into a rumor or reputation. Here, Henrietta is treated not as a cautionary tale or a scandal, but as a woman whose life and death deserved care, accuracy and accountability. That choice sets the ethical foundation for the entire book.
The reconstruction of Leonardtown in 1959 is especially effective. You make clear how power operated in a small, insular community how status, gender norms and silence created the conditions for both violence and erasure. The staging of the crime as a suicide, and the speed with which that narrative was accepted, speaks volumes about whose voices were protected and whose were dismissed.
I appreciated the disciplined way you handle the speculation. Rather than indulging in accusation, the book carefully distinguishes between documented fact, witness testimony, and unanswered questions. The newly uncovered evidence is presented not as sensational revelation, but as a challenge to complacency asking readers to reconsider what has long been taken for granted.
The book`s examination of collective complicity is one of its strongest elements. Killing Henrietta makes clear that cover-ups are rarely the work of a single mastermind; they are sustained by networks of fear, loyalty, and self-interest. That perspective deepens the narrative beyond the crime itself and turns it into a broader study of power and accountability.
Stylistically, the prose is clear and controlled. The pacing allows the facts to accumulate without manipulation, trusting the weight of the material to carry its own force. This restraint gives the book credibility and honors the seriousness of the subject.
Professionally, I engage closely with true crime that prioritizes ethical investigation over voyeurism. Killing Henrietta succeeds because it refuses to trade complexity for closure, and because it treats unanswered questions as a responsibility rather than a failure.
My main reason for writing was simply to let you know that I found Killing Henrietta careful, compelling, and deeply necessary, and took the time to leave a considered public review. "
- Precious Davis
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"This is a heartbreaking true story of a woman who was murdered and raped. The investigation was bungled from the beginning and it seemed that the people of power and prestige in the community just want this inconvenient "mess" to go away, which is exactly what happened. I was flabbergasted at the lack of empathy and humanity not shown to this woman who was brutally murdered in her own home. It was only by a change encounter that Leslie acquired all the "lost" reports and evidence that she is able to tell this true story. A murderer has walked free, this case never even made it to court, why? What if this were your relative? I don't think you would have settled for this outcome. Leslie provides you with true evidence as well as information from recent interviews with people who lived at the time. It's up to you to decide who you think murdered this poor woman who was desperately trying to better herself. May His have mercy on Henrietta's soul. "
- C. Smith
"Thank you for writing this book and delivering Henrietta’s story with such respect, empathy, and accuracy. I didn’t want you to put it down, finishing it only to want to read it again . Thank you for being the voice of such a tragic and misunderstood figure. No one could have told her story better!"
- Pamela VannMieghem
" Finished reading Killing Henrietta yesterday. Couldn`t put it down! Wow! What a story. I loved the whole journey; how your beauty career played a major role, how you gave us the history of Southern MD, how the people you met along the way, your persistence, courage and tenacity questioning and gathering your information, how you uncovered the "coverups", how you showed us that ultimately her Faith in her demise, how you were and still are a voice for Henrietta! Fantastic job! It actually is a BIG deal! Very proud of you Leslie. I just may read it again!
- Anna Schibler
"Thank you for writing this book and delivering Henrietta's story with such respect, empathy and accuracy. I didn`t want to put it down, finishing it only to want to read it again. Thank you for being the voice of such a tragic and misunderstood figure. No one could have told her story better!
- Pam Van Mieghem
"Phil and I are both reading your book and can't put it down! I love the format. Weaving the newspaper clippings and St. Mary's County history through Henrietta's story is a great way to present all the information. Very compelling!! We love the book." - Jacqueline Draper Attorney at Law
