Book: No Room For Doubt by Angela Dove
A Stepdaughter’s Memoir of Murder and Hope
North Carolina columnist Angela Dove knew it would be challenging to write her first book, but she had no idea how it would change her life. "I thought I was writing the inspirational story of a mother who found justice for her murdered daughter," Dove explains of her true crime memoir, NO ROOM FOR DOUBT: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder (Berkley/Penguin, March 2009). "Then I found out my father was the top suspect of the homicide investigation-and for very good reason. At that moment, a lot of what I believed about the book, and my past, flew out the window."
Dove originally intended to write the true account of Jacqueline "Jacque" MacDonald, host of the California television show The Victim’s Voice and recipient of the 2007 National Crime Victims’ Service Award and 2009 California Governor’s Award for Advocacy. MacDonald’s adult daughter, Debi Anne Whitlock, was brutally murdered in her Modesto, California home on March 25, 1988. The victim was killed with a knife from the house while her three-year-old daughter slept unharmed nearby. There was no sign of forced entry or struggle, and the investigation stalled. At that point, Jacque MacDonald began a relentless crusade to find justice for her daughter. Her efforts eventually resulted in the arrest and conviction of the killer. Meanwhile, MacDonald began reaching out to other families through "The Victim’s Voice," which is currently broadcast to millions of homes throughout California’s central valley.
Jacque MacDonald interviewing Angela Dove for The Victim’s Voice
"I knew Jacque’s story would bring hope and understanding to other survivors of violent crime," Dove says. "However, that meant revisiting painful portions of my own past." The victim, Debi Whitlock, was Dove’s stepmother, and she was the last person to see Debi alive. However, while researching the book, Dove discovered the voluminous evidence against her father. "I was devastated, but also strangely thankful. It explained so much about the guilt and sadness I sensed in my father before his tragic death." Ultimately, Dove decided to include her father’s story in the book as well. "I wanted to show how theories of crime become the truth for so many people, often to the detriment of the victim’s family."
Debi and Harold Whitlock, on the day of their wedding.
Mystery writer Sue Grafton calls NO ROOM FOR DOUBT "a compelling account of a ‘real-life’ homicide and its aftermath. Angela Dove writes about her step-mother’s brutal murder, meticulously recreating the course of the investigation and its chilling effect on those whose lives were tainted by this crime." Dove’s family story will appear on the show "Personal Justice" this week on the I.D. channel; check local listings for the episode "Lies & Secrets."
"Superb." –Asheville Citizen Times
"An inspiring story of the courage, love and perseverance. It is hard to put down." –Senior Women.com
"Angela Dove has a clear, concise writing style that draws the reader in." –Las Vegas Review-Journal
"There are gentle moments, there are poignant moments, and dark corners [in which] Dove has faced what no daughter wants to face. The writing is crisp and strong throughout." –The Roses & Thorns Literary Review
"A worthy addition to the literature of true crime." –Chicago Sun Star
Vivid storytelling that paints an easy picture. . . ” –NC Press Awards
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela Dove is an award-winning columnist whose humor columns won top marks from the North Carolina Press Association in 2006. She taught university literature and writing courses while pursuing her Master’s in English from Western Carolina University and her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Dove lives in Waynesville, North Carolina with her husband, Ira, an attorney and child advocate, and their two young children. For more about the book visit www.AngelaDove.com
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