The Carpool Detectives by Chuck Hogan
Chuck Hogan takes his storytelling genius to new heights and another genre when he explores the investigation of a real-life cold case in The Carpool Detectives. A married couple, Joel and Angela Watkins, had disappeared in May 2005, their whereabouts unknown until six weeks later when their SUV was discovered off the Angeles Crest Highway.
The vanishing of the Watkins left many questions within their family and their community. Their vehicle would be found near the bottom of a ravine, and the bodies of Joel and Angela Watkins were found outside the vehicle.
The location of the bodies led the police to speculate that the Watkins had met with foul play. The story would only become more intriguing as the case stalled due to a lack of investigative leads — that was, until a band of intrepid researchers began exploring the case in 2020.
A New Chapter: From Motherhood to Mystery
Marissa had put aside her career aspirations to become a Mother, a decision she did not regret. However, as her girls began to get older and she found herself with more free time, she wanted to devote herself to something challenging. She enrolled in an Investigative Journalism course at a local college, where she would encounter the story that would consume her every waking moment for the foreseeable future: the tragic demise of Joel and Angela Watkins.
Marissa’s initial research through newspaper archives gave her basic but important information about the Watkins children and the local business run by Joel Watkins. The business involving the importation of LED lighting had been shuttered in the wake of Joel and Angela’s disappearance, and the company would be subject to lawsuits alleging financial improprieties in the aftermath of the Watkins’ deaths.
Despite the outward appearances of normality in the Watkins family, Marissa was intimately familiar with families maintaining a facade, and she believed there were secrets within the Watkins family waiting to be laid bare.
When Leads Run Cold, Determination Heats Up
Marissa’s solo journey became a team effort through kismet; she met a fellow investigator named Jeannie through a mutual friend, and her story about the Watkins fascinated fellow parents Samira and Nicole.
With a team now assembled, each member dove into a different aspect of the investigation (e.g., witness interviews, paperwork research) and reported their findings to the group. The group had high hopes when reaching out to the investigating detective on the case, but they were dashed when the detective revealed very little information. The onus of discovery would be on them.
The need to unlock secrets, a fascination with the true crime genre, and an activist streak were a few of the characteristics of the women looking into the Watkins’ double homicide. Marissa and her squad followed paper trails to fruitful conclusions or dead ends, interviewed willing witnesses or were stonewalled. As long as there was potential in a lead, the hunt for truth continued, even as the circumstances around the deaths became more sinister.
Narrating Grit and Grace in the Face of a Cold Case
Chuck Hogan (a renowned thriller writer known for Gangland, The Strain and similar works) superbly tells the story of four women of indomitable persistence who tackle a perplexing whodunit. Hogan is a superb raconteur who profiles his real-life subjects as well as his fictional characters. The joys and frustrations experienced by Marissa, Jeannie, Nicole and Samira are palpable as their inquiry progresses from 2020 onwards.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Joel and Angela Watkins come with plenty of drama, but as Hogan deftly shows, Marissa and her team’s investigation carries a fair number of issues as well — from the lockdowns and social distancing restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 to unfriendly phone calls from potential suspects. But the resolve of the quartet is ubiquitous as they push forward in their work.
The Carpool Detectives is a well-written, true crime story highlighted by the four plucky women who seek answers and justice in a dormant murder case.
About Chuck Hogan:
Chuck Hogan is the New York Times bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including THE TOWN (aka PRINCE OF THIEVES) and DEVILS IN EXILE. THE TOWN was awarded the Hammett Prize for excellence in crime writing, and made into the movie starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Hamm. He is also the co-author, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, of the internationally bestselling STRAIN trilogy: THE STRAIN, THE FALL, and THE NIGHT ETERNAL.
