Larry Welch – författare

Ma Barker and Pretty Boy Floyd once shot their way across the state, and Bonnie and Clyde were known to travel within its borders. Between 1933 and 1938, thirty bank robberies occurred in Kansas, while livestock thefts also grew at an alarming rate. Little wonder, then, that pressure was brought to bear on the state legislature to create a Kansas counterpart to the Texas Rangers or FBI.Larry Welch, tenth director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, now provides readers with the first history of that agency, spanning the years 1939-2007. His account includes, among other things, detailed case studies of the KBI''s participation in the high-profile arrests of serial killers Francis Donald Nemechek of western Kansas and Dennis Rader, the infamous BTK of Wichita. His taut chapters also highlight the relentless investigators, dedicated forensic scientists, crime analysts, and everyone else who has labored on behalf of the KBI''s pursuit of justice. They take readers behind the headlines to reveal how KBI agents played a key role in capturing Richard Hickock and Perry Smith of In Cold Blood fame, and consider other high profile cases such as Gary Kleypas''s murder of a Pittsburg State student and KU student Shannon Martin''s killing in Costa Rica.Born between the Great Depression and World War II as a select group of ten investigators, the bureau''s earliest assignments reflected the needs of the time: bank robbery, homicide, gangsters, livestock theft (especially cattle rustling), and narcotics (notably "marihuana weed"). Welch shares the episode that established the KBI in the public eye, an attempted 1941 bank robbery in Macksville where two escapees from Lansing prison refused to surrender and died in a Main Street shootout with KBI agents. He then brings readers up to the activities of today''s staff of 300—including a Cold Case Squad and state-of-the-art forensic labs—as it tackles the scourge of the new century, methamphetamine, and cybercrime, including child pornography and identity theft. Readers will thrill to the persistence and ingenuity evidenced by these accounts of bringing infamous criminals to justice—and even exonerating the wrongly convicted. Beyond Cold Blood blends true crime and institutional history to make must reading for all aficionados of danger.

Advance Praise for A Happy JourneyWe could all do with a little Larry in our lives. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. May you relish every word as I did.Dr. Martha Lee, Clinical Sexologist, Eros Coaching, SingaporeThe stories he shares are all around us; they are in everyone we meet and interact with. Larrys true gift isnt the great friend he is or the fine example of an American that he is, but rather the storyteller, traveler, and humanist.Captain Kurt Hummeldorf, DC, USN, Manassas, VirginiaLarrys book is provocative and captivating reading. He has an unusual power of observation, a love for people, and an enthusiasm for adventure.Jacqueline Delaverdac DeMent, Kalamazoo, MichiganPart travelogue, part geography and history lesson, and all mixed with subtle humor, A Happy Journey captures the experiences of author Larry Welch. An expatriate living in Singapore and Thailand who traveled to many countries, Welch narrates tales about real people who seem to be a degree removed from the ordinary.The fifty-three vignettes, first appearing in his electronic column, On the run , reflect humanitys rich diversityfrom entertaining ghosts to riding camels to monkeys begging for peanuts on a hotel balcony in Malaysia.

In 2008 I was new to Thailand and new to the amazingly wonderful world of teaching English as a second language. It was bewildering, invigorating, and life changing. No days passed that I didnt marvel at the interaction with students and teachers. At the end of two years in Thai public education I was both exhausted and exhilarated with the experience. At that time my sense of personal history persuaded me to tell this story. I hope it is one that you will enjoy. Larry Welch ---------- What People Are Saying Larry writes with humor, honesty and incredible detail. His book is full of descriptions that in some cases whet your appetite to visit the places Larry is describing. Cheryl Keane, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia Sprinkled with humor and lightness along the way Larry touches the heart of readers with his enlightening experiences. Highly recommended! Marcia Bolog, Milan, Michigan, USA This is an important book for those interested in Thailand or secondary education in a foreign country. April Zhang, Professor, Daejeon University, Daejeon, South Korea