Candace Dempsey, author of MURDER IN ITALY, visits Mme. Perry's Salon

You've read the sensational headlines in newspapers, magazines, online media and the tabloids about the tragic death, bizarre circumstances and shocking theories in the death of the British student Meredith Kercher, and the arrest, trial and conviction of her American roommate, Amanda Knox. Or maybe you watched the Lifetime movie about these two young women attending school in Italy. If you haven't read MURDER IN ITALY by Candace Dempsey, the Italian-American journalist who has covered the entire story from the beginning, you are in for an even greater shock.

MURDER IN ITALY (Penguin/Berkley Books) received the Best True Crime Book of 2010 Editor’s Choice Award and Best True Crime Book of 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards. We are very pleased to have author Candace Dempsey visit Madame Perry's Salon.

Jennifer Perry: Welcome to Madame Perry’s Salon, Candace. We are joined by my friend, Atlanta broadcast professional Joy Barge. We are so delighted that you could make time to talk with us.

As I told you before, many times I passed your book MURDER IN ITALY as I scoured the true crime shelves at bookstores. Having bought the sensational media and legal conviction of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for the horrible murder of Meredith Kercher, I didn’t think my opinion could be swayed. Then I bought your book, and was absolutely amazed.

Please tell us how you came to be covering the story, and how you were able to get such a close up view of the proceedings?

Candace Dempsey: The Amanda Knox case has beautiful people, sex, drugs, Italy, a hilltop college town, tragedy. A real-life murder mystery. For me, it’s a natural. I’m an Italian-American journalist from Seattle, Amanda’s hometown. I have many sources there and in Italy, where I flew for trial and interviews. I know Italy well, because I have family there.

In fact, I’d just returned from Rome in 2007 when I heard a British student had been murdered in Perugia, Seattle’s sister city, and that the main suspect was Amanda, an honor student from the University of Washington in Seattle. Meredith Kercher’s stabbing was so sad, tragic and ironic. I had to write about it on my seattlepi.com blog.

Joy Barge: For some reason, the first time I saw this story I didn't believe Amanda Knox was guilty. It seemed from the start a sort of media hysteria. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be in another country accused of such a heinous crime. When did your opinion about the case begin to change?

Author Candace Dempsey

Dempsey: When police claimed Amanda was cultivating marijuana in her Perugia garden. That’s like growing orchids outdoors in the Arctic. When police lie like that, I get curious. They also told reporters that Amanda had called drifter Rudy Guede, supposedly a co-conspirator, before and after the murder. He didn’t even have a cell phone and police knew it. They’d taken it away on Oct. 27, because Rudy had stolen it.

Even prestigious newspapers like The Times of London simply typed up whatever police or prosecutors leaked on a given day - no matter how illogical or nonsensical. That certainly made me wonder if Amanda could be innocent.

Perry: It seems that Kercher and Knox met because they both responded to a billboard notice seeking roommates, and knew each other only a few weeks before the murder. Knox was with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito that night anyway. Did it seem this was just disregarded in favor of sensational headlines?

Dempsey: Yes, the roommates shared quarters little more than a month. Nobody knew anybody very well. Meredith’s British friends described Amanda harshly in court, but most of them had met her only once—at the police station after the murder. They became suspicious only after her arrest.

Barge: Do you think Amanda Fox was so targeted by Italian authorities and the media because she is American? Did that have any bearing on her case?

Meredith Kercher

Dempsey: I’m not sure she was targeted, but anti-Americanism plays a part. Read the comments in Italian newspapers. They’ll bring up Guantanamo Bay, the electric chair, George Bush, U.S. arrogance. They’ll talk about “Natural Born Killers” like it’s a documentary. Amanda Knox becomes Sharon Stone in “Basic Instincts.”
There’s also hypocrisy. Perugia’s been called a “Disneyland of drugs” and prostitution thrives there, but you’d think Amanda invented marijuana and premarital sex. The prosecutor was fixated on vibrator and condoms. Very few of Perugia’s 40,000 college students are American. Perugia has serious crime problems that we didn’t cause.

Perry: The Kercher family seemed convinced of Knox’s guilt. Their grief and heartbreak is certainly painful. Do they seem at all swayed by the information brought to light in your book?

Dempsey: Victim’s families usually side with the prosecution. They need to trust someone. We’re all looking at the same facts. I doubt they’ve read my book.

Amanda Knox

Barge: Amanda and her family were recently in the news again on new charges. What do you think about this? Are you in touch with her family at all?

Dempsey: Yes, I’m in touch with Amanda’s family. They’re accessible to journalists. Yes, she’s in court all the time. Her 26-year murder conviction is on appeal. She and her parents are also being tried for slander. Twelve police offers have brought charges against her because she said an officer hit her twice during an all-night interrogation. Her parents are being tried simply for telling a reporter what Amanda said about the hitting.
Police refuse to provide videotapes, audio or even transcript of that interrogation. So it’s a police said/they said. Amanda already has a 26-year sentence. To Americans, these new trials look like harassment, especially when the financially drained parents are hauled into court.

Whatever happens, I’ll cover every twist and turn in the Amanda Knox case on my blog.

Perry: I believe we all want true justice in this case, and for Meredith Kercher’s family and friends to find some peace and consolation after such a despicable tragedy.

Thank you for giving us so much of your time here, Candace, and for your excellent reporting of events. For both the Kercher and Knox families, it is vital that someone is diligently watching the developments with an interest in the truth.

Coming Soon! Interview with Candace Dempsey, award winning author of MURDER IN ITALY

My good friend, broadcast professional Joy Barge, and I interviewed Candace Dempsey about her book MURDER IN ITALY. An Italian-American journalist who covered the Meredith Kercher murder investigation and the trial of Amanda Knox from the beginning, Dempsey gives up a close up view you can't and won't get from media or the Lifetime movie.

I'll post the interview later this week. For now, check out Dempsey's blog.SeattlePI - Candace Dempsey - Lifetime pulls disturbing Amanda Knox video.

Madame Perry's Comments and VIPs On The Guest List.

This began as a comment but the length better suits it to a post. I appreciate everyone who has read this blog, commented, and even became followers. I'll do my best to keep bringing you great authors.

It was very exciting to have Diane Fanning give us her time so generously to discuss MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL. While she has two other books about to be published, she made time for the readers of Madame Perry's Salon.

To Celeste, Wrighton, & Rebecca - in this genre you can't get better than Ann Rule, Diane Fanning, and Kathryn Casey. News flash - Casey is our next guest! She will talk about her latest true crime book, SHATTERED. To Sandy, I understand, and want to add that during the diligent research for her book, Through The Window, Diane pulled together evidence that exonerated a woman wrongly accused and imprisoned for murdering her own little boy.

One of the reasons I find value in true crime books is that often the monsters commiting such heinous crimes are often disguised as the friendly neighbor, a regular Joe or Jane, the quiet fellow who installs the sprinkler systems, the guy everyone thinks is just swell. My hope is that this opens people's eyes to be aware of things that just don't seem right or a bit out of place, to listen to victims with an open mind, pay attention to their surroundings, and to be willing to give information to the police. If you have information that you are reluctant to share because you 'don't want to be involved'; you are already involved. Choosing not to help allows someone else to be a victim.

I also have the excellent Italian American journalist Candace Dempsey visiting soon to discuss her book, Murder In Italy, the tragic story of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, and the American student who shared the flat and was indicted for her murder, Amanda Knox. I have to admit she turned me around completely on this case.

Book trailers - what do you think of them? I have two posted on this blog. One is for Out Of The Transylvania Night, a memoir by Aura Imbarus, Ph.D., about living in Romania during the revolution that occured during Communist dictator Nicolae Ceacescu's rule. She will be stopping by the salon in a week or so. I also posted the trailer for Laura Benedict's book, Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts. Ms. Benedict is at the top of my wish list for MPS guests.

My dear friend, Collin Kelley, has returned from his UK tour during which he was a guest lecturer at Oxford. He will return to Madame Perry's Salon with the sequel to his novel Conquering Venus.

Oh, yes, author P.I. Barrington will be here talking about her detective thriller Crucifying Angel, set in the not to distant future in Las Vegas!

It is always an absolute thrill when these authors kindly fit my questions for Madame Perry's Salon into their quite busy schedules. They have my gratitude for sharing, as all my readers and followers do for your time and comments. One more shout out to Helen Ginger, whose blog Straight From Hel has been more helpful to me than she can imagine.  Please keep buying books, reading, visiting me, commenting and inviting your friends. I think you are all wonderful!

Madame Perry