A True Crime Account
Is He
Dead?
"We've been abused!" the teenage girl blurted out after asking if her dad was dead.
A True Crime Account
"We've been abused!" the teenage girl blurted out after asking if her dad was dead.
Two children. Ten years. And a system that kept looking away.
Set across the back roads of Southern Tennessee and into the heat of Central Florida, Is He Dead? is the harrowing true account of a brother and sister who endured unthinkable physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their stepfather — a nightmare spanning nearly a decade that no one in authority chose to stop.
As the children grew, so did their desperation. Their childlike plan — steal a gun and end it themselves — became the most devastating kind of survival strategy. When it all came to a head in a single explosive moment, the question echoing through the courtroom was inescapable: Was it premeditated murder — or the last act of self-defense left to them?
Told by the detective who worked this case firsthand, Is He Dead? is raw, unflinching, and impossible to put down. It is not just a crime story — it is a reckoning with how completely we can fail the most vulnerable among us.
The writing flows and keeps you riveted to the story — Drew gives the reader a feeling of being a part of the events as they happen.
Amazon Verified Reviewer"This is one of those books you can't put down. The story is gripping from the first page — told by the detective who lived it, which makes it feel completely real. I finished it in one sitting and was shaken long after."
"I have to say this is one of the most intense books I have ever read. The author pulls you into the conscious thoughts of these children in every chapter. You feel their fear, their hope, and their despair. Absolutely unforgettable."
"The writing flows and keeps you riveted to the story. Drew gives the reader a feeling of being a part of the events as they happen. A remarkable, brave book that sheds light on a case the system tried to ignore."
"Heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time. The fact that this is a true story makes every page hit harder. Rick Drew tells it without flinching — just like he must have had to live it as the detective on the case."
"You'll finish this book in probably one sitting — without having been able to put it down — and then it will stay in your thoughts for a long time. A story about two kids nobody saved, told by the one man who tried."
"What makes this different from other true crime books is that the author was there. He investigated the case himself. The detail, the emotion, and the moral weight of this story are undeniable. A powerful and necessary read."
Amazon · What Customers Say
Is He Dead? is a true crime memoir by retired detective Rick Drew. It tells the real story of two siblings — a teenage girl and her younger brother — who endured nearly a decade of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their stepfather across Southern Tennessee and Central Florida. When no adult or institution intervened, the children planned and carried out the killing of their abuser. Told by the detective who worked the case, the book asks whether the act was premeditated murder or the last available form of self-defense.
Yes. Is He Dead? is a true crime memoir based on a real case Rick Drew investigated firsthand as a Florida detective. Identifying details may have been changed to protect surviving family members, but the events depicted are drawn from the actual investigation.
Rick Drew is a retired Florida law enforcement officer who spent the majority of his career as a detective investigating violent and difficult criminal cases. After leaving the force he became a true crime author, drawing directly on the cases he worked. Is He Dead? is his most personal — a case that stayed with him long after he retired.
Yes — Is He Dead? is intended for mature readers (18+) only. The book contains explicit depictions of child abuse, sexual abuse, violence, and homicide. The material is handled with the seriousness of a real criminal investigation rather than for shock value, but it is not appropriate for younger readers or readers sensitive to graphic content.
Readers of Ann Rule (The Stranger Beside Me), Michelle McNamara (I'll Be Gone in the Dark), John Walsh (Tears of Rage), Vincent Bugliosi (Helter Skelter), and David Simon (Homicide) will find Is He Dead? in the same tradition: long-form true crime told with police-procedural authenticity, but with the moral weight of a memoir written by the investigator who lived it.
Is He Dead? is available worldwide on Amazon (paperback and Kindle eBook) and on Audible (audiobook). The audiobook is also available as part of an Audible Plus / Audible Premium Plus membership, and the paperback ships internationally.
Rick Drew has stated that this case stayed with him long after he retired. After leaving law enforcement, he committed to telling the children's story — now adults — in a way the courts and the press never fully did. The result is part true crime, part personal reckoning with how completely the system can fail the people it was built to protect.
Is He Dead? is true crime, memoir, and non-fiction. It blends investigative journalism, courtroom drama, and personal recollection from a retired detective who worked the case firsthand. It sits on the same shelf as Ann Rule's true crime memoirs and law-enforcement-narrator books like David Simon's Homicide.
Is He Dead? is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats. Choose the experience that's right for you.
Available in paperback and Kindle editions. Read it anywhere — and keep it forever.
Buy on AmazonExperience the story in full audio on Audible. A powerful listen for commutes, travel, or evenings in.
Listen on AudibleBoth formats available worldwide · Over 325 verified reader reviews