Those Days in January: The Abduction and Murder of Meredith Hope Emerson

After viewing a recent TV show about this crime, I ordered the book. While it is a terribly sad read, it was interesting to read through what happened & how it has impacted those involved including the law enforcement personnel. Well written & a fast read.

told with candor and compassion. I truly hope the writing has helped Cagle find peace. The ONLY one to blame for evil acts is the one who committed them.

The true story of true tragedy, true impacts and true hearts. While reading, although I knew the finality of the heartbreaking end, a part of me kept hoping for something else. This is due to the author’s ability in touching the part of us that wishes for a happy ending to all of our life stories. We wish this for our protagonist in this account as well as the victim. A truly exceptional read from a truly exceptional author…

Short and easy read. A murder took place after a woman and her dog hiking were abducted. Questions we will never know the answer to: why did he pick her? Why did the killer release the dog? If she would have fought back would she still be alive? These are my questions. This book was written by a law enforcement agent doing his duty from an investigative perspective. But it confirms even more to me that you NEVER allow yourself as a victim to go from point A crime scene to point B crime scene. Nothing good comes from it!

Very well written and interesting accounting of something that happened in the north Georgia mountains near where I live. It’s a very sad story, but shows impressive work by the authorities who found the person who murdered this young girl and, in particular, the GBI agent - John Cagle (author) who was the lead investigator, who showed such respect for Meredith Hope Emerson and her friends and family. These people worked tirelessly to solve the mystery and to get justice for Meredith. The book also references a Dateline special : Mystery on Blood Mountain that I watched as well, as a result of reading this book. Very intriguing and insightful book, and perhaps, through the sharing of this case, Meredith will be remembered and honored.

This book was an easy read.

Grabbed my attention from very beginning, and I read it all in one sitting. Heard about the book from a review in my local newspaper (we live about an hour where all this occurred). I remembered this story in the news years ago, was also intrigued because I am an alumni from UNG (North GA College back then) with a BS in Criminal Justice. The author is now an adjunct professor in the CJ Dept at my alma mater. The book is well-written, succinct, has direct quotes from the criminal, explains what all happened in the various court jurisdictions and provides the lead agent's direct experiences before during and after the overall investigation. Highly Recommend!

John Cagle did something very unique in writing this book. He told a true crime story in a concise manner with no wasted information. The one thing I took away from the story is a woman, young or 'seasoned' needs to be aware that there is evil out there. Theoretically, any woman should be able to go anywhere, anytime and by herself if she wants to unmolested. But the reality is different. When you get out of the urban/suburban areas, 911 is a pipe dream. It's a good book for fathers to share with their daughters.