The Truth in True Crime: What Investigating Death Teaches Us About the Meaning of Life by J. Warner Wallace (Zondervan Academic, 2024) may be Wallace’s best book yet. It also includes a special foreword by Alisa Childers.

J. Warner Wallace is a former atheist and homicide detective. In addition to public speaking and work on television programs, he is also an excellent writer. His previous books – Cold Case Christianity, Person of Interest, Forensic Faith, and God’s Crime Scene are favorites of mine. I also bought copies of Cold-Case Christianity for Kids for my granddaughters several years ago.

The Truth In True Crime

I worked closely with homicide detectives during decades as a journalist and saw how hard they worked and how much they cared about solving the crimes. I saw the toll investigations took on detectives, especially as they worked closely with the family members of victims. It is a very tough job.

J. Warner Wallace was one of the best homicide detectives, especially ‘cold-case’ homicide detectives, in law enforcement. You can see that in his books as he describes his investigations. Something else you’ll see is how well he knows the Bible and Christianity. As a former atheist myself, I understand the process Wallace went through to conclude that God exists, the Bible is trustworthy, and Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

In Wallace’s new book, The Truth In True Crime, you’ll see how he masterfully weaves his experience in detective work with his knowledge of Scripture. This is the kind of book that you could give to most anyone and they’d be interested in reading it. I have an extra copy of the book to loan out to people I think the book would help.

J. Warner Wallace is very open about his own journey as a young detective to becoming one of America’s best. You’ll see that in the first chapter of the book – Lead #1: A Pool of Blood (Under My Feet), How to Make Age-Appropriate Mistakes. Each of the 15 chapters includes a lesson about death and a lesson about life. His lesson about life in the first chapter is ‘You were created to learn.’ I like the way Wallace outlined his chapters and how he filled them out for the benefit of the reader.

I HIGHLY recommend The Truth In True Crime: What Investigating Death Teaches Us About The Meaning Of Life. I think you will find it most helpful for your personal growth as a Christian and as a great book to share with others.

About the Author

J. Warner Wallace is a cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker and best-selling author. He continues to consult on cold-case investigations while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is also an adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. J. Warner was a conscientious and vocal atheist until the age of thirty-five, when he took a serious and expansive look at the evidence for the Christian Worldview and determined that Christianity was demonstrably true. After becoming a Christ follower in 1996, Jim continued to take an evidential approach to truth as he examined the Christian worldview. He eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

J. Warner’s professional investigative work has received national recognition; his cases have been featured more than any other detective on NBC’s Dateline, and his work has also appeared on CourtTV and Fox News. He also appears on television as an investigative consultant (most recently on truTV) and had a role in God’s Not Dead 2, making the case for the historicity of Jesus. J. Warner was awarded the Police and Fire Medal of Valor “Sustained Superiority” Award for his continuing work on cold-case homicides, and the CopsWest Award after solving a 1979 murder. Relying on over two decades of investigative experience, J. Warner provides his readers and audiences with the tools they will need to investigate the claims of Christianity and make a convincing case for the truth of the Christian worldview. (Courtesy of Amazon.com)

Publisher Description

Explore fifteen life-truths gleaned from both contemporary murder investigations and ancient biblical wisdom.

“Every murder investigation teaches two lessons: a death lesson and a life lesson.”

For decades, cold-case homicide detective J. Warner Wallace investigated the causes behind deaths and murders, chasing one lead after another as he attempted to solve the case. Several of these cases remain open, unsolved mysteries. . .

But even those that haven’t yet revealed the identity of the killer do expose the truths of human nature: what’s important to us, what threatens our well-being, and what causes us to flourish.

Join Wallace as he investigates life lessons he learned as a detective, so that you can:

  • Better understand your own identity and the identity of your Creator.
  • Rethink the nature of death so you can live a better life.
  • Uncover life-truths gleaned from both contemporary murder investigations and ancient biblical wisdom.
  • Discover profound attributes of human beings that will guide you down the path of true self-discovery.

Each chapter introduces you to an investigation of a death as Wallace and his partner Rick chase down leads and along the way learn guiding principles to help you thrive and flourish as a human being created in the image of God. (Courtesy of Zondervan Academic)

Editorial Reviews

“Want to know how to live a life that is fruitful, filled with joy, and aligned with truth? Want to glean from the wise advice Jim (J. Warner) has offered so many friends and loved ones? Read the words of this book. I did, and I walked away encouraged. And I think you will too. Because truth is hard, but as Jesus promised, ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”

– Alisa Childers, Author of The Deconstruction of Christianity and host of The Alisa Childers Podcast

“Someone important once said, ‘A man is helped to live by remembering he must die.’ Jim’s new book investigating the meaning of life through the lens of a seasoned homicide detective is fascinatingly eye-opening and invigorating! Learn from felons, fugitives and frauds through these true crime stories and discover who you really are and why you were created.”

– Kirk Cameron, actor, evangelist, host of Takeaways with Kirk Cameron and author of As You Grow

“What can we learn from some of the darkest deeds humans commit? My friend, Jim Wallace, explores this question and more on his quest to find The Truth in True Crime. As a cold-case homicide detective, Jim undertook grisly cases and, in doing so, uncovered many truths about what makes us tick—and why we need a Savior. Join him on this eye-opening journey to discovering the truth about life through an exploration of life and death, morality, and, ultimately, the Good News of Jesus Christ.”

– Greg Laurie, Senior Pastor, Harvest Christian Fellowship

“God’s truth is revealed everywhere, even in the stories of a former homicide investigator, and God’s truth leads us to human flourishing. Jim brilliantly weaves these together in practical real world living for those interested in being a disciple of Jesus.”

– Zach Dasher, co-host Unashamed Podcast, Producer, The Blind Movie

“This book brings true crime and apologetics together in a way I’ve never witnessed before. Jim’s approach is brilliant, extracting spiritual truth from true crime stories that every reader can practically apply in their daily Christian walk.”

– Matt Hammit, Grammy nominated singer (including as lead singer for Sanctus Real), songwriter, and author of Lead Me: Finding Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Children, and Faith

“It’s amazing what you can learn from a crime scene. In this new book by my friend J. Warner Wallace, you’ll discover what a routine police investigation can reveal about human nature, the meaning of life, and our need for a Savior.”

– Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family

“Once again, J. Warner Wallace continues to use his longtime experience as a homicide detective and gives a one-of-a-kind approach to look at human nature, the struggles we face, and how each of us desire and seek Truth. Who would’ve known that decades of cold-case investigations answer some of the most important questions about life, death, purpose and identity from a Biblical worldview. In The Truth in True Crime, Wallace invites you into the drama of the investigation only to find out what really matters in the end of all things.”

– Cissie Graham Lynch, Host of the Fearless with Cissie Graham Lynch Podcast, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse

“Sometimes death instructs us deeply about life, and vice schools us painfully in virtue. That’s what storied cold-case murder detective J. Warner Wallace has discovered. In The Truth in True Crime, Wallace shares 15 critical insights about human flourishing that he learned from years of chasing criminals and convicting killers. He found out that what many learn the hard way stumbling through life might have been learned the easy way heeding the ancient insight in Scripture. Wallace’s latest work is a storehouse of wisdom, both life wisdom and biblical wisdom—which turn out to be the same thing. You will be the wiser for feasting on it.”

– Gregory Koukl, President of Stand to Reason, author of Street Smarts, Tactics, and The Story of Reality.

The Truth in True Crime: What Investigating Death Teaches Us About the Meaning of Life (Zondervan Academic, 2024, 288 pages)

© Faith & Self Defense, 2024