Henry Reid Farley is just twenty-eight years old on November 8, 1898, when he is elected Sheriff of Monterey County. Less than a year later, Sheriff Farley lay in his grave. Now the citizens of Salinas are out for revenge. Immediately after the sheriff's murder, local gun stores open their doors in the dark of the night to hand out weapons to several people intending to hunt down George Suesser, the man responsible for the death of the youngest sheriff ever in the history of the State of California. As cries for his lynching echo throughout the streets of Salinas, Suesser is discovered in a crawl space only eighteen inches wide deep in his cellar. The angry citizens of Salinas demand swift justice. The case against the accused is about to begin. Murder, Salinas Style: Book Three shares a unique glimpse into the lives of both a murderer and his victim while revealing the compelling history of a California town, its citizens, and the violence that would become its legacy.

Henry Reid Farley is just twenty-eight years old on November 8, 1898, when he is elected Sheriff of Monterey County. Less than a year later, Sheriff Farley lay in his grave. Now the citizens of Salinas are out for revenge. Immediately after the sheriff's murder, local gun stores open their doors in the dark of the night to hand out weapons to several people intending to hunt down George Suesser, the man responsible for the death of the youngest sheriff ever in the history of the State of California. As cries for his lynching echo throughout the streets of Salinas, Suesser is discovered in a crawl space only eighteen inches wide deep in his cellar. The angry citizens of Salinas demand swift justice. The case against the accused is about to begin. Murder, Salinas Style: Book Three shares a unique glimpse into the lives of both a murderer and his victim while revealing the compelling history of a California town, its citizens, and the violence that would become its legacy.

The City of Salinas has a long history of violence and murder. From the deaths of innocent children to the brutality of gang executions, Salinas continues to be rocked by night and daytime murders committed in all parts of town. Now considered one of the gang hot spots in the U.S., Salinas has more than just gang related homicides each year. Only a few of the stories in this book were the result of gang activity. More often, homicides are committed by family members or friends. The sometimes graphic and frightening details of each of the cases in this book are told through the eyes of the police detectives who worked the cases and the court files and newspaper articles available.
Many of the murderers were caught and stood trial. Some were sent to prison and others were found innocent. All had stories compelling enough to warrant inclusion in this second history of homicide cases in Salinas. It is hoped this book will remind the citizens of Salinas of the many victims who go unremembered and perhaps encourage those with information about current or unsolved homicides to come forward.
In the four month period during which this book was written, there were eight more murders in Salinas and dozens of shootings that left victims injured. The damage to the community cannot be overlooked as Salinas continues to struggle against a reputation of violence that has been its legacy since 1903 when the first police chief took office.

Dating back to the days of the Wild West, Salinas has had a violent history. From the late 1890s, when the first night watchmen patrolled the streets on foot and without training or weapons, to the state-of-the-art department of 2005, the exceptional men and women who framed the early department are the subjects of many of the legends told in this history. Mae Eisemann was the first policewoman in Salinas and the first female to have a foot patrol in California. As such, she forged the way for other females in law enforcement. The rise of a detective division, the many personalities of the different chiefs, politics and finance are all part of the history of the Salinas Police Department. Most of these stories have never been told outside the department and with their telling comes a responsibility to the memory of fallen officers, an enlightenment for those who serve today, and an opportunity for healing for many families.
Filled with both comedic and tragic episodes, the book details the history not only of the department, but of her officers and non-sworn personnel through the years. Recounting the many heroic acts of officers, it also tells of personal tragedy and gives a voice to those who are unable to tell their stories themselves.
As the granddaughter of the title character in this book, Lisa Eisemann had heard stories about her grandmother for many years. Although Mae Eisemann died less than one year before her birth, Lisa Eisemann kept yellowed newspaper clippings about cases her grandmother worked in the 1940s. From a young age, Eisemann knew she wanted to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and received a B.A. degree in Criminology and Sociology beforeattending graduate school, where she studied Forensic Science.
Licensed as a private investigator in 1995, Eisemann became interested in researching the history of the police department, particularly as it related to her grandmother's position as the first female police officer. Encouraged by the department's interest in a historical yearbook, she was able to research and write a book not only about Mae Eisemann, but one which included all the characters of the police department from the time it was authorized in 1903.
Lisa Eisemann is married to now retired homicide detective Joe Gunter, whom she met while investigating a murder for the defense. Both are experts in crime scene processing and gangs. The two continue to live in Salinas with their daughter, Terrin, who plans to become a police officer and hopes to work as a canine unit someday. Eisemann also owns the Salinas School of Dance, where she teaches ballet, tap, jazz and Irish dancing to hundreds of students each week. As the director of the Spirit of Salinas Irish Dancers, she and her team have traveled to Ireland to compete in a world level competition.

Murder has long been part of the history of the City of Salinas. From the deaths of innocent children to the horrible and savage mutilation of wives, shop owners and neighbors, Salinas has been rocked by the horror of dozens of murders in the years since the city fathers voted to hire the first police chief in 1903. In addition to being home to one of the first known female serial killers, Salinas has long fought a reputation of being the gang murder capital of California. The truth is that Salinas has had more victims of murders in non gang- related cases than its residents perhaps would want to know. In Murder, Salinas Style: Book One, the stories of fifty-four murder victims are told. None of the stories, nor the people in them are gang- related.The frightening details of each of the crimes are told through the eyes of the police detectives who worked the cases and the newspaper articles that told only part of the story. Many of the murderers were caught and stood trial, but in some cases the murders remain unsolved. It is hoped this book will remind the citizens of Salinas of the many victims who go unremembered and perhaps jog the memory of a witness who might help solve one of the cold cases that remain open today.