Sheriffs, 1911-1989: A History of Murders in the Wilderness of Washington's Last County

This true-crime book, which led to the solving of the nation's oldest active murder case is a captivating historical account of the Pend Oreille County sheriffs and the major homicides they investigated during their terms.

While working on his master's thesis at Gonzaga University, Bamonte, then-sheriff of Pend Oreille County, discovered the 54-year-old unsolved murder of a Newport, Washington, marshal by a Spokane detective. It made national news, including the front page of the New York Times, and his thesis culminated in this book. During that time, award-winning author Timothy Egan became interested and wrote the national bestseller “Breaking Blue,” a riveting account of how Sheriff Bamonte solved the case. “Sheriffs includesBamonte's summary account, as well as related photos, of the case.

Paperback (6" x 9"), 251 pages, 21 photographs, index, bibliography