The Handy Candy Man is a historical, biographical, creative narrative about the death of seven-year-old Alice Louise Lee by the hands of a pedophile who had molested young girls for decades before he killed her. Many knew about his prior molestations, but none spoke up.
Alice L. Lee went missing from Swan’s Bean Yard in Trent, Oregon, on August 29th,1960. It was a shock to the small rural community. And its repercussions quickly spread across the country. How could Alice Lee have disappeared from amidst a close-knit community in broad daylight? The mystery struck fear into the hearts of the residents of Lane County. For three weeks they waited to learn her fate. And then for sixty years they were left wondering who killed her?
This fascinating narrative started as a quest to simply identify Alice's killer, but it grew into an overview of the killer's life. (Alice was young and her family doesn't desire publicity.) So, the book covers the quest to find Alice's killer and it clearly shows that even the best of parents can raise a child who goes his own way and does not conform to family values or societal norms. It also shows how a society which is soft on crime endangers the vulnerable.
Finding a killer after the case grows cold becomes exponentially more difficult; especially in a case like this where the physical evidence was not properly stored, so there’s no DNA evidence to examine and the murderer is long dead. How could the truth be found and brought to light? It was soon discovered that the resolution of this crime hinged on finding the truth buried in documents made available to the public by the Freedom of Information Act, combined with personal confessions which had finally come to the light in 2010.
The Handy Candy Man is solidly based on information found in newspaper articles and archived FOIA documents (family letters, Walla Walla Penitentiary records, Lane County Oregon: police reports and court proceedings, Oregon State Hospital: records, reports, medical tests, and evaluations), genealogical research, historical research, eyewitness testimonies, and yes, confessions.
The Handy Candy Man is a story about the lives of real people in authentic locations. The names of the main characters are accurate. However, situations, thoughts, conversations and a few fictional characters have been added to enrich and advance the storyline. It stays as close to reality as possible, only using fiction for storyline flow by filling in gaps consistent with the known facts, as all creative non-fiction writing does.
The book shares the danger of keeping unlawful practices secret. It warns caretakers to make sure children are properly supervised at all times; even in "safe" public places. And it shines the light on the deceitful, shameful, and dastardly practices of pedophiles.
It is also a spiritual book. Alice Lee loved Jesus. Her parents were devoted Christians, and the parents of the killer were also Christians. It addresses the age-old question of who is to blame when bad things happen to good people. If you haven't worked through that issue, it may help you process some anger, bitterness, lack of forgiveness, and/or grief.
This book is filled with references to God and church because real people in the story were Christians, and others were church attenders--such as the killer. The United States of America was clearly founded as a Christian nation and the authors, and most Americans aren't ashamed to say so.
It shares the truth about some of the most important issues in life. Plus, it has all the ups and downs of an engaging drama as it answers the question about what happened to Alice Louise Lee.
Thank you for your interest.
May the Lord comfort and bless all of you who have been touched by Alice's story.
