An Irwin man who once was a police officer in Ocean City, Md., has written a psychological thriller about a serial killer who is a sexual predator.
Daniel Rose, 70, the owner of World Class Pool Pros, a pool builder in North Huntingdon, wrote “Little Boy Blue,” a 360-page realistic portrayal of a serial killer, from birth to childhood to sociopath murderer to capture.
He said he wrote the book in 2008, basing it, in part, on the actions of real-life serial killers such as Ted Bundy. Bundy was on a list of 10 most wanted criminals while Rose was a police officer in the resort town of Ocean City. Rose said he would often write sections of the book during his travels to his condominium in Ocean City. He tweaked the book last year and updated it with more contemporary information, he said.
The book’s title comes from the popular children’s nursery rhyme, “Little Boy Blue,” that is on a wall in the boy’s room, Rose said.
“It’s totally real-world,” Rose said of the tale of his serial killer, Leo. “I wanted a realistic police story about a realistic serial killer,” Rose said, adding he did not want to create a movie character like Freddy Krueger, the killer on the “Nightmare on Elm Street” films.
Serial killers such as Bundy, and the recently arrested Gilgo Beach killings suspect, Rex Heuermann of Long Island, N.Y., “hide in plain sight,” Rose said.
Rose, who earned a master’s degree in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has studied the field for several years.
“There are common elements there,” Rose said of characteristics and behaviors shared by serial killers.
Roger Pivirotto, who served as Irwin’s police chief for seven years and is a former state police lieutenant with 25 years of service, said he found the book to have realistic details on the investigations and interactions between the police departments.
“That’s why it is so good,” Pivirotto said.
He self-published the book through Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc. of Pittsburgh. The paperback version can be purchased for $24 plus tax at Barnes & Noble in Hempfield.
A sequel to the book, focusing on the police officers who captured the serial killer, is in the works, Rose said.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jnapsha@triblive.com or via Twitter .