There are some criminals out there that
are habitual hard-core offenders. Nickell, a former Las Vegas detective in the
covert unit known as Repeat Offender Program, or ROP, shares with us one such
character, one Daimon Monroe, who at the time of the trial documented in this
true-crime story had forty-eight prior convictions.
Unfortunately for Monroe, the threats
made to the lives of several witnesses, Chief Deputy District Attorney
DiGiacomo, and Detective Nickell were all taken very seriously because they
were all overheard via phone calls made from Monroe’s jail cell. Nickell spent
hours listening to recorded calls, deciphering the codes used with the help of
co-conspirators, including his long-time girlfriend. They were even able to get
a con to wire up and tape a murder-for-hire request.
Nickell weaves an interesting tale, as
fascinating as any novel and jam-packed with detail. We get to witness the
shenanigans of this master crook and how he works the system in an effort to
finagle his way out of jail. Nickell gives us as much of a feel as to tease the
taste buds without making it a how-to-stay-out-of-jail storyline. By the time
they raid Monroe’s house he has amassed several million in stolen goods, much
of it in storage sheds, too. Like most criminals he protests his innocence and
blames the police, hence the death threats that finally helped put him away for
life.
