Flynn, Kevin 1957–

PERSONAL:

Born 1957. Education: Graduated from Notre Dame University.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, attorney. Assistant U.S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC.

WRITINGS:

Relentless Pursuit: A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit, Putnam (New York, NY), 2007.

Maintains the Relentless Pursuit blog.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kevin Flynn works as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, a position that led him to write his book, Relentless Pursuit: A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit. The book centers on the case of Diane Hawkins and her thirteen-year-old daughter Katrina, both of whom were brutally murdered in their home in Washington, DC, in 1993. Flynn was the attorney who ultimately prosecuted the case, having led the investigation with single-minded dedication. The case was complicated, with a lack of evidence to tie the primary suspect—Norman Harrell, the father of one of Hawkins's children—to the murders. In addition, Hawkins herself had led a difficult life, and several of the men she had been involved with had a history of drug use. Racial and economic issues also came into play, though Flynn struggled to lessen their impact. The book depicts Flynn's progress during the investigation, as well as during the trial, and gives an insider's view of the justice system.

Washington Post critic Patrick Anderson remarked that the book ‘works well on many levels: as a police procedural and courtroom drama, as a candid portrait of life in black Washington and as an example of how decent people of both races can work together against the violence that threatens us all.’ Commenting that Relentless Pursuit is ‘told with the dauntless energy and readability of a heart-palpitating thriller,’ USA Today reviewer Carol Memmott likened the book to a legal thriller by popular novelist John Grisham, adding: ‘The tragedy is that everything [Flynn] writes is true.’ While New York Times critic Janet Maslin found fault with Flynn's approach, suggesting that the book offers more dramatic effect than insight, Washington Times contributor Mark Grannis wrote that the author's ‘emphasis on hard fact … makes his account not just a page-turner, but an eye-opener as well."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Flynn, Kevin, Relentless Pursuit: A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit, Putnam (New York, NY), 2007.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2007, Connie Fletcher, review of Relentless Pursuit, p. 45.

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, March 6, 2007, Janet Maslin, review of Relentless Pursuit, p. 2.

New York Times, February 26, 2007, Janet Maslin, ‘I, the Prosecutor: A Murder Case Told from the Inside,’ p. 4.

USA Today, March 8, 2007, Carol Memmott, ‘The Horror Is in the Truth of ‘Pursuit,’’ p. 6.

Washington Lawyer, May, 2007, Ronald Goldfarb, review of Relentless Pursuit, p. 42.

Washington Post, February 26, 2007, Patrick Anderson, review of Relentless Pursuit, p. C5.

Washington Times, March 4, 2007, Mark Grannis, review of Relentless Pursuit.

ONLINE

Books in the Law Web site,http://www.dcbar.org/ (October 3, 2007), Ronald Goldfarb, review of Relentless Pursuit.

Curled Up with a Good Book Web site,http://www.curledup.com/ (October 3, 2007), Deborah Straw, review of Relentless Pursuit.

Relentless Pursuit: The Official Weblog,http://relentlesspursuit.clarislaw.com (October 3, 2007).

Simegen.com,http://www.simegen.com/ (October 3, 2007), Harriet Klausner, review of Relentless Pursuit.