It sounds like a fictional thriller: great detectives from
five continents meet once a month in secret chambers to ponder--and
hopefully solve--cold cases over a gourmet lunch. But it's not fiction. In The
Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most
Perplexing Cold Cases (Gotham Books, $26, 9781592401420/1592401422, August 10,
2010), Michael Capuzzo tells the story of the Philadelphia-based Vidocq
Society, a group with 82 members--one for each year of the life of Eugène François
Vidocq, the first modern detective--and more than 100 associate members drawn
from all over the world.
Capuzzo focuses on the three men who formed the Society in
1990: Frank Bender--manic, intuitive, psychic and happily sex-addicted--is the
most celebrated forensic artist working today. Richard Walter--tall,
melancholy, acerbic, chain-smoking--is a forensic psychologist and eerily
brilliant profiler. William Fleisher, head of U.S. Customs enforcement in three
states, is the administrator who allows Bender and Walter, "equal parts
Reason and Revelation," to function 
at their best.
As they and their colleagues solve the most baffling, often
heartbreaking cold cases, we come face to face with terrifying crimes and
eccentric and enthralling forensic professionals. We talked to Michael Capuzzo
about the people, the cases and the depths of bone-chilling evil.
How did you come across the Vidocq Society?
I had finished writing Close to Shore (about a rogue
killer shark) and was researching ideas for my next book, when I stumbled onto
a website called Cuisine and Crimes, about the Vidocq Society.
Danny DeVito had bought the rights to its story, I was living in Philadelphia
where it's based, it was 10 minutes away--a kismet moment.
Why did they decide to let you write their story?
They're colorful and they do great work, and they are human,
so of course they want recognition. The main characters I write about--William
Fleisher, Frank Bender, Richard Walter--had read Close to Shore ("It's a
book about a goddamned fish!") and they liked it. And publicity helps them
get more cases and get their name out.
Which case, in your opinion, was their most spectacular?
There were so many! Hans Vorhaus, Leisha Hamilton, John List....The
Boy in the Box because of its longevity. Leisha Hamilton because the Vidocq Society
pulled that conviction from the jaws of hell. It showed their ability to go the
irrational--their art, if you will--and their ability to peer into the heart of
evil.
What happens when they solve a cold case and the authorities
don't care?
It takes all the stars to be aligned to solve a cold case.
Those left behind--the victim's family--are the heart and soul of making sure a
cold case stays alive. But if there is no political support for the case, which
usually means support from a D.A.'s office, then the only satisfaction in
solving the crime is for the family. It's endlessly frustrating to the members.
It's also somewhat frustrating to have no official role,
since they work in an advisory capacity. They can't bring charges or
accusations; they can offer advice and counsel, however, and they can sit in on
interrogations.
The cases they solve are fascinating, but not more so than
Fleisher, Bender and Walter, each for different reasons--Walter, in particular,
with his ability to profile.
Walter [photo, left] does have an uncanny ability. He's a genius. Together
the three form the archetype of the great detective. Bill keeps them together,
Frank is psychic and Richard profiles--he knows the darkest secrets of the
human heart. Cops would do great forensic work, but often can't see the motive--they
can't go beyond logic. But Walter can, and I learned so much about human nature
from him. It was like having Dostoevsky as a mentor. He's also worked a
Sherlock Holmes persona into his social life, and excels at black humor. He's
open about the fact he's quite eccentric--who wouldn't be? What does it do to a
person, knowing what he knows?
What's next for you?
For the present, media appearances. The book comes out
August 10, and I'll be on Fresh Air that week. Prior to that is a USA Today
interview. On August 13, 20/20 will air a one-hour special about The
Murder Room and the Vidocq Society. ABC hopes to make the stories into a
series. --Marilyn Dahl