Jigsaw & Jane

Jane Howatt possessed pluck in her desire to be a writer. When she voiced her dreams to her father, he shot her down with a cruel rejoinder. As a young wife and mother, the writing bug proved too persistent to shake and she took a class in writing non-fiction to educate herself further. Whereas her father had diminished her ambitions, her husband fully backed her. The professor of her non-fiction writing class advised the students to read through the newspapers and see what ideas could be gleaned for a potential book. Despite initially favoring a potential book geared toward children and Tennis, an article caught Jane’s attention about the career of an LAPD detective named John St. John.

By the early 1980s, Detective John St. John had served the City of Los Angeles with distinction and had cracked more than a few infamous homicide cases. St. John had been nicknamed “Jigsaw” for his innate ability to sort out investigative enigmas. Jane discarded her first book idea and she reached out to St. John to see if he would be interested in collaborating on a book project. Despite numerous rebuffs by the gruff detective, Jane was relentless and soon St. John agreed to meet with the nascent writer.

Jane was fascinated by one of the cases St. John had recently solved involving a serial killer named William Bonin. Bonin had been christened “The Freeway Killer” by the tabloids and had been implicated in a string of killings between 1979-1980. St. John would apprise Jane of the gory details and subtly gauge her reactions. Jane would gain the trust of the detective with each test he set out for her and soon she was communicating with him daily. Jane would see the case files, interview next of kin, and visit crime scenes as St. John offered her a window into his world. As the years of their alliance elapsed, Jane would be privy to new cases that would haunt the “City of Angels” but would find a worthy adversary in the man wearing Badge Number One for the LAPD.

Jigsaw & Jane surpassed expectations as the narrative becomes a memoir and true crime story in equal measure. When Howatt & St. John first meet, they are at opposite ends of their career timelines with St. John nearing retirement age and Jane starting anew. Despite an inauspicious beginning, St. John becomes a mentor and father figure to Jane. The friendship between them becomes the dominant element of this moving book. The ins and outs of police work are coupled with the frustrating attempts to sell a book to reluctant publishers. The fulfillment of a lifelong dream is often elusive but Jane Howatt illustrates how persistence and patience are the keys to achievement. Jigsaw & Jane is a memorable read for 2024 and beyond.