Reviving the Past
Review by Kim Cantrell
It was July 1959 and Barbara Jean Finch was sick and tired of her husband’s cheating; so she had tossed him out of the house, filed for divorce, and was no waiting for the Court to award her custody of their son and a majority of their assets.
Dr. Bernard R. Finch, however, was less than enthused about the divorce. Several times he’d asked Barbara Jean for a reconciliation, but she saw right through her husband: it was all about keeping his money. She knew he’d never give up his extramarital affairs.
The divorce was moving forward and the couple was within just a couple of weeks of having it finalized when Dr. Finch wrap it up with his own style: murder.
Along with his mistress, 18 year old Carol Ann Tergoff, Dr. Finch lay in wait for Barbara Jean to return home one evening. As she pulled her car into the garage, her husband went on the attack. When she managed to escape, Dr. Finch chased after her. When he caught her, he killed her.
Despite being identified as the killer by the family nanny Marie Ann Lindholm, too attacked by Dr. Finch when she tried to help Mrs. Finch, Dr. Finch and his girlfriend would proclaim innocence of being cold-blooded killers.
Author James Linder Jones may be a doctor by profession but he’s long been fascinated with West Covina, California murder case that occurred more than a half a century ago. Spending years doing his own research and interviewing people close to the main characters, Dr. Jones now compiles into a fascinating 450 page book titled A Murder In West Covina: Chronicle of the Fin-Tregoff Case.
I’m crazy about historical true crime and Dr. Jones gave me everything I love about them: well described settings, hard-to-find photos, scandalous storyline, all the facts with no fluff, and personal interviews complete with the memories of people who remember the event.
A Murder In West Covina is absolutely fan-freakin’-tastic! When I have difficulty putting a book down and read almost 500 pages in a little over two days, it much deserves a spot on my list of high recommendations. Historical true crime fans will love it, I promise!
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