The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep‎. Extraordinary Writ (talk) 17:40, 13 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Justice Waits (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log | edits since nomination)

(Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL)

I believe this article about a book fails general notability and book notability. Of the cited sources, The first is simply a Google Books page nad the second only has a trivial mention of the book on the 6th page. The third article[1] is a promotional article written by the author of the book, which according to WP:BKCRIT doesn't count for notability. Searching the internet for more coverage has turned up nothing but more trivial mentions. GranCavallo (talk) 14:45, 6 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Authors, Journalism, and Crime. GranCavallo (talk) 14:45, 6 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Literature and California. WCQuidditch ☎ ✎ 18:57, 6 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This is kind of weird because the book's existence (and other coverage) shows that the topic that the book covers (the "UC sweetheart murders") are notable. But we don't have an article on that. If we did this should probably be redirected to it as this looks to be the most comprehensive source. The book recounts the events, but yeah there doesn't seem to be a lot of coverage on the book itself (though admittedly, I did not look too hard).

So as a really weird AtD if this fails NBOOK we could turn this into a stub on the murder case and have a mention of the book in an aftermath section. PARAKANYAA (talk) 09:43, 7 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Due to sources presented below, keep, but IMO the murders may be independently notable anyway PARAKANYAA (talk) 23:47, 9 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep per the significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources. Wikipedia:Notability (books)#Criteria says:

  A book is presumed notable if it verifiably meets, through reliable sources, at least one of the following criteria:

  1. The book has been the subject of two or more non-trivial published works appearing in sources that are independent of the book itself. This can include published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, other books, television documentaries, bestseller lists, and reviews. This excludes media re-prints of press releases, flap copy, or other publications where the author, its publisher, agent, or other self-interested parties advertise or speak about the book.

  Sources
  1. Endicott, William (2005-11-13). "Tenacious: A journalist pushes to reopen a decades-old case". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.

     The review notes: ""Justice Waits: The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders" is Davis' story of the murders and their aftermath, a meticulously researched and highly readable account that tracks the lives of the victims and their familes, the almost Keystone Cops-like investigations that followed and what the Riggins and Gonsalves families hope will be the final chapter. ... A preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to hold Hirschfield for trial is not scheduled until May. In this most gripping of true-crime stories, Davis concluded that while there may now be answers - brutal and nightmarish ones - there is no closure. Justice still waits."

  2. Barnett, Dan (2005-11-16). "Biblio File Book Review: True crime: Local connections to the 1980 UC Davis 'sweetheart murders'". Chico Enterprise-Record. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09.

     The review notes: ""Justice Waits: The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders" ($24.95 in hardcover from Callister Press) is gripping and gutsy reportage about the crimes and the subsequent missteps in the investigation and how Davis himself has become part of the story. ... The book is frankly critical of some of the investigators and Davis acknowledges that he has made more than a few people angry with his pursuit of the case. But Davis is convinced that Riggins and Gonsalves, all these years later, deserve the justice that has so far eluded them. The story he tells is harrowing, and the end is not yet in sight."

  3. Hubert, Cynthia (2006-01-22). "Unraveling A Murder Mystery: Author Joel Davis fought to find justice for two slain college students while fighting his own battle with Parkinson's" (pages 1 and 2). The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original (pages 1 and 2) on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.

     The article notes: "The result is "Justice Waits: The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders" (Callister Press, $24.95, 220 pages), published late last year, just weeks before the 25th anniversary of the deaths of Riggins and Gonsalves. ... In 2000, he decided to turn his curiosity into a book project. He never dreamed it would take five years to finish. By the time Davis began his research, the case had gone ice cold. The journalist dug through court and police records, interviewed family members and friends of the victims, tracked down old suspects and confronted detectives and district attorneys, over and over, with questions about their investigation."

  4. Biggar, Alison (2006-03-26). "This Week". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09.

     The review notes: "Joel Davis' book, "Justice Waits: The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders" intrigued me for three reasons. First, it sparked memories of what I would refer to as the serial-murder era in the late '70s and early '80s, when it seemed as if every few months there was a random crime spree, which then took forever to solve."

  5. Whiting, Sam (2006-03-26). "A Very Cold Case / There's justice for the Davis Sweetheart Murders when journalist Joel Davis becomes part of the story". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2024-06-09.

     The article notes: "Twice Davis had to pull "Justice Waits: The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders" back from Callister Press when new information surfaced. Six months after publication he's pounding out a second edition and updating the story weekly on his Web site, justicewaits.com."

  6. "Artists and Authors is this weekend". Davis Enterprise. 2007-04-19. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09.

     The article notes: " Davis' "Justice Waits: The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders," is now in its third printing. The book chronicles the murder case of UC Davis sweethearts John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves. Davis is writing an epilogue based on the recent preliminary hearing of murder suspect Richard Hirschfield, who in March was bound over for trial for the gruesome 1980 murders."

  7. Keene, Lauren (2005-09-11). "During the summer of 2000, Joel Davis sat down to watch a C-SPAN interview of three of his favorite authors — David Halberstam, David McCullough and George Will". Davis Enterprise. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09.

     The article notes: ""Justice Waits: The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders" (Callister Press; $24.95) finally saw publication last month, culminating a five-year process during which Davis chased down dusty, forgotten court documents, interviewed dozens of players in the case and, at the same time, waged his own personal battle with Parkinson's disease."

  8. Adler, Rebecca (2005-11-14). "Local Murder Mystery". Daily Democrat. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09.

     The article notes: "His book project started as a yearlong reinvestigation into the murders and quickly turned into five years of searching through old court documents, chasing down investigators who had worked on the case, interviewing dozens of people and eventually becoming a crucial part of the story himself."

  There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow Justice Waits to pass Wikipedia:Notability#General notability guideline, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject".

  Cunard (talk) 09:56, 9 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep per Cunard's sources; the San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee articles demonstrate notability. Toughpigs (talk) 00:13, 10 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.