This May, in time for National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, 2025, Plano physician and author Michael F. Weisberg, M.D., is publishing a powerful new true crime book with a deeply personal Texas connection. A SECOND SHOT: The Pursuit of Justice in Maryland’s Oldest Cold Case Murder tells the remarkable story of a family’s half-century-long fight for justice.
The book centers on the 1971 murder of Montgomery County, Maryland Deputy Sheriff James Tappen Hall. Hall was found face down in a parking lot at the Manor Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, around 10:40 p.m. on October 23, 1971, with a gunshot wound to the head. He died three days later. Despite a full-scale investigation, the crime remained unsolved for over 50 years.
But Hall’s daughter Carolyn and her husband Bob Philo—longtime residents of Dallas—never stopped searching for answers. Years after the murder, the couple settled in North Texas, where they eventually crossed paths with Dr. Weisberg, a respected gastroenterologist in Plano. Deeply moved by their story and struck by the moral weight of the case, Weisberg agreed to take on the project of writing the book that would finally tell the full story of Carolyn’s father—and the second chance at justice his family never stopped believing in.
“This book is the culmination of decades of waiting, hoping, and fighting,” says Weisberg. “Carolyn and Bob are the heart of this story. Their strength and persistence are what brought justice to the Hall family, even after all these years.”
In A Second Shot, Weisberg combines the suspense of a police procedural with the emotional depth of a family memoir. The book follows the original 1971 investigation, the many dead ends and cold trails, and the extraordinary breakthrough that occurred in 2021, when Maryland cold case detectives secured a confession from a long-suspected killer. That suspect revealed that Hall had been shot not once, but twice—a detail never released to the public. The confession confirmed what investigators had long believed, and finally brought long-awaited closure to Hall’s surviving loved ones.
The title, A Second Shot, refers not only to that critical second bullet, but also to the renewed investigative efforts—Maryland law enforcement’s second shot at solving the crime and honoring one of their own. It’s also a personal metaphor for Weisberg, who suffered a life-threatening illness during the writing process. His own second chance at life gave him a deeper connection to the Hall family’s long journey toward justice.
The book arrives just in time for National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day—a fitting tribute to those who serve and sacrifice in law enforcement. It’s a timely reminder that justice, no matter how long delayed, is worth pursuing.
Weisberg, the author of two previous novels and a practicing physician in North Texas, brings both clinical precision and heartfelt storytelling to the page. His writing honors not just the memory of Deputy Hall, but the courage of the family who refused to give up on him. The result is a book that will resonate with fans of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, The Innocent Man, and Say Nothing—but also with Texans who value perseverance, truth, and the enduring strength of family.
A Second Shot: The Pursuit of Justice in Maryland’s Oldest Cold Case Murder will be available May 5, 2025, in trade paperback and eBook formats at Amazon, Apple Books, Kindle, and other major retailers.
Published by Mark V.
