Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape

A True Crime Memoir

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Pub Date 25 Feb 2018 | Archive Date 5 Mar 2020

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Description

Cloyd Steiger worked the streets of Seattle as a Homicide Detective for 22 years of his 36 year career. During that time he worked some of the most notorious murders there, from serial murderers, domestic terrorists, psychotic killers and many senseless killings committed little or no reason.

In his true crime memoir, Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape, he describes some of the most interesting murders he's worked on.

Sometimes shocking, often inane, and even funny, it's a view you won't see on the evening news. You'll feel like your right alongside Steiger, working the cases, getting a peek inside the yellow tape, and inside the interrogation room, where you'll come face to face with pure evil and experience what it's like to investigate murder.

Cloyd Steiger worked the streets of Seattle as a Homicide Detective for 22 years of his 36 year career. During that time he worked some of the most notorious murders there, from serial murderers...


Advance Praise

"Set aside Christie and Jance; this is real homicide investigation, and it ain't pretty. The writing style is unusual but works perfectly for author Cloyd Steiger, who demonstrates his considerable competence and experience as an investigator and interrogator. When his sense of humor makes a rare stage appearance, it's sure to be sardonic. Since the book is about tracking down homicide suspects, that's to be expected. But as one who worked around him for more than a decade, I can assure you that when he's not in hot pursuit of a killer, he is one of the funniest people you could meet. I cannot recall a conversation I had with him in which I was not laughing out loud within ten minutes. Reading this book will be a good investment of your time. And should you happen to have any homicidal inclinations, now would be the time to rethink them; he may be retired but he's still in the biz."
"One of the top ten True Crime books to obsess over." The Manual. www.themanual.com

"I LOVE this book. Recommended for anyone who loves Lt . Joe Kenda type attitude. Lots of cases. Really great 👍"

"This is a great book! The writing style makes me feel like I’m working alongside Detective Steiger. He has literally seen hell on earth and brought many evil people forward to pay for their evil deeds. Thank you for your service Detective, and thank you for sharing your stories!"

"Set aside Christie and Jance; this is real homicide investigation, and it ain't pretty. The writing style is unusual but works perfectly for author Cloyd Steiger, who demonstrates his considerable...


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ISBN 9781545350843
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Featured Reviews

I enjoyed this true crime read! It was as thought I was reading Steigers police notebooks including all the gritty details! This had made me want to Google the crimes for more information

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I found this to be an eminently interesting book of murder cases put together by a veteran homicide detective from the state of Washington who shares many of his more strange and fascinating cases during his time on the job. Told with a panache that brings to mind Joe Kenda, a favorite of many readers for his droll delivery style and witty way of telling a horror story that's all too true. This was hard to put down just like any good crime book, as you want to find out what’s coming next, or 'who done it.' All of the good stuff in true crime reading from real case files all over Seattle and surrounding areas of Washington.

It shows the real dedication that detectives have when they are putting in their years on the job, all of the time spent away from family, missed sleep, dogged determination when on a hot case. They mainly work for the victims, which includes the family members who are left behind and they are ever mindful that they are waiting to find out who was responsible for their loved one's death, whether it takes days or decades. It's pretty incredible stuff they do, dealing with death all the time and chasing killers. Figuring out how to get them to talk. There are some pretty interesting cases in this book and I found it a good read that I would recommend. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Cloyd Steiger, and the publisher for my fair review.

BooksGoSocial
Pub: Feb. 16th, 2018

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Fascinating book , although it is cringe-worthy at times. Some are a bit comical, but done in a professional manner. Nice book!

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

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SInce I am from Seattle, I like to read about the town, as I thought it was many years ago when I was there, to the city it is now. Familiar names and places with unfamiliar kinds of people and things going on.

The author's voice is a pleasure to read. I have no idea what this guy looks or sounds like, but I can almost hear him with some of the comments he makes. In real life he must be some kind of comedian as his timing is excellent.

There is a gritty ugliness to murder the fiction stories gloss over. Their purpose is to use murder as part of a plot, not a banal and often senseless act that sends ripples through families. As unpleasant as it must be to confront this every day as a job, it is helpful to see what a real murder looks like.

I like this book and believe it will make me a better watcher of current events to really understand this crime.
Converstational and accessible, a good read about a bad -but inevitable, it seems- subject.

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Fascinating read. It was interesting reading about all the different cases and how they were solved. This is an honest down to earth account of what it is like to work as a homicide detective.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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Cloyd Steiger shares his 36 years being a police officer and detective in Seattle, Washington. He's had a long career in homicide and this stories are mind blowing. Mr. Steiger solves cases from people killing for drugs etc. People who kill their loved ones, strangers and some killers have no remorse. I love true crime, Mr. Steiger has a great writing style that reminds me of Anne Rule and Corey Mitchell but in a shorter version. I also like his ego as he should have a giant one the way he solved these cases. I felt bad for the times he had been woken up in the wee hours of the morning to go investigate a new murder and then not let sleep get in the way of trying to solve the case and then go after the bad guy. It's a shame he retired we really need more detectives like him. He is very good at what he does. He links things together and really cares about the victim.

I would read more by Mr. Steiger.
The pictures are a nice touch so we know who he is talking about.

thank you Net Galley and BooksgoSocial for a copy of the kindle version.

#Homicide #BooksgoSocial

Cherie'

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I loved this book! I loved getting the inside scoop on life behind the yellow tape we normally don't get to see. It was easy to stay in the story since each chapter is a new crime. I loved the anecdotes that were added in to make it more personable. Det. Steiger's take on the blue life is amazing, heartwarming, at times heartbreaking, and honest. I would definitely read this again.

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Great and engaging stories about police cases that the author encountered. A few grapic pictures, but the pictures to me, shows the brutality one person will do against another. Very well written and holds your interest from page one. A must read for any true crime/or police work fan. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.

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First, I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I love True Crime books, and this one stood out an a straight forward account of some of a Seattle homicide detective's cases. The stories are told without enlistment of what was going on in victims and perpetrators lives. We are not given what might have been happening or what the person might have been thinking. These are as Joe Friday would say, "just the facts". It seems to be a true glimpse into the life of a homicide cop who has to balance home with work. It shows how the job has to take precedent over family at times, even when it inconvenient. An officer with family members who are also on the force, and how death effects life. There are tales of deaths of fellow officers, of children, of innocent victims, of troubled people and the effect it has on the citizen. If you are looking for a long winded tale that delves into a long drawn out explanation of every move a criminal or victim makes leading up to the incident, this is not the book for you. If you want an unvarnished account reminiscent of old style detective stories, then this book is for you. I truly enjoyed this book as a break from new crime books that sometimes dwell too much the psychology behind the crime that the horror of a crime loses its impact. Review was posted to Good Reads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Facebook.

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Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape by Cloyd Steiger is a vey interesting book about certain homicides that took place in Washington during Steiger time as a Detective. As citizens we usually are not privy to certain information that the police deal with unless it is on the news usually. I love true crime so I am probably going to be more biased in that I can handle more of the blood and gore than some others that read this book. It is told in a very professional way and actually had me researching some of them just because of the background. Some were funny and some pretty bad but I rally like how Steiger kept his personal feelings to a minimum so that the reader could come to their own conclusion. I certainly enjoyed reading this novel and if you like true crime I urge you to give it a read.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


5 stars ⭐️ out of 5

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I love true crime because it is strange than fiction. This book had me giggling, frowning, and quite often on the edge of the chair.

Mr Steiger is a lot like my favourite real detective, Joe Kenda - if I was murdered I would want these two gentlemen to find the killer. They will. They will come for you and you cannot run and you cannot hide....

Really loved reading this and I strongly recommend this book to lovers of true crime. And also especially if you think you might want to kill your ex, your boss, your best friend, read this first. And just walk away.

Hoping for another book Mr Steiger!

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The dedication of this book drew me in: "To the secondary victims of homicide; the loved ones left behind." That sentence gave me a glimpse of the man who wrote this book. A lot of men and woman who have worked in Homicide and in smaller agencies for that length of time don't have a lot of compassion left. They have suffered from personal issues; divorce and addiction, plus much worse. When you are faced with evil every day it starts to erode your very core.
I've worked with men like Steiger who would buck the bureaucratic BS to get his job done, they always had the highest clearance rate. Their supervisors finally learned that this man knows what he's doing, we'll leave him alone and for the most part they did. He had to carry a full load of several cases but he was the first in line to help his fellow detectives who caught a big whodunit.
There is another reason I personally liked his book, it's the timeline of this career in homicide. They didn't have all these special forensic teams, cell phones and it wasn't anything like it is portrayed on television. When you get called out in the middle of the night, standing in the pouring rain with your cup of Seven-11 coffee with a young dead man sprawled out in the middle of the road in front of several apartment complexes, you know someone saw something. There was no way they couldn't have. Steiger was the type that would flush his witnesses out, that's what you had to then and it was hard because of the street adage: " Snitches will need Stitches.' This book will show you how much law enforcement has evolved since then, the detectives had their gut instincts and for the most part, criminals aren't the smartest book on the shelf.
Mr. Steiger was what is called a Cop's cop meaning that he was well respected by his peers and he was an excellent mentor. He held his marriage down and his sons have followed in his footsteps and are also working for SPD. He's not doing a reality tv show he's still investigating cold cases since his retirement. I think that it's safe to say when you join the police force and you don't want to rank, all you want to do is solve murders than it's a true calling.

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the galley from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I expressed above are my own.

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I found this to be a very interesting look at homicide work. Some details were a bit gritty and others were a bit over-the-top. I presume reality is somewhere in the middle. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

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"Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape" is a surprisingly interesting book from retired Seattle homicide detective Cloyd Steiger. His writing style is very efficient and sparse, befitting a man who is a straight shooter with no time for games. It took me a while to get into this book because at first it appears to be basically a brief description of various homicide cases, but as the book progresses, you see the man behind the Detective - a man who cares deeply about justice and bringing families a resolution to what is often the worst day of their lives. Also, Steiger has a very dry sense of humor -- in discovering a body at a construction site: "I noticed right away: He was dressed in a Batman suit (I'm a trained observer.") 4 stars.

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A look at a Seattle Police homicide detective's amazing career. Steiger seems to have been involved with every significant murder investigation in the past twenty years. The death of firefighters at the Chinese Food warehouse fire, the Cafe Racer murders, the police officer murder by Christopher Montfort, the Gypsy murders, the author was at all of them. Plus many, many more.
Steiger relates the murders in a manner that I recognized from growing up in a law enforcement family myself. Playing down the emotions, giving the facts, sometimes adding in a little gallows humor. It felt like he was talking to me personally, sitting at a bar having a beer.
For those of you who are really into the "CSI" stuff, Steiger includes some of that. He explains about Inquiry Judges, the signs of strangulation, and blood splatter patterns, to name a few.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. And I tip my hat to the service of Officer Steiger. In my own law enforcement career, I have been involved in a few murder investigations. They still haunt me. I pray that the author finds peace and happiness in his retirement.
If you are interested in the criminal history of Seattle, you cannot go wrong with this book!

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This is a riveting and exceptionally competent account. Homicide detective work is one of the most fictionalized professions on the planet, and this book provided me with a very effective antidote to my assumptions. It is also a deeply moving account of staidfastness in the face of brutality. Bravo.

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I found this really interesting and enjoyed the jumping around from case to case, which is very unusual for me. The main character told the story and kept you hooked without being overly likeable.

I found it was difficult to get back into the book once I had put it down which meant I started it four or five times before managing to read it all the way through. So make sure you have time to read it all in one go.

Only reason it isn't five stars is that I wouldn't rush to read it again, which isn't a big negative.

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Reads like a chronology of Mr. Steiger's career as homicide detective, from one death to another. Doesn't go into exploring whys and hows or even the race / class/ economic background of criminals or victims, but gives the nuts and bolts of what happened and who got caught for it and how much he / she got charged for it.

May be of interest to budding officers, not so much students of criminology. Makes Mr. Steiger come across as a Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (he goes in, gives a quotable quote, comes out).

I hope the final version removes the many typos / spelling errors.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

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Great and engaging stories about police cases that the author encountered. A few grapic pictures, but the pictures to me, shows the brutality one person will do against another. Very well written and holds your interest from page one. A must read for any true crime/or police work fan. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.

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I loved this book! It was written by retired Seattle homicide detective Cloyd Steiger. In this book, he talks about many of the high profile cases in Seattle that he was involved in. It was fascinating to hear the behind the scenes details (so to speak). Many of the cases I had heard of but some I had not. I love reading these kinds of books and getting the detectives point of view on what was happening. I thought that the book was well-written and hard to put down. I wanted to know about the next case, then the next, and so on. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about crime stories, especially from the detectives.

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True crime is another genre I love to read and it's good to read a memoir from someone who's actually on the front line and in the streets chasing down the people responsible for the myriad of crimes we see in the world.

Cloyd Steiger is a former Homicide Detective who worked in Seattle and this is his story, he tells us about some of the cases he worked on from arriving at the crime scene to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect, it's fascinating to read and gives you a better insight into what their jobs entail and how each case effects them when they're not 'on the job'.

I would've liked to hear more about him off the job and if/how he managed to keep the job separate from his home life as I think that is an important part of a memoir of this type. I did still enjoy it though, it kept me engaged and interested throughout.

*Huge thanks to Cloyd Steiger, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

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What an interesting, and insightful read. Fascinating stuff with a touch of old cop and humour. recommended

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I gave this book a 4 star review. It is a very interesting book from a retired Seattle Homicide Detective Cloyd Steiger. Steiger has a very dry sense of humor, that didn't have any impact for me upon reading this book.
His writing style was great and very efficient, being a man who is a straight shooter and doesn't play games.
He has seen so many homicide's in the twenty years that he was on the force, he seems to have been involved in a lot of cases.
The Death of a firefighter at a Chinese food warehouse fire, the police officer murdered by Christopher Montfort, the gypsy murders, and so many more..

Reading about all these behind the yellow tape stories is very realistic and opens your eyes to so much. We don't realize what really goes on behind the scenes, and how much it affects the officers that have to witness such acts..

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Being a fan of true crime I was very interested to read Cloyd Steiger's book. A Seattle officer and detective of over 30 years , he gives you a glimpse of what goes on in the life of a detective. He doesn't just show you the glorified stories, he takes you behind the scenes to the facts, the time away from family, the calls taking him out late into the night and the heartbreak this type of job can bring. You see the example and dedication of an officer who is doing a job he believes in.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Cloyd Steiger, the author of Homicide:The View from Inside the Tape, for the chance to read this book for a fair and honest review.

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Each case included in the book is more of a short synopsis of the case or event rather than a detailed inspection of each one. It was a good, fast, easy read but the lack of details surrounding the cases and events left me with a snapshot rather than a panorama view of the crimes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

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I get hooked on these kind of books and this was no exception. Crime books are one of my favourites and True Crimes in the life of are even better and this one fit right into that category.The book is quite dry, but i think that's just a cop thing. The exceptional lives that they lead are just amazing. The stories that are told in this book sometimes make you wonder how the people every thought they were going to get away with them, and more importantly is keep your mouth shut. Thank you so much for letting me read this.

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Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape by Cloyd Steiger is an enlightening view into the case files of a retired homicide detective in Seattle. The cases in this book are interesting and reveal how tirelessly a good detective will work to find the answers to solve a murder. It takes a special type of person to be able to get up each day and face the worst that society offers. It is a bit shocking to read true crime accounts of people who take an innocent life with no remorse and many times no good reason. The continual hours with little or no rest this detective put into each new case was staggering.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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WOW! Sit down with a big old water and be prepared to delve deep into the workings of a Homicide Detective. This book blew me away with the investigations, the interrogations, and the ways in which the detective would go about solving the case.
There was a lot of cases covered and I appreciated the unique insight.
The only thing that could have made this book better would have been to have more personal information known about the detective...did any case haunt him? What cases frustrated him the most? Was there any issues with other police departments.
Also more about how his wife and kids thought of his career.
OVerall, the author did a great job writing the book and it was a hard book to put down.

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Really enjoyed this one. Written like he was reminiscing on his previous calls and crime scenes and I enjoyed the way it stopped and started. Others may not.

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I really did enjoy this easy read. It is always interesting to get hear the side that is normally not seen or spoken of during a news story.
We live in a crazy world. Thank you Net Galley for this opportunity.

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This is a very well written and brutally honest account of crime scenes, from the other side of the yellow tape.
As a fan of true crime, this was a welcome change to the norm for me.
It is interesting, informative, compelling, and sometimes harrowing but also totally fascinating.
A really good read and a must buy for true crime fans everywhere!

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This is very insightful and interesting! I loved learning about what's going on 'behind the scenes'. It's also hard to read about some cases and it's clear this job isn't for everyone. It's easy to read and the chapters aren't too long, it's quick and to the point.

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This will be a hit with any true crime fans, that's for sure.
This is a memoir of a homicide detective and his experiences in Washington.
The stories were truly interesting.

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This was interesting, but just know going into it that it is basically a collection of very short (true) stories. Many of them are over before you really even have a chance to figure out who's who. That being said, it was a fascinating look into the world of a homicide detective.

* Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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WARNING: This book is not for everyone.
Detective Steiger lays out his old murder cases without mincing his words.

As a fan of "CSI" and "Law & Order" etc, I enjoyed this book. It gives an unique insight into the process of solving murders and how Steiger goes about his job.

Be warned though that there are a few crime scene photos that may shock sensitive readers. And as mentioned earlier Detective Steiger calls a spade a spade.

Whilst I'd personally rate it 5 stars, I've rated it at 4 stars as it is a very genre specific book that will not appeal to all readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

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Cloyd Steiger's Homicide: The View From Inside The Yellow Tape is Steiger's memoir of a 36 year policing career in the city of Seattle, Washington, with 22 years spent investigating homicides.

By Steiger's accounting, he has investigated hundreds of homicides and through the book, he details his investigations and observations. The book recounts these tales in a frank and graphic nature that will be familiar to those in the criminal justice system, though some may find his writing offsetting. His storytelling is similar to a glass of cold water to the face, which I found to be refreshing and devoid of phrases and wording meant to placate the weak of heart when it comes to death and mayhem.

His detailing these stories is in a "just the facts" manner, including his blunt comments on his observations, may lead some to find his writing too harsh, but for the nature of this memoir, his style allows the reader to partially view crime in the street from the front lines.
Though some may also desire a more refined writing style, Steiger's writing style actually compliments his subject matter quite well.

Cloyd Steiger can also be heard on true crime podcasts.

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This book is a fascinating look into true crimes told by a veteran homicide detective from the state of Washington. This book takes a look at his strangest and most memorable cases during his career.

The cases are chronicled in a witty, intelligent and macabre way as it brings to life actual horrors he investigated. This was hard to put down it is an excellent true crime book. It was such great story telling I found myself getting lost in it and than shuddering to think these are true cases that actually happened.

This is an incredible way to honor the hard work of not only the author but any true crimes unit as it reflects all the years of dedication and hard work that goes into solving these terrible crimes.

This book has some truly fascinating cases and I really enjoyed it. If you like true crime and police procedural s you should definitely read this one.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
#NetGalley
#HomicideTheViewFromInsideTheYellowTape

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Dark and gripping and kept my attention. Would definitely read other books by this author.#HomicideTheViewFromInsideTheYellowTape #NetGalley

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