In 1974, wealthy Californians Mac and Muff Graham sailed to Palmyra Island, 1000 miles south of Hawaii, in their boat the Sea Wind . Buck Walker and Jennifer Jenkins arrived soon after on the same atoll, fleeing drug charges in Hawaii. Several months later, Walker and Jenkins returned to Hawaii in the Sea Wind , claiming that the Grahams were presumed dead when the dinghy in which they had gone fishing was washed ashore unmanned. However, in 1980, vacationers on Palmyra found bones soon identified as those of Muff Graham, who was determined to have been shot. Walker and Jenkins were charged with murder: in separate San Francisco trials, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and she was acquitted. Writing with Henderson ( Empire of Deceit) , Bugliosi ( Helter Skelter ), who served as Jenkins's attorney, offers a case history which could have been a true-crime classic if not for the 250 tedious pages devoted to his client's 23-day trial. Photos not seen by PW. Literary Guild main selection. (Jan.)
Need more room for all the summer books you’re picking up this month? Time to host a book swap! For a fun, memorable, lit-filled evening, follow our 7 simple rules below. By the end of the night, you’ll have extra space on your shelves as well as some surprise additions that may become new favorites.
Since it first aired in October, Sarah Koenig’s “Serial” podcast has been drawing people to their radios (okay, computers) to listen to the story of Adnan Syed, currently sitting in jail for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, unfold before their ears. “Serial” is addictive not only because the whos, whats, wheres, […]
When I’m sad, I don’t go for the Ben & Jerry’s, I go for a good book. Not just any good book—the book I’ve read a million times, the one I’ve read with loved ones, the one I’ve read in good times. The one that, when I jump inside, makes me feel warm and safe […]
Years ago, I was browsing at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble when a high-spirited woman came up to me holding a book called If You Really Loved Me. In her Russian accent, she asked me if I had read the Ann Rule, then told me that I must read the Ann Rule. I remember feeling […]