★ 03/21/2022
In 2016, Miles (Quakeland: On the Road to America’s Next Devastating Earthquake) became obsessed with the unsolved case of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, a couple in their 20s who were murdered in 1996 while hiking in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, leading her to spend four years researching this engrossing account. Through extensive investigations and the help of attorney Deirdre Enright and her Innocence Project students, Miles discounted the National Park Service rangers’ and FBI’s theories that Darrel David Rice was the murderer. Rice, in prison for assaulting a female cyclist in Shenandoah Park in 1998, was indicted for the double homicide in 2002, but the case was dismissed in 2004 when DNA evidence ruled him out. The loss of evidence by the time the crime scene was investigated and park service efforts to keep the deaths quiet for fear of losing tourists hampered the inquiry, but Miles makes a convincing case that serial killer Richard Marc Evonitz, who died by suicide in 2002 as police closed in on him, was the likely culprit, though the FBI declined to connect him to the Williams and Winans murders. Along the way, Miles takes a comprehensive look at police procedures in federal parks and violence against women in rural areas. This fascinating if often grim story is a must for true crime buffs. Agents: Wendy Strothman and Lauren MacLeod, Strothman Literary. (May)
"Trailed is a beautifully written account of a great American tragedy—the unsolved murders of an undetermined number of young women, all by the same serial killer, who got away. The truth is still buried. I couldn’t put it down."—John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author “A gripping look inside a tragic, unsolved case.”—People “The true-crime book that has stayed with me this year is Kathryn Miles’s TRAILED: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders… Miles not only solves the case, she shines a light on the crime rate in the country’s national parks.”—The New York Times "A tragic story of young lovers, gone too soon. A #metoo reckoning, long overdue. A study of trauma’s ripple effects, extending for decades. Trailed is meticulously investigated, achingly intimate, and doggedly persistent in the pursuit of justice."—Robert Kolker, bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road “Engrossing . . . Miles takes a comprehensive look at police procedures in federal parks and violence against women in rural areas . . . A must for true crime buffs.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Riveting . . . Trailed is a fascinating story about the search for justice – and for social change.”—Apple Books, Best Books of May “Mesmerizing journalism… Utterly engaging and always respectful, Trailed is highly recommended for true crime fans.”—Booklist (starred review) “Disturbing and provocative…Gripping and thoughtful, this book will appeal to those with an interest in true-crime stories and unsettling truths about places deemed safe for all.” —Kirkus Reviews “Passionate . . . What starts as a true crime narrative about a single horrific event turns into something much larger. In investigating how and why [Julie] Williams and [Lollie] Winans died, Miles connects the women’s deaths to complex questions of who has access to the wilderness, and how the National Park Service, guardians of vast swaths of land, fails to protect those who seek peace in wild spaces.”—Lorraine Berry, Boston Globe "TRAILED is gripping, immersive, first-rate true crime—engagingly told, respectful in tone, damning in its conclusions. Miles digs deep into investigative records to document the wrong turns and flawed assumptions that produced a dubious suspect and ignored evidence that linked a serial murderer and rapist to the crime scene… How can true crime fans resist?"—Dean Jobb, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine “A gripping, literary account of a spate of unsolved murders, a serial killer on the loose, and a decades-long investigation, and an urgent plea to make the wilderness a safer space for women.”—Sierra “A beautiful story about a female journalist seeking clarity and life for two women she never knew, and looking to restore the wilderness as a place of healing and safety for all women in the process. An established backcountry hiker herself, Miles follows a serpentine trail of misogyny and the resilience and joy of women in spite of it. Trailed is also a love story. You will turn pages as fast as you can.” —Lacy Crawford, author of Notes on a Silencing “In an outdoor atmosphere where women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ individuals are working hard for equal footing, Trailed explores the root of sexism and bigotry in the outdoor community and becomes a rallying cry for moving forward together.” —Jennifer Pharr Davis, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and author of The Pursuit of Endurance “Beyond an illumination of the murders of two young queer women, this book is a deeply empathetic inquiry into who has the right to venture into the woods and to do so safely. Miles' book is nothing less than a parsing of the forces that have long stood between women and queer people and their physical freedom.” —Emma Copley Eisenberg, author of The Third Rainbow Girl “This is a sleepless night of a book, a toss-and-turn story about a double homicide near America's legendary footpath that wrestles with intimacy, anger, and our ideas of safety. We get the fascinating, uncomfortable opportunity to join an increasingly-obsessed journalist on her quest to puzzle out what happens when a wild and peaceful place is shattered by violence.” —Ben Montgomery, author of A Shot in the Moonlight and the New York Times bestselling Grandma Gatewood’s Walk “Miles brings Winans and Williams (and other female victims of backcountry violence) into tender human focus, while shining a light on deficient law enforcement practices that don't fully serve the people they are designed to protect.”—Shelf Awareness “It is a thrilling, gripping book, sure to appeal to true-crime fans and backcountry aficionados alike… a moving tribute to the inspiring and promising lives of two talented young women whose lives were cut tragically short…true crime aficionados and mystery fans will greatly enjoy this book.”—The Trek “Far from true-crime sensationalism, Trailed paints a heartbreaking portrait of two promising young women’s lives cut short and a sobering picture of how murderers slip through cracks in the justice system…A page-turner.”—Chapter16.org “Trailed offers a thoughtful braided narrative that delves into these devastating murders and the author’s own growing obsession with the case, while asking fundamental questions about justice in the national parks and who is safe in the backcountry.”—Orion “Miles strikes a good balance between laying out the details of the crime and investigation, and fully developing the stories of the victims’ lives. Fans of unsolved cases will appreciate this well-researched, compelling story.”—Library Journal “The fast-paced and dark story is a remarkable read for true-crime fans.”—425 Magazine “One of the most gripping books I’ve read this year.”—Dana Wilde, CentralMaine.com
“While Miles’s thoroughly researched and rigorous account of Winans and Williams’s murders remains the focus of the book, Trailed also tells the much larger story of how women, BIPOC, and the LGBTQ+ community experience nature. The book ultimately serves as a crucial call to action for how nature must be made accessible and safe for all.”—Atlas Obscura
“Riveting.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune
“If you are a true-crime fan, or even an investigative journalist, you’ll like this one.”—Denver Post
04/23/2022
In 1996, Julianne Williams and her girlfriend Laura Winans were backpacking in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, where they were brutally murdered. After years of dead ends, law enforcement identified a man they believed guilty of the murders, however they dismissed the case against him in 2016 due to lack of evidence. Miles, an avid backpacker and journalist for Outside magazine, began working on a story about the unsolved case. The story turned into four years of reviewing court transcripts, case files, news stories, and hundreds of interviews with witnesses, law enforcement and forensic experts. Miles identifies some serious missteps in the investigation and sheds light on the troubling issues of the National Park Service when it comes to solving violent crimes. VERDICT Miles strikes a good balance between laying out the details of the crime and investigation, and fully developing the stories of the victims' lives. Fans of unsolved cases will appreciate this well-researched, compelling story.—Melissa Stoeger
2022-03-01
An award-winning science writer investigates the 1996 backcountry murders of two hikers.
Miles first heard about the Shenandoah Valley murders of Lollie Winans and Julie Williams at Unity College, “a small environmental studies college located in the foothills of central Maine,” where she began teaching in 2001. A survivor of sexual abuse, Winans had been a popular student who led wilderness trips to help other assault victims move through the healing process. The summer before their deaths, Winans and Williams had fallen in love while working at an outdoor program called Woodswomen, Inc. By the time Miles left Unity in 2016, she found herself “trailed” by their story, which had never found resolution. Their suspected attacker, Darrell Rice, served a 10-year prison term for their assault before being released. However, the prosecution for murder stalled, leaving the case in limbo. For the next four years, Miles immersed herself in court transcripts, news stories, scholarship, and interviews with more than 100 sources. The “deficiencies and mistakes” she uncovered in police investigations appalled her. Richard Marc Evonitz, another suspect, had been linked with other kidnappings and murders in the South. Yet police dismissed him despite DNA evidence collected from the Winans-Williams murder site that suggested his guilt. Researching a vibrator left behind at the crime scene, Miles found links back to Evonitz, a sexual fetishist and known pedophile who killed himself in 2002. What makes this story so chilling is not just that the author had to “police law enforcement” in order to determine their investigative errors. She also shows how “every year there is demonstrable evidence that women, African Americans, and nonbinary and LGBT people have good reason to wonder if they are safe in the wilderness, which in many ways is still considered a white male domain.” Gripping and thoughtful, this book will appeal to those with an interest in true-crime stories and unsettling truths about places deemed safe for all.
Disturbing and provocative.
08/01/2022
Award-winning journalist and science writer Miles (Quakeland) investigates the shocking 1996 murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans. Williams and Winans were brutally attacked while camping in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, near the Appalachian Trail. For almost a decade, National Park Service rangers and the FBI were convinced that Darrell David Rice was guilty of the crime, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. With cool restraint, narrator Gabra Zackman describes Miles's meticulous research into the case, detailing her deep dive into news stories, case files, and hundreds of interviews with witnesses, law enforcement, and family members. Miles developed a personal, even obsessive interest in the case, which led her to uncover shoddy police work. With a perfectly modulated voice, Zackman channels Miles's intense, analytical mind, implacably putting forth a chilling case that another man, Richard Marc Evonitz, is a more likely suspect. VERDICT Reminiscent of Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark, this compelling audio is a necessary purchase for true crime fans, especially those interested in the backstories, historical context, and larger political questions raised by this intriguing investigation.—Sarah Hashimoto
