The Case of the Vanishing Blonde

Six captivating true-crime stories, spanning Mark Bowden's long and illustrious career, cover a variety of crimes complicated by extraordinary circumstances. In The Case of the Vanishing Blonde, the veteran reporter revisits some of his most riveting stories and examines the effects of modern technology on the journalistic process.



From a story of a campus rape in 1983, to three cold cases solved by the inimitable private detective Ken Brennan, an LAPD investigation that unearths a murderer within its own ranks and the darkest corners of internet chatrooms, this collection contains all the best the genre has to offer. Gripping true crime from 'an old pro' (Wall Street Journal).



Mark Bowden is the author of thirteen books, including Killing Pablo and the #1 New York Times bestseller Black Hawk Down. He reported at the Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years and now writes for the Atlantic and Vanity Fair, amongst other magazines. He is also the writer in residence at the University of Delaware.



It feels a little loathsome to refer to this book as a joy; after all, each story revolves around the worst moments in someone's life. But that's exactly what the book is: an absolute joy to read. Bowden's writing is a reminder that, in all the complexity of an age of upheaval, there is still good, and there is still evil, and the most interesting parts of humanity lie in the gulfs of gray in between.



This engrossing collection from Bowden showcase[s] his gift for narrative nonfiction...New readers will want to seek out Bowden's book-length nonfiction after devouring this.



This true crime master expands the limits of the genre, digging to find answers and revealing that even the most horrific crimes are often linked to a larger story about America.



PI Ken Brennan, the memorable cold-casecracking rock star, features in three investigations, and he is reason enough to pick up this slim and satisfying volume.