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Trailed
Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders | Kathryn Miles
?Trailed is a beautifully written account of a great American tragedythe unsolved murders of an undetermined number of young women, all by the same serial killer, who got away. The truth is still buried. I couldnt put it down. John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author A riveting deep dive into the unsolved murder of two free-spirited young women in the wilderness, a journalist's obsession, and a new theory of who might have done it In May 1996, Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were brutally murdered while backpacking in Virginias Shenandoah National Park, adjacent to the world-famous Appalachian Trail. The young women were skilled backcountry leaders and they had metand fallen in lovethe previous summer, while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women. But despite an extensive joint investigation by the FBI, the Virginia police, and the National Park Service, the case remained unsolved for years. In early 2002 and in response to mounting political pressure, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that he would be seeking the death penalty against Darrell David Ricealready in prison for assaulting another womanin the first capital case tried under new, post-9/11 federal hate crime legislation. But two years later, the Department of Justice quietly suspended its case against Rice, and the investigation has since grown cold. Did prosecutors have the right person? Journalist Kathryn Miles was a professor at Lollie Winans's wilderness college in Maine when the 2002 indictment was announced. On the twentieth anniversary of the murder, she begins looking into the lives of these adventurous womenwhose loss continued to haunt all who had encountered themalong with the murder investigation and subsequent case against Rice. As she dives deeper into the case, winning the trust of the victims loved ones as well as investigators and gaining access to key documents, Miles becomes increasingly obsessed with the loss of the generous and free-spirited Lollie and Julie, who were just on the brink of adulthood, and at the same time she discovers evidence of cover-ups, incompetence, and crime-scene sloppiness that seemed part of a larger problem in Americas pursuit of justice in national parks. She also becomes convinced of Rices innocence and zeroes in on a different likely suspect. Trailed: One Womans Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders is a riveting, eye-opening, and heartbreaking work, offering a braided narrative about two remarkable women who were murdered doing what they most loved, of the forensics of this cold case, and of the surprising pervasiveness and long shadows cast by violence against women in the backcountry.
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CaramelLunacy
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Tentative pick - I don't usually love true crime, but this looks at Lollie and Julie as people and as a couple, not just as murder victims. The author's recurring theme is how women and marginalized groups feel unsafe in the outdoors and she attempts to counteract that but also highlight very real concerns. It is a tricky balance.
I was more interested in the evidence and investigations (and their mismanagement) and found her approach not lurid.

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LiseWorks
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#TeamCryptKeepers. #BucketList #ScarathlonPhotoChalange We have had a beautiful couple of weeks of nothing but sunshine and warm record-breaking temperatures. So we, Oakley and I went for a trail walk near my house. You can see our shadow. @StayCurious @Clwojick

Clwojick 🍂🍁🍂🍁 7mo
19 likes1 comment
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DebinHawaii
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#SummerSoecial

True crime on my Kindle TBR where 2 women, Julie Williams & Lolly Winans. were killed in Shenandoah National Park while #Camping & hiking in 1996.

Thanks to @Eggs & @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for a great month of prompts. 🤗

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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Too often, careless investigative work causes cases to run cold. In 1996, Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were murdered just off the A.T. in Shenandoah Nat‘l Park. In addition to diving deep into their lives and deaths, Miles provides a necessary commentary on violence against women and possible hate crimes. The nonlinear presentation was an interesting, yet effective choice here. Credit to Miles for drawing attention back to this case.

LeahBergen Great review! I‘ve been eyeing this one. 11mo
britt_brooke @LeahBergen Thanks! I hope you‘ll pick it up. 🤞🏼 11mo
103 likes9 stack adds2 comments
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britt_brooke
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Walking with my best bud! 🎧🐾

#audiowalk
#dogsoflitsy

AmyG So handsome! 11mo
britt_brooke @AmyG Thank you! 🤍🐾 11mo
LeahBergen Such a good boy! 11mo
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mrp27 Love seeing this handsome boy in my feed. 🐶❤️ 11mo
britt_brooke @mrp27 🤍🐾 11mo
britt_brooke @LeahBergen He sure is! 🤍🐾 11mo
UwannaPublishme Awww! 11mo
Megabooks Yay Champ! 🤩🤩 11mo
98 likes10 comments
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EmilieGR
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Pickpick

Such a touching and human true crime book. Miles approaches all parties with the same level of sympathy and empathy, while also examining the dangers of bias and presumption in our judicial system. She also shines a light on the problems of underfunding our nation‘s park system.

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Larkken
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This may have been a poor choice of audiobook to walk while listening to… two younger guys looked like they were about to cross the street and called out to talk to me - bad idea! I am sure they are just LDS or some such, but someone should tell them to lay off accosting women going for a walk by themselves, and that‘s not just the book talking! If you want to creep yourself out during walks outside, I can recommend this true crime… #scarathlon 😜

Megabooks I hate it when people call out to me when I‘m walking my dog. 1y
Larkken @Megabooks I know! Anytime I‘m doing outdoor me time just feels so necessary for renewal, I hate it when anyone intrudes. 1y
22 likes2 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Behind on reviews! Trailed is a #truecrime book unlike most; the author focuses on the victims, who they were, what they loved, and her connection to them as a student where they attended college. Lillie and Julie were murdered while camping and hiking in Shenandoah National Park, near the AT, in 1996. The author obviously believes that the case needs to be reconsidered. There‘s also some examination of National Parks and crimes committed within.

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she.hearts.horror
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Pickpick

The humanity and intentionality in this book is exceptional. Oftentimes, we‘re subjected to additions to the “true crime” genre that seem to miss that the tragedy in these stories: loss of human life. That unequivocally remains in the forefront here. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

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CaitlinByTheBook
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Read this one for a bookclub last month and it was so good! If you like to read true crime and enjoy visiting National Parks, this is a must read. The author does a great job detailing what happened surrounding the crime and the investigation. The fumbles and mistakes in the beginning of the investigation still have repercussions today. The author also does a great job explaining her connections to the victims and honoring them. 5⭐️

EvieBee I read this a few months back and wanted to give it 5 stars but thought…maybe not. After all this time, I still keep coming back to it as one of the top books of the year for me! Five stars it is! 2y
CaitlinByTheBook @EvieBee - so interesting! I love when a book sticks with me more than I expected. Yay for this one being that way for you! The author was awesome when she briefly spoke at the book club meeting for this one that I attended. 2y
13 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Bigwig
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In 1996 two female hikers were savagely killed in the Shenandoah region of the Appalachian Trail. The author reviews the case, torpedoes the government‘s strangely misguided pursuit of the (likely) wrong suspect, and narrates the hikers‘ story with great empathy. This is a disturbing, detailed pursuit of the truth and real page-turner. Importantly, the skilled writing focuses strongly on the lives of the victims, not just their terrible deaths.

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DGRachel
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Mehso-so

This is probably a case of my mood influencing my opinion, but while informative, I found the pacing and prose to be tedious. I‘ve already forgotten most of what I listened to and I finished the book 15 minutes ago. I will, however, think twice before I consider going to a national park.

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Hooked_on_books
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Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were murdered in their tent in Shenandoah National Park in 1996. Their murders remain unsolved. In Trailed, Miles goes through what has and hasn‘t been investigated, suggesting a strong suspect and pointing out a lot of concerns regarding the law enforcement approach to their deaths. I had always thought of the biggest danger in the wilderness being nature, but turns out that may not be the case.

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TheReadingRaccoon
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Trailed is a true crime novel about an unsolved double murder case at a U.S. National Park in 1996. The writer Kathryn Miles delves into the lives of the victims, their last days and the potential suspects in a case that has shown difficult to solve due to the isolated outdoor setting of their deaths. I found this true crime book to be well written and is an excellent read and I hope it brings attention to this tragic unsolved case.

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EvieBee
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“Our country, despite concerted efforts from strong and vocal people, continues to suffer from an even larger collective problem of overlooking, excusing, or otherwise dehumanizing violence against women and marginalized people.” —Kathryn Miles, Trailed

A chilling look into violence against women who dare to explore the outdoors alone. As a lover of hiking and camping, it does give cause for concern about my next excursion. #truecrime

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amiable As an aside—I love your bookshelves! They look so deep. Where did you get them? 2y
EvieBee @Amiable Thank you! They can fit three rows of books. I got them at IKEA. They will last you forever! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome shelves!! 2y
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EvieBee @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you, Misty! 2y
LKK526 @EvieBee love my ikea bookshelves. Want more. Your look 👍 2y
EvieBee @LKK526 They‘re great! I first had them in espresso 15 years ago! 😊 2y
LKK526 @EvieBee I have so many books I need a second house! 2y
EvieBee @LKK526 For sure!! Mine are fit to bust right now even after a huge cull. 2y
LKK526 @EvieBee same here. A blessing and a curse! 2y
67 likes3 stack adds9 comments
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TorieStorieS
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Miles‘ investigation into the murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans unfolds into a genuinely gripping read. In early June of 1996, the young women‘s bodies were discovered on their off-trail campsite in VA‘s Shenandoah National Park. Miles includes details of their lives, deaths, as well as history of the parks as well as some of the apparently rampant sexism on these trails. A definite discussion starter - I only wish there was a bit more!

EvieBee I wanted more too! Like a resolution. 😔 2y
TorieStorieS @EvieBee I know!!! Fingers crossed for a follow-up book!!!! 2y
54 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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EKonrad
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Definitely not for people who feel squeamish when reading about violence or forensics, but true-crime fans will enjoy trying to solve the case on their own. #arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full review at: https://erinkonrad.com/2022/04/30/trailed-book-review/

27 likes1 stack add
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EvieBee
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I thought this would be perfect for a weekend cabin retreat.

“They must have been followed. That‘s the thought I return to after all these years…”

#currentlyreading #truecrime

Soubhiville Yikes! You‘re braver than me, I could tread that while staying in the woods! 2y
LeahBergen Eek! That‘s perfect. 😆 2y
EvieBee @Soubhiville The only reason I can is because it‘s a cute little cabin community. If it was isolated, no way lol! 2y
EvieBee @LeahBergen Ultra creep factor! Lol! 2y
67 likes1 stack add4 comments