Book details

Scream at the Sky

Five Texas Murders and One Man's Crusade for Justice

Author: Carlton Stowers

Scream at the Sky

Scream at the Sky

$11.99

About This Book

Carlton Stowers, the two-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling master of true crime, is back. Scream at the Sky is his masterful chronicle of one man's murderous...

Page Count
256
Genre
On Sale
08/16/2004

Book Details

Carlton Stowers, the two-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling master of true crime, is back. Scream at the Sky is his masterful chronicle of one man's murderous career, and another man's sworn promise to deliver justice and closure to the people of Texas.
Wichita Falls, Texas, was home to a hundred thousand people in the last months of 1984. That winter was harsh, as the normally arid Texas plains gave way to ominous dark clouds that delivered freezing sleet and rain. But a much darker force was looming, and soon the quiet town was besieged by a faceless evil--and its young women were dying because of it.
In the next seventeen months five women were found brutally beaten and murdered, their young lives cut short and their bodies left haphazardly where they fell. In the years that followed, grieving families fruitlessly sought answers. A haunted district attorney chased every lead only to meet one dead end after another. And the killer's identity remained unknown to the ravaged townspeople.

Then, fourteen years after the killing started, an investigator who had been assigned the cold case brought to it a renewed dedication, and came upon a chance discovery. Searching through the yellowed case files, he caught a minor detail that suggested one more suspect. Faryion Wardrip was an unhappily married family man who drowned his anger in substance abuse and violent fantasies. But for five unfortunate families, the drugs sometimes took over and the fantasies became realities.

Investigator John Little followed his instincts and tirelessly ruled out every possibility until he was left with but one conclusion: Faryion Wardrip was the serial killer who had eluded his office for so long. How he tracked down Wardrip and used the legal system to beat the killer at his own game of deception is a remarkable story of justice served.

Imprint Publisher

St. Martin's Press

ISBN

9781466835825

In The News

“Only Truman Capote's In Cold Blood may match what Stowers accomplishes here.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

“An utterly compelling account of outrage, travesty, and redemption. No one does true crime better than Carlton Stowers. No one.” —Jonathan Kellerman

“It cannot be recommended to the faint of heart...the author is as methodical and skillful as Little in the forensic reconstruction of an investigation and trial that provided closure for five families and judgment and a sentence for a killer who eluded justice for 15 years.” —The Washington Post Book World

“Carlton Stowers gets it exactly right...Scream At the Sky offers compassion for the victims as well as a balanced, warts-and-all view of each...thanks to John Little, their murders were avenged. Thanks to Carlton Stowers, they will not be forgotten.” —Austin American Statesman

“Stowers deftly portrays investigators' increasing tenacity and Wardrip's trail of deceit and violence, elements contributing to the tension as readers wait for the law to catch up with a bizarre and maddeningly fortunate murderer.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The book becomes increasingly suspenseful as Little quietly builds his case against the sanctimonious Wardrip, whose composure crumbles when he's finally confronted on his old misdeeds. Stowers demonstrates sensitivity toward the many survivors of Wardrip's crimes, yet at heart this is a gory, effective meditation on the evil sometimes committed by 'ordinary' men and the great efforts necessary for justice.” —Publishers Weekly

“Stowers crams an incredible amount of detail into his narrative. He doesn't rehash the crimes as the prosecutors present new evidence to jurors. He gives readers credit for being able to remember what they learned earlier in the book. Most important, Stowers presents the murderer as a multidimensional character. Forget 'investigative' TV series. Scream At the Sky is better than CSI or Law & Order, because it's about the real thing.” —Arizona Republic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

About the Creators

Scream at the Sky

Scream at the Sky

$11.99