A Death in Italy

"A riveting account of . . . the murder and trial to the electrifying appeals-court decision . . . a vivid portrait of the woman at the center of it all." —The Wall Street Journal

Shortly after 12:30pm on November 2, 2007, Italian police were called to the Perugia home of twenty-one-year-old British student Meredith Kercher. They found her body on the floor under a beige quilt. Her throat had been cut.


Four days later, the prosecutor jailed Meredith's roommate, American student Amanda Knox, and Raffaele Sollecito, her Italian boyfriend. He also jailed Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast drifter. Four years later Knox and Sollecito were acquitted amid chaotic scenes in front of the world's media.


Uniquely based on four years of reporting and access to the complete case files, and hundreds of first hand interviews, Death in Italy takes readers on a riveting journey behind the scenes of the investigation, as John Follain shares the drama of the trials and appeal hearings he lived through.


Including exclusive interviews with Meredith's friends and other key sources, Death in Italy reveals how the Italian dream turned into a nightmare.


"[Follain] relates [the story] with clarity, compassion and a wealth of fascinating detail . . . gripping" —The Washington Post

"It's hard to imagine there will be a better book on the subject." —The Observer (UK)


"An excellent account of the tragedy and the very Italian drama that followed." —The Sunday Times (UK)


"[Follain's book] does a good job of reminding us that amid the reams of print and reel are human lives; some innocent and some guilty, but all irreparably disfigured by this horribly sad story." —The Daily Telegraph (UK)