Bone Valley
A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King comes a chilling exploration of one of America’s most haunting wrongful conviction cases. Based on the hit podcast, Bone Valley dives into the dark heart of rural Florida, where a young man’s life was upended by a tragic miscarriage of justice.
“Captivating, enraging, and all too true.” —Bob Kolker, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road
“Bone Valley is a work of rare moral clarity and deep compassion.” ―Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking
In 1987, Leo Schofield was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Michelle. Always insistent on his innocence, he was poorly served by his legal defense: the investigation was sloppy, the case flimsy, and numerous pieces of evidence were ignored. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Over thirty years later, Gilbert King is tipped off to Leo’s case and is astonished by what he found: layers of corruption, flawed evidence, and deep-seated errors. He can’t shake the story and starts to get to know Leo and his family. Leo shows an incomprehensible amount of grace and love about his situation, which spurs Gilbert even more to tell his story.
Bone Valley is at once a revelatory investigation into a murder, a chilling portrait of the criminal justice system, and a uniquely powerful story of grace and redemption. Gilbert King has written a new classic of narrative nonfiction.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This shocking true-crime tale sheds light on a dark corner of potential corruption and injustice in the Florida legal system. In 1989, Leo Schofield was convicted of murdering his wife, Michelle. But not only did Schofield insist he didn’t do it, another man confessed that he did. Pulitzer Prize winner Gilbert King meticulously pores through everything from the flawed police investigation to Schofield’s poor defence at trial. Most importantly, he provides full context for a palm print found on Michelle’s car that was later matched to convicted killer Jeremy Scott—who eventually confessed to killing Michelle himself. Though Scott later recanted his confession, King’s comprehensive investigation connects the dots between Scott, Schofield, and the history of Florida’s criminal justice system, all to make the convincing case that the state would rather uphold an unjust conviction than see justice served. Even if you’ve already listened to King’s podcast series about this disturbing case, this exhaustive investigation is a riveting read.
