by Gilbert King
First published 2025
Leo Schofield sits in his Florida prison cell, convicted of murdering his wife Michelle in 1987. He has refused to confess for 35 years, knowing he is innocent. The state offered him freedom in exchange for admission of guilt, but Leo will not lie about killing the woman he loved. In 2004, fingerprints from the crime scene match Jeremy Scott, a violent teenager from the same Polk County town. Jeremy confesses to Michelle's murder and three others, but Florida officials refuse to release Leo or charge Jeremy. Two men claim to tell the truth about the same crime, yet the justice system believes neither. Leo remains trapped between his integrity and his freedom while Michelle's real killer remains unpunished. King exposes how bureaucratic inertia can perpetuate injustice even when new evidence emerges.
Genres: mystery, crime, non-fiction, legal-thriller
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Florida, Polk County
Period: 1987, 2004
368 pages · Kindle Edition · Flatiron Books