BONE VALLEY: The Book

“A gripping true-crime narrative recounted by a master storyteller.” 

—Mariko Hewer, Washington Independent Review of Books

“Reading Bone Valley is like devouring a novel from John Grisham, except every word is true…a legal thriller, with astonishing twists and turns, jaw-dropping evil and a heart-tugging conclusion that would be impossible to believe if the word “nonfiction” weren’t staring at us from the back cover…an impossible-to-put-down yarn. It’s the best work of true crime I’ve read this year.” 

—Chris Hewitt, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Gilbert King’s Bone Valley transcends the true crime genre, laying bare injustice and exploring the humanity of a victim, a killer and a husband wrongfully accused of murder.. Bone Valley draws readers right into an unforgettable story that’s full of desperation and grace.”

—Alice Cary, BookPage

“With depth, humility, and an open, timid understanding of its inadequacy within the legal system, this orientation of King’s reporting grants human gravitas to the mind-blowing frustrations of procedural technicalities. Both infuriating and hopeful, a story about the ultimate integrity of truth.”  

—Kirkus

“A rigorously researched, superbly written, deeply compassionate study of a perversion of justice. A must-read for fans of crime nonfiction.”

—Booklist

In 1988, 22-year-old Leo Schofield—a heavy metal guitarist from Lakeland, Florida—was arrested and charged with the murder of his 18-year-old wife, Michelle. Leo maintained his innocence from the beginning, but he was failed at nearly every turn: the investigation was shoddy, the defense inadequate, and critical evidence was overlooked. Convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, Leo exhausted his appeals and seemed destined to remain in the shadows.

More than thirty years later, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Gilbert King is tipped off to Leo’s case—and is stunned by what he finds: layers of official misconduct, evidence that was ignored, and deeply rooted failures at the judiciary that prioritized finality over justice. Unable to let it go, King begins a years-long investigation that brings him closer to Leo and his family, and eventually to another suspect who’s forensically linked to the crime: Jeremy Scott, a violent young man who lived near the Schofields at the time of Michelle’s murder. Through it all, Leo displays an almost unimaginable capacity for grace, which deepens King’s resolve to tell his story.

Bone Valley is at once a revelatory investigation into a murder, a haunting portrait of the American criminal justice system, and a uniquely powerful story of compassion and redemption.