True crime with a twist

Nobody locked their doors in Sycamore, Illinois in 1957; nobody locked their doors until one fateful, frigid December night when a bright-eyed little girl vanished, leaving only her beloved doll and tiny footprints in the snow.

Shocked and fearful, the entire town searched frantically for seven-year-old Maria Ridulph. Law enforcement from the city, state, and even the FBI tirelessly followed leads, interviewed witnesses, and processed evidence. But hope dwindled as the months passed and Maria was still missing. The case was as cold as the night she disappeared, never to be seen alive again.

Then, decades later, an elderly woman dying of cancer confessed to her astonished daughters that she knew who took Maria. Skeptical of this deathbed bombshell, police and prosecutors reluctantly reopened this coldest of cases. Dead witnesses, deteriorated evidence, and a suspect with a seemingly rock-solid alibi would challenge even the savviest of prosecutors.

Thoroughly researched and deftly-written, Charles Lachman’s Footsteps in the Snow is a must read for true crime fans who will be fascinated by this tragic crime and the half-century quest for justice.