Boston Tabloid

- Blurb -

"We' re fascinated inthis country by scandal. Add a true crime element to it, with a penchant forsuspense and mystery, but, most important, a sincerity and integrity in tellingthe victim' s story, and you' ve got yourself a nonfiction thriller of thehighest caliber. Don Stradley' s Boston Tabloid answers the call to taketrue crime to the next level-a true page-turner, it brings the reality ofBoston' s underbelly to the forefront for perhaps the first time. "-M. William Phelps, NewYork Times bestselling author of We Thought We Knew You andhost of iHeartMedia' s podcasts Crossing the Line with M. WilliamPhelps and Paper Ghosts. THE DISAPPEARANCEis a reconstruction of a grisly murder, and an explorationof one man' s bizarre obsession. When Robin Benedictvanished the investigation and media circus that gripped the city of Bostonhadn' t seen since the days of the Boston Strangler case. On a Sunday morning inMarch 1983, a small-time pimp walked into a police station and claimed hisgirlfriend was missing. He claimed she had been on her way to visit a clientnamed William Douglas, a man known in academic circles as a groundbreakingscientist, who also indulged a taste for prostitutes in Boston' s most X-ratedneighborhood. Inthe year that followed, the case drew in detectives, state troopers, scores ofjournalists, and even psychics. But Robin was never found. In fact, all thatwas found was a sledgehammer, some clothing, and her Toyota Starlet, allstained with blood. Douglas' s eventual arrest and sketchy confession providednews readers with months of daily intrigue-for a new era ofsensationalistic reporting was about to erupt. It was also a timewhen Boston-area prostitutes were being murdered on a regular basis. The caseof Robin Benedict was just another reminder that the city' s dark side wasseeping into the suburbs and universities. In revisiting this legendary crime, award-winning author Don Stradley consultedjournalists who were involved in the media frenzy, prison authorities,arresting officers, and psychiatrists, all in an effort to unravel a mosttangled story. Why was the city, and the nation, swept up in this sordidtale? It remains a grim and fascinating moment in Boston' s history.