Hi Everyone,
So, I can now talk about by next book project.
James Patterson and I are teaming up again. We have signed with Little,Brown, the publisher of The Idaho Four, to write a book about the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson.
Here’s what we said in the press release that went out this morning:
“This is a story about the American Dream Gone Wrong. It’s also a story of one young man’s descent from Ivy League graduate to notorious accused killer to so-called political martyr. The Idaho Four was inspired by the photo of the four tragic victims. Like millions around the world, Vicky and I were riveted by coverage of the five-day manhunt from Midtown Manhattan to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” said James Patterson.
“This story touches all of us. It goes to the heart of the social, cultural and political issues dividing the US right now. Nothing is more of a reviled black box than the health insurance industry, and it’s time to open it up, through a crime that has caught the attention of the country,” said Vicky Ward.
Read the rest of the Substack article at Vicky Ward Investigates.
Thank you, Steve Schmidt, author of The Warning, for a very deep, thought-provoking discussion that forced me to pull back and think hard about the bigger picture:
Why do I choose to pursue the dark people and dark topics that I do?
What’s it like for me emotionally going down dark rabbit holes?
And how do all the dark rabbit holes connect?
And, yes, most often, they do…
Watch the video of our live conversation above.
And a reminder: You can buy The Idaho Four here.
Watch the full conversation on Vicky Ward Investigates.
Great to talk About The Idaho Four with Mosheh Oinounou, the inspiring TV News producer-turned-entrepreneur and founder of the wildly successful Mo News that is here on substack, but also on Instagram and other platforms.
Watch the full conversation on Vicky Ward Investigates.
Thank you Tom Kudla, Char Grant, Barbara Grinell, Danielle, Kris O, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.
Watch the full conversation on Vicky Ward Investigates.
Yesterday I spoke to Ava Wood, a University of Idaho graduate about how she’s feeling in the aftermath of Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing for a quadruple homicide.
Ava was close friends with Kohberger’s four victims: Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Had Bryan Kohberger gone to trial, rather than opting for a plea deal at the eleventh hour, she would likely have been in the witness box because she had received a subpoena from Ann Taylor, Kohberger’s defense lawyer, something that confused and worried her.
In The Idaho Four, James Patterson and I describe how Ava went to 1122 King Road late morning on November 13th 2022 because she heard police sirens, and when she looked out of her kitchen window she saw an ambulance arriving and Emily Alandt, Xana’s best friend sitting on the ground, shivering and crying. (Emily and her boyfriend Hunter Johnson had been called to the house by Dylan Mortensen who had seen Kohberger the night before and had thought she was hallucinating, until, hours later, none of her roommates answered their phones). Hunter Johnson had entered the house and discovered the bodies of Xana and Ethan Chapin.
Watch the two part conversation on Vicky Ward Investigates.
Hey Everyone,
There’s a lot to post: today I spoke to the brilliant Wajahat Ali for an hour and then to Ava Wood, a University of Idaho student who features prominently in The Idaho Four. I will be posting both those interviews in the next 24 hours.
But, some breaking news: I just heard from James Patterson my co-author, that our book The Idaho Four is Number One on both the NYT Non-Fiction hardcover list and on the combined print and ebook nonfiction list – for a second week!
Thank you for supporting this important book!
Read the full article on Vicky Ward Investigates.
Thank you Ellie Leonard, Tom Kudla, Carol Johnston, John H, elizabeth, and many others for tuning into my live video with Judd Legum, Jim Acosta, and Liz Oyer! Join me for my next live video in the app.
Watch the full conversation on Vicky Ward Investigates.
Last week I talked with Wajahat Ali about Jeffrey Epstein. You can watch it at Vicky Ward Investigates