The Hunt for Brianna Maitland: The Relentless Pursuit of Answers to One of Vermont’s Biggest Mysteries

by Gregory J. Overacker

Between 1945 and 1950, five people vanished on separate occasions in the southern Vermont region surrounding Glastonbury Mountain. These events led to the area being referred to as “the Bennington Triangle.” In 1971, Middlebury College student Lynne Shulze went missing, never to be seen again. On June 6, 1978, Grace and Gracie Reapp disappeared from Jericho, Vermont, a heartbreaking crime, still unsolved. The 2001 murder of Dean Webster in Rochester remains a mystery, and a human skull belonging to an Asian female, found in 2012 in Danby, is still unidentified.

Vermont has many such mysteries, and the disappearance of Brianna Maitland is one of its most intriguing. This book, written by a private investigator and former bounty hunter who has worked for the Maitland family since 2006, is a detailed dive into the facts surrounding Brianna’s case and the people who have been suspected of involvement in her disappearance.

Details meticulously gathered during years of searching for Brianna are here for the reader to examine. Hopefully some insight will also be gained into the trauma Bri’s family has endured while trying to locate her in the face of many odd circumstances centered on the fateful day of March 19, 2004. Meet the people involved in the search for Brianna, and the two private investigators working for the Maitland family who have vowed to never give up their pursuit of the truth and the quest to bring Bri home.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

236 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[TheBookWarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★½ (rnd 🆙)

I stumbled on this bit of true crime thanks to a friend, who knew I was interested in a lot of the big missing persons cases of this century. Boy am I glad — this is without hesitation, the absolute authority in written form on this case. Sure, it’s not written in the usual style & prose I’m accustomed too, but much like Dave Paulidis’ ‘Missing 411’ books, it’s not supposed to be.

Brianna Maitland, 17, vanished on March 19, 2004, after leaving work in Montgomery, Vermont. Her car was found abandoned against an old barn, keys inside, but no trace of her. Despite extensive investigations and theories ranging from foul play to abduction, her fate remains an enduring and perplexing mystery. I’ve always followed the case, the photo of Brianna’s car is one that’s always haunted me!

Overacker writes much of himself into this book, letting it all hang out. There is a heap of information in here that’s not in the public forum, and the book does a good job of pacing that information without trying to hit you in the face with it. I really enjoyed the factual nuance here, Overacker isn’t trying to come across like a Sherlock Holmes PI, but he is giving detail, offering some opinion, but most of all he’s informing people.

This also puts to bed a whole lot of bulltish that’s out there regarding this case, which I found helpful and while he does offer some theories, suspects etc he does so on a manner that’s respectful, non-authoritarian & leaves it to the reader to delve further if they choose to do so.

One for the true crime buffs, it’s also a book that can be enjoyed by anyone wanting to know more about this ridiculously mysterious case.

[Judith Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive work on the disappearance of Brianna Maitland. A must-read for citizen detectives

[Kris Michaud · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating and heartbreaking page-turner, all too familiar for those of us living in small towns plagued by addiction. Digs deep into the psyches of criminals, victims, and those seeking justice. I love the ending (which makes you want to re-read the whole thing) and I could read a 500-page memoir detailing the author’s life as a bounty hunter — here, we get a few stories of his career before taking the Maitland case. Two things get in the way of a four- or five-star review: various accounts got repetitive at times, and I would have liked to have heard more first-person accounts of the author’s detective work rather than just the facts laid out. Otherwise, great stuff.

[Heather C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book. I was hoping that the PI for the Maitland's would have insights that the general public did not have.
It was a horrible disappointment. He does not even get to talking about Brianna's case until the last couple of chapters. He goes on and on about himself and his cases that are completely unrelated to Brianna. He then goes into a very long, lengthy and in depth discussion about Ligia Collins murder because her murderer, Ellen Ducharme, made some off hand comments that she knew stuff about Brianna's disappearance. It turns out that she is an unreliable drug user and might be lying regarding Brianna. So what took chapter's in his book to analyze (Ellen and Ligia's murder case), could have been summed up in less then a chapter and moved on.
He then went on and on regarding Maura Murry's disappearance. I understand why he brought it up because many people desperately try to make a link between Maura and Brianna. But after his long chapter on Maura, he says he doesn't believe they are related. Again, something he could of said in a paragraph.
It truly feels like he only had enough info regarding Brianna for a couple chapters, but in order to make a whole book he had to fill it up with crap that was not pertinent.
The only reason I gave it two stars was because in his last chapter he started talking about what he thought was likely to have happened. In this discussion he says something that will make you want to read it again to try and figure out who he is talking about.
I would suggest starting towards the back of the book with the chapter regarding "Brianna's Timeline". After you read from that chapter to the end, you can decide if you want to read the rest of the book.

[ADAMEK · Rating 5 out of 5]

ATTENTION ALL OF MY BOOK WORM FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY ALL YOU TRUE CRIME READERS!!! I urge you to purchase my good friend Greg Overacker’s book! This true crime story takes place in Vermont! Sadly, this case still remains unsolved. It’s an excellent book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It will keep your mind racing. It will truly make a thousand scenarios run through your head even if you’re unfamiliar with the case. It’s crazy because even for myself being familiar with it, my mind was racing the entire time. It’s an “easy” read and it has some great photos throughout which can really help you feel like you know some of the people mentioned in the book. Please please support my friend. He has worked really hard on this case for many years as the families private investigator and will continue to do so. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE❤️ 📖

[Alicia Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the book regarding the actual case but often times it was repetitive . Also I didn’t mind the stories about his bounty hunting days but it did seem that the author was placing unnecessary opinions of others about himself and his work in there making it appear to me anyway that it was bragging to a point . Yes it was nice to get to know the authors background and the few stories he spoke about were entertaining but I really didn’t care that people who didn’t know him were speaking about how great he was . What does that have to do with Brianna ? It simply doesn’t
If the book wasn’t so redundant and it didn’t start with a pat on the back for the author , I would’ve loved this book . I read it in one day and I very much enjoyed it otherwise . I hope the family finds the answers they are looking for, Brianna deserves to be found :(

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've known Greg for years now and although he may not be John Creasey or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he's the genuine article - a true to life private investigator, a gumshoe. Not a stone left unturned as Greg investigates Brianna Maitland's tragic and mysterious disappearance. To add to the mystery just about a month prior to Brianna's disappearance another woman disappeared mysteriously not so far away in New Hampshire. Much speculation has been rumored that the two missing persons cases are linked together - maybe. For all the amateur sleuths out there, this is the real thing. A good read.

[Julie Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you want to learn more about the disappearance of Brianna Maitland. Greg Overacker does an incredible job of laying out the facts in a victim centered way. In a genre that is ripe for wild speculation and sensationalism, Greg steers clear opting for a no-nonsense, empathetic approach. The book includes a chapter on Maura Murray and explores the commonalities. Have you read it yet? What are you waiting for!

[Erin Gilmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is a civilian investigator, who has devoted many years to the Brianna Maitland case. The stories about the family, various potential suspects, and theories about the case were interesting. The case is baffling and extremely sad. The book doesn’t cover any new ground and is a bit disorganized.

[Mikey Somekh · Rating 5 out of 5]

having listened to a lot of podcast episodes about this case, i found this book to be very detailed and very interesting. author was thorough and made me rethink certain aspects of this case. highly recommend it

[Jason Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. He doesn't come right out and say who committed the murder, but I think he allows you to narrow it down.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing look at how this cold case came together and a glimpse into the world of Bruce Maitland and his motivations.

[Samantha Abair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read for sure if you knew Brianna and know of her disappearance. I do however find the book very repetitive and thought we’d have a clearer answer

[Matthew Scanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following this case since around 2010-2011. I can say that this is the definitive story and most accurate of details when it comes to this case. The family's private investigator has been working this case since 2006. There are many minor details and key people that need thorough explanation which is fleshed out greatly in this book. Things I thought I knew were entirely wrong and debunked. Greg Overacker does a wonderful job guiding the reader through every single suspect and person of interest. You will have a greater understanding after reading this book and I cannot recommend it enough. If you want the truth about Brianna Maitland's disappearance, this is a must read.