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Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders
Trailed is a beautifully written account of a great American tragedy—the unsolved murders of an undetermined number of young women, all by the same serial killer, who got away. The truth is still buried. I couldn't put it down. —John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author.
A riveting deep dive into the unsolved murder of two free-spirited young women in the wilderness, a journalist's obsession—and a new theory of who might have done it.
In May 1996, Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were brutally murdered while backpacking in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, adjacent to the world-famous Appalachian Trail. The young women were skilled backcountry leaders and they had met—and fallen in love—the previous summer, while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women. But despite an extensive joint investigation by the FBI, the Virginia police, and National Park Service experts, the case remained unsolved for years.
In early 2002 and in response to mounting political pressure, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that he would be seeking the death penalty against Darrell David Rice—already in prison for assaulting another woman—in the first capital case tried under new, post-9/11 federal hate crime legislation. But two years later, the Department of Justice quietly suspended its case against Rice, and the investigation has since grown cold. Did prosecutors have the right person?
Journalist Kathryn Miles was a professor at Lollie Winans's wilderness college in Maine when the 2002 indictment was announced. On the 20th anniversary of the murder, she began looking into the lives of these adventurous women—whose loss continued to haunt all who had encountered them—along with the murder investigation and subsequent case against Rice. As she dives deeper into the case, winning the trust of the victims' loved ones as well as investigators and gaining access to key documents, Miles becomes increasingly obsessed with the loss of the generous and free-spirited Lollie and Julie, who were just on the brink of adulthood, and at the same time she discovers evidence of cover-ups, incompetence, and crime-scene sloppiness that seemed part of a larger problem in America's pursuit of justice in national parks. She also becomes convinced of Rice's innocence, and zeroes in on a different likely suspect.
Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders is a riveting, eye-opening, and heartbreaking work, offering a braided narrative about two remarkable women who were murdered doing what they most loved, the forensics of this cold case, and the surprising pervasiveness and long shadows cast by violence against women in the backcountry.
A riveting deep dive into the unsolved murder of two free-spirited young women in the wilderness, a journalist's obsession—and a new theory of who might have done it.
In May 1996, Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were brutally murdered while backpacking in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, adjacent to the world-famous Appalachian Trail. The young women were skilled backcountry leaders and they had met—and fallen in love—the previous summer, while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women. But despite an extensive joint investigation by the FBI, the Virginia police, and National Park Service experts, the case remained unsolved for years.
In early 2002 and in response to mounting political pressure, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that he would be seeking the death penalty against Darrell David Rice—already in prison for assaulting another woman—in the first capital case tried under new, post-9/11 federal hate crime legislation. But two years later, the Department of Justice quietly suspended its case against Rice, and the investigation has since grown cold. Did prosecutors have the right person?
Journalist Kathryn Miles was a professor at Lollie Winans's wilderness college in Maine when the 2002 indictment was announced. On the 20th anniversary of the murder, she began looking into the lives of these adventurous women—whose loss continued to haunt all who had encountered them—along with the murder investigation and subsequent case against Rice. As she dives deeper into the case, winning the trust of the victims' loved ones as well as investigators and gaining access to key documents, Miles becomes increasingly obsessed with the loss of the generous and free-spirited Lollie and Julie, who were just on the brink of adulthood, and at the same time she discovers evidence of cover-ups, incompetence, and crime-scene sloppiness that seemed part of a larger problem in America's pursuit of justice in national parks. She also becomes convinced of Rice's innocence, and zeroes in on a different likely suspect.
Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders is a riveting, eye-opening, and heartbreaking work, offering a braided narrative about two remarkable women who were murdered doing what they most loved, the forensics of this cold case, and the surprising pervasiveness and long shadows cast by violence against women in the backcountry.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2022
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May 17, 2022
Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles is a 2022 Algonquin Books publication.
This is very good examination, not only of the double murder of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, but of other murders in our National Parks and the implications of crimes against women, possible hate crimes, and the process of the investigations, which led to what is most likely an erroneous suspect, and resulted in an unsolved double murder case.
This is a different approach to true crime, as the author doesn’t just outline the case, investigations, etc., in the traditional manner we normally find in true crime books. This book also doubles as a commentary about how women are often the targets of crimes in a wilderness environment. The study includes the possibility that some of these crimes might be motivated by hate, especially considering that Julie and Lollie were a lesbian couple.
Based on the evidence presented here, the one and only suspect for the investigators, is most likely not the doer. There is, though, some strong evidence that the real murderer was a known sexual deviant, but has since died by suicide.
Miles's findings weren’t welcomed by those who worked the case, as it would indicate they got it wrong or didn’t to a very good job with the investigation.
It would appear that women- from all walks of life- are at risk when in a wilderness environment- not from wildlife or the forces of nature, but from human predators.
Sadly, some women will forego or give up entirely on enjoying the full, invigorating pleasures of our National Parks because they don’t feel safe.
This is a recurring theme in the book, but at times, the author tended to spend more time on this topic than was absolutely necessary and I would have preferred to have more balance with the criminal elements, which I feel are required for any true crime book.
That said, backpacking and ‘roughing it’ in the wilderness is a place one might feel they could let their guard down and be more aware of the natural surroundings, such as wildlife, and survival measures, sadly, there is no place women, no matter their sexuality or race, can fully relax against the possibility of an attack, sexual or otherwise, especially considering that men are usually the predominant population in this specific landscape.
Overall, this book has been yet another example of shoddy, tunnel vision like investigations, and is also a study of crimes against women, while examining the challenges of solving crimes committed in National Parks or wilderness areas.
True crime readers will want to check this out. It is not only a riveting crime saga- it is as thought provoking as it is disturbing.
4 stars
This is very good examination, not only of the double murder of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, but of other murders in our National Parks and the implications of crimes against women, possible hate crimes, and the process of the investigations, which led to what is most likely an erroneous suspect, and resulted in an unsolved double murder case.
This is a different approach to true crime, as the author doesn’t just outline the case, investigations, etc., in the traditional manner we normally find in true crime books. This book also doubles as a commentary about how women are often the targets of crimes in a wilderness environment. The study includes the possibility that some of these crimes might be motivated by hate, especially considering that Julie and Lollie were a lesbian couple.
Based on the evidence presented here, the one and only suspect for the investigators, is most likely not the doer. There is, though, some strong evidence that the real murderer was a known sexual deviant, but has since died by suicide.
Miles's findings weren’t welcomed by those who worked the case, as it would indicate they got it wrong or didn’t to a very good job with the investigation.
It would appear that women- from all walks of life- are at risk when in a wilderness environment- not from wildlife or the forces of nature, but from human predators.
Sadly, some women will forego or give up entirely on enjoying the full, invigorating pleasures of our National Parks because they don’t feel safe.
This is a recurring theme in the book, but at times, the author tended to spend more time on this topic than was absolutely necessary and I would have preferred to have more balance with the criminal elements, which I feel are required for any true crime book.
That said, backpacking and ‘roughing it’ in the wilderness is a place one might feel they could let their guard down and be more aware of the natural surroundings, such as wildlife, and survival measures, sadly, there is no place women, no matter their sexuality or race, can fully relax against the possibility of an attack, sexual or otherwise, especially considering that men are usually the predominant population in this specific landscape.
Overall, this book has been yet another example of shoddy, tunnel vision like investigations, and is also a study of crimes against women, while examining the challenges of solving crimes committed in National Parks or wilderness areas.
True crime readers will want to check this out. It is not only a riveting crime saga- it is as thought provoking as it is disturbing.
4 stars
November 14, 2022
An important story that needs to be told as part of a larger story of crimes against marginalized peoples, and really crimes against any and all peoples while visiting America's national parks.
The author has done an impressive amount of research, perhaps even compulsively or neurotically, and while I learned and benefitted from the read, the end result was definitely more of a therapeutic endeavor for the author than an investigative report.
I wanted more of the criminal story, and less of the history and other minor components. The focus of the story isn't absolutely defined as it shifts between the crime, crimes against marginalized peoples at national parks and properties, and faults and flaws in the investigative process. Was this a story of the crime and how the investigative process failed Julie and Lollie? Or was this a story of a crime specifically against two women because of their sexual orientation? They are different stories, and each deserves to be told, but I didn't find they blended well here and actually detracted from the individual analyses. Also, because of this, it's hard to rate as parts were worth a high rating while other areas bogged down the story.
The crimes detailed here were cherry-picked to fit within the author's framework of the story she wanted to tell. I am left wondering about the overall statistics for all peoples regardless of demographics, yet also the numbers for certain populations. Are the numbers higher for women, LGBTQ+, solitary hikers, day vs thru-hikers? How do Julie and Lollie's murders fit into the overall picture? Learning about these murders in national parklands not only causes me to question crime statistics, but also safety in nature, police investigations, and personal bias and human nature tendencies.
The peaceful communion with nature that we seek may not be what we get and reading about these violent crimes gives me pause. I now spend more time considering my safety even while hiking with a companion, whether it be on popular and busy trails or out-of-the-way quiet walks.
The author has done an impressive amount of research, perhaps even compulsively or neurotically, and while I learned and benefitted from the read, the end result was definitely more of a therapeutic endeavor for the author than an investigative report.
I wanted more of the criminal story, and less of the history and other minor components. The focus of the story isn't absolutely defined as it shifts between the crime, crimes against marginalized peoples at national parks and properties, and faults and flaws in the investigative process. Was this a story of the crime and how the investigative process failed Julie and Lollie? Or was this a story of a crime specifically against two women because of their sexual orientation? They are different stories, and each deserves to be told, but I didn't find they blended well here and actually detracted from the individual analyses. Also, because of this, it's hard to rate as parts were worth a high rating while other areas bogged down the story.
The crimes detailed here were cherry-picked to fit within the author's framework of the story she wanted to tell. I am left wondering about the overall statistics for all peoples regardless of demographics, yet also the numbers for certain populations. Are the numbers higher for women, LGBTQ+, solitary hikers, day vs thru-hikers? How do Julie and Lollie's murders fit into the overall picture? Learning about these murders in national parklands not only causes me to question crime statistics, but also safety in nature, police investigations, and personal bias and human nature tendencies.
The peaceful communion with nature that we seek may not be what we get and reading about these violent crimes gives me pause. I now spend more time considering my safety even while hiking with a companion, whether it be on popular and busy trails or out-of-the-way quiet walks.
September 1, 2022
Chills... A powerful entry into the nonfiction true crime canon and the fight for justice against murdered women in America. I highly recommend the audiobook.
Audiobook narration: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★★
Storytelling: ★★★★★
I am tired of hearing stories of women being raped and murdered while trying to exist on this planet.
I am enraged at the audacity of the white men who kill them and other marginalized communities.*
And I am here for every expose, every carefully researched dagger into the canon of retribution and justice served in the hands of other voices who are determined to be heard and determined to change history.
Welcome to Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders.
In May 1996, two young women, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, were murdered in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. They were in their mid-20s, they were much in love with each other, and they loved being in the wilderness. They were experienced trail hikers and they had done this many times before. But this time, they never made it out of the woods.
In the years that followed their brutal murder, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spent countless man hours hunting for their killer. They settled pretty quickly on Damien Rice. Rice had assaulted another woman in the park. He seemed unstable. He was in the area for the time period of their deaths. The case seemed black and white...to the investigators.
It didn't seem to matter that the perpetrator's DNA left on the crime scene didn't match Damien Rice's countless DNA records. It didn't seem to matter that this very organized and sexuality-based hate crime did not fit Rice's M.O. by any description. And it didn't seem to matter that there were several eyewitness testimonies that appeared to contradict the official timeline of Lollie and Julie's final days alive.
Journalist Kathryn Miles was working as a college professor at Unity College, an environmental science and wilderness leader in the country, when she discovered the emotional footprint left on the campus by its former student, Lollie Winans. One of the murdered women from Shenandoah. The college continued to grieve Lollie's loss, and Miles found herself pulled into the case with its emotional resonance and endless question marks about validity of the investigating team's justice.
Kathryn Miles decided to do some digging.
And then she couldn't stop.
Meticulously researched, engrossing described, and involving a cast of characters spanning professions, states, and decades, Trailed is a memorable piece of long-form reporting. I devoured it in two days, listening to the audiobook in every spare moment of my day.
True crime and mystery audiobook fans will recognize the narrator—Gabra Zackman's voice echoes from her previous works in I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and other crime stories centered around women such as Sadie by Courtney Summers and The Night Before by Wendy Walker.
A tragic story, but one that needed to see the light. Rest in peace, Julie and Lollie. We hope you have found justice here.
Thank you to Algonquin Books and Libro.fm for my copies in exchange for an honest review.
*The statistics show the murderers skew alarmingly toward cis-het white men, I am not making a personal judgement with that fact. It is also illuminated within this nonfiction text.
Audiobook narration: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★★
Storytelling: ★★★★★
I am tired of hearing stories of women being raped and murdered while trying to exist on this planet.
I am enraged at the audacity of the white men who kill them and other marginalized communities.*
And I am here for every expose, every carefully researched dagger into the canon of retribution and justice served in the hands of other voices who are determined to be heard and determined to change history.
Welcome to Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders.
In May 1996, two young women, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, were murdered in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. They were in their mid-20s, they were much in love with each other, and they loved being in the wilderness. They were experienced trail hikers and they had done this many times before. But this time, they never made it out of the woods.
In the years that followed their brutal murder, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spent countless man hours hunting for their killer. They settled pretty quickly on Damien Rice. Rice had assaulted another woman in the park. He seemed unstable. He was in the area for the time period of their deaths. The case seemed black and white...to the investigators.
It didn't seem to matter that the perpetrator's DNA left on the crime scene didn't match Damien Rice's countless DNA records. It didn't seem to matter that this very organized and sexuality-based hate crime did not fit Rice's M.O. by any description. And it didn't seem to matter that there were several eyewitness testimonies that appeared to contradict the official timeline of Lollie and Julie's final days alive.
Journalist Kathryn Miles was working as a college professor at Unity College, an environmental science and wilderness leader in the country, when she discovered the emotional footprint left on the campus by its former student, Lollie Winans. One of the murdered women from Shenandoah. The college continued to grieve Lollie's loss, and Miles found herself pulled into the case with its emotional resonance and endless question marks about validity of the investigating team's justice.
Kathryn Miles decided to do some digging.
And then she couldn't stop.
Meticulously researched, engrossing described, and involving a cast of characters spanning professions, states, and decades, Trailed is a memorable piece of long-form reporting. I devoured it in two days, listening to the audiobook in every spare moment of my day.
True crime and mystery audiobook fans will recognize the narrator—Gabra Zackman's voice echoes from her previous works in I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and other crime stories centered around women such as Sadie by Courtney Summers and The Night Before by Wendy Walker.
A tragic story, but one that needed to see the light. Rest in peace, Julie and Lollie. We hope you have found justice here.
Thank you to Algonquin Books and Libro.fm for my copies in exchange for an honest review.
*The statistics show the murderers skew alarmingly toward cis-het white men, I am not making a personal judgement with that fact. It is also illuminated within this nonfiction text.
September 7, 2023
Author Kathryn Miles spent over three years thoroughly researching the 1996 murders of Lollie Winans and Julie Williams at Shenandoah National Park and captures her findings in Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders. The book highlights the challenges of investigations in the great outdoors as well as the desire of national parks to create an image of serenity rather than to scare potential hikers and campers.
March 26, 2023
4 Stars
June 21, 2024
Update: Finally, a resolution: FBI Identifies Killer
My taste in true crime does not typically run toward murder investigations, but this grabbed my attention for a number of reasons. Since childhood I have loved being in the woods and hiking, and Shenandoah National Park, where two young women were murdered in 1996 while backpacking, is fairly close to where we now live. I’ve been there multiple times, both before and after our move to this area. I recognized the locations cited in the book, which supplied an immediacy I might not otherwise have felt.
Kathryn Miles has done an excellent job of telling two stories in this book. She has explored the lives of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, building her interest, and ours, in who they were and how they happened to be in the Shenandoah backcountry when they were. We feel the loss of these women on the cusp of finding themselves and their lives going forward.
The other story is about the inept investigation of the murders by both the National Park Service and the FBI, and how the U.S. Attorney’s office attempted to hijack the case for political purposes. All three organizations developed a vested interest in pinning blame on one man, Darrell Rice, despite a lack of evidence pointing toward him. Miles, working alongside Rice’s former defense team, the Virginia Innocence Project, and many other interested individuals, has reconstructed the facts of the case using masses of information acquired through FOIA requests and other sources. What they have unearthed is a strong likelihood that a different man, a serial killer who committed suicide some years ago, was actually the perpetrator.
Years ago I frequently day-hiked alone, accompanied only by one or another of my border collies. The sense of peace I found from being in the woods overrode any fear that I might have have had from being alone in relatively isolated locations, although in retrospect I suppose that was naive. I’m far less likely to do that now for a number of reasons, not least of which is a sense that beginning in 2016 it seemed as if violence toward women had become more tolerated than it had been in the past. Sticking to well traveled trails suits me fine these days, but really, it shouldn’t have to be that way.
My taste in true crime does not typically run toward murder investigations, but this grabbed my attention for a number of reasons. Since childhood I have loved being in the woods and hiking, and Shenandoah National Park, where two young women were murdered in 1996 while backpacking, is fairly close to where we now live. I’ve been there multiple times, both before and after our move to this area. I recognized the locations cited in the book, which supplied an immediacy I might not otherwise have felt.
Kathryn Miles has done an excellent job of telling two stories in this book. She has explored the lives of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, building her interest, and ours, in who they were and how they happened to be in the Shenandoah backcountry when they were. We feel the loss of these women on the cusp of finding themselves and their lives going forward.
The other story is about the inept investigation of the murders by both the National Park Service and the FBI, and how the U.S. Attorney’s office attempted to hijack the case for political purposes. All three organizations developed a vested interest in pinning blame on one man, Darrell Rice, despite a lack of evidence pointing toward him. Miles, working alongside Rice’s former defense team, the Virginia Innocence Project, and many other interested individuals, has reconstructed the facts of the case using masses of information acquired through FOIA requests and other sources. What they have unearthed is a strong likelihood that a different man, a serial killer who committed suicide some years ago, was actually the perpetrator.
Years ago I frequently day-hiked alone, accompanied only by one or another of my border collies. The sense of peace I found from being in the woods overrode any fear that I might have have had from being alone in relatively isolated locations, although in retrospect I suppose that was naive. I’m far less likely to do that now for a number of reasons, not least of which is a sense that beginning in 2016 it seemed as if violence toward women had become more tolerated than it had been in the past. Sticking to well traveled trails suits me fine these days, but really, it shouldn’t have to be that way.
June 26, 2024
I generally like true crime best when it’s written by a woman, especially if the victim(s) are women.
That is the case in Trailed so I felt like I was predisposed to like the book and for the most part, I did.
Kathryn Miles certainly put a lot of effort and thought into solving the case. Almost too much effort as she describes the rabbit holes she goes down (looking up uniforms from local places in the late 1990s, watching hours of disturbing pornography because of some strange picture of an imprint at the crime scene) and her mental health really seems to suffer. She decides to learn how to shoot a gun and seems to worry people are going to break into her home. She talks a lot about how people can hide their criminal activity and how she wouldn’t know if someone close to her was a serial killer.
My main issue with the book was that it was sort of disjointed. It takes to the 75% mark to get a retelling of the events leading up to the death of Julianne Williams and Laura Winans (aka Julie and Lollie as she referred to them through the book). Why wasn’t this earlier in the book? She sprinkles information about the women throughout the book— details about the unusual, outdoorsy college they attended; their interest in hiking and encouraging other women hikers are mentioned quite a bit but takes a very long time to get a full picture of the women and what happened at the time they went on their last trip together. I hadn’t even realized they had been separated at some point and apparently using the trip to reconnect in some way.
A lot of the book is about miscarriages of justice and how certain pieces of evidence against the main suspect seemed to have been taken completely out of context. His lawyers truly believed he was innocent. It also tells the background of some hate crime legislation and how it was politically important to have the murder of two blonde, white lesbians not only be solved but considered a hate crime. He ultimately had charges dropped because of other DNA evidence in the scene but the police did not seem to have tested it against who the Innocence Project people feel is a better suspect.
She was very upset by the murder rate in these large parks and maybe it’s the Baltimore in me but the numbers didn’t seem that unexpected if you consider the millions of people who visit these parks and how remote many of the areas in these parks are. I honestly think the number must be artificially low. Not that any murder is acceptable but when you have many people in very remote and isolated areas, it does seem prime for crime. She said we wouldn’t accept a similar rate of murder at Disneyland and maybe not but Disneyland has more security and every corner is monitored. You can’t expect that level of surveillance at a rural public park.
She talked about how park numbers (attendance rates) are artificially high because if you left a park and came back the same day, you are counted twice. How many people actually do that? Many national parks have caps that wouldn’t allow you to return anyway. In my experience at state and national parks people pack meals/supplies and plan to stay at least the day. Are people really coming and going multiple times a day and driving up the rates? She really focuses on this in a strange way.
There were just a few details and leaps in logic (or lack of logic) along these lines that stood out to me. She spent a lot of time dwelling on things like a possible indent in a sleeping bag but doesn’t think too deeply about other details she includes yet dismisses for what seems like no reason.
Early on in the book she shares a story of a park ranger tearfully remembering seeing a “pot” of uneaten couscous filled with rainwater at the scene and dog food–clearly distressed at the idea that these women and their dog were probably getting ready to have a meal when they were attacked. She then says that says their meal wasn’t in the crime scene photos so he must be confused. She makes the point of the fragility of human memory and sort of condescendingly discredits him a bit but later she talks about waterlogged macaroni spilling out of a bag and upturned dog bowls being on the scene. Isn’t it obvious that is what he was talking about?
Macaroni and couscous are both small shapes of pasta that would have been sitting out in the rain for days. Dogs get fed in bowls. It had been decades and I can’t imagine he spent a huge amount of time studying their food to figure out the exact shape of the pasta when the cause of death was readily apparent. How many murder victims could this man have come across as a ranger? It was not a leap in logic to think that if the women had food out and the dog bowls out they were getting ready to eat. The point of sharing the couscous memory was, I would think, to illustrate the distress of the man who saw the crime scene. Why be so dismissive of that by saying he’s misremembering that, throwing the whole firsthand account into doubt only to talk about uneaten pasta and dog bowls being on the scene later?
I don’t think the very jumbled and nonlinear format did the book any favors. It read like the author’s research journal and I had the strong feeling things were written about when they happened in her investigation or occurred to her rather than in a way that made sense and provided a narrative anyone outside of the case could follow. I ended up having to Google various aspects of the case to connect some pieces and clarify some details. I’ve never had to do that in any book I’ve read before. I truly think she was writing the book as she investigated and didn’t go back to make sure it made sense or was the best way to present the information. It felt like she only knew the broad strokes at the beginning and then finally was able to interview people about their life leading up to their deaths about 3/4 of the way into her investigation. Where are the editors?
She did do a good job of pointing out some of the bizarre missteps of the park service investigator including their odd insistence on a particular death day despite witness testimony that seemed solid. The waitress who said their food came with breakfast meats that the women said they didn’t want but asked if it could be wrapped up for their dog was discredited by an investigator because the women were vegetarian despite the waitress’ clear description of their quirky appearance and apparent discussion of their vegetarianism. He thought she was influenced by posters, which does seem less than likely. The investigator also quibbled over odd details like dark blue vs royal blue for a jacket or the shade of jeans or the weight of their dog. So strange and a good point to how odd the investigation was. All of this was important because of the waitress had seen the women then their suspect couldn’t have done it because he was in Annapolis.
I do think the book gave back some humanity and depth to the women and eventually, we do get a picture of who they were. I liked how she showed how broken the justice system is and how people can be accused and imprisoned for crimes that they didn’t commit. I also think a stronger editor was needed to make sure the story was readable. I really had to press through parts and started to be tempted to take notes myself, information was so scattered in the book.
All in all, well worth it if you are interested in the case and failures of the justice system.
That is the case in Trailed so I felt like I was predisposed to like the book and for the most part, I did.
Kathryn Miles certainly put a lot of effort and thought into solving the case. Almost too much effort as she describes the rabbit holes she goes down (looking up uniforms from local places in the late 1990s, watching hours of disturbing pornography because of some strange picture of an imprint at the crime scene) and her mental health really seems to suffer. She decides to learn how to shoot a gun and seems to worry people are going to break into her home. She talks a lot about how people can hide their criminal activity and how she wouldn’t know if someone close to her was a serial killer.
My main issue with the book was that it was sort of disjointed. It takes to the 75% mark to get a retelling of the events leading up to the death of Julianne Williams and Laura Winans (aka Julie and Lollie as she referred to them through the book). Why wasn’t this earlier in the book? She sprinkles information about the women throughout the book— details about the unusual, outdoorsy college they attended; their interest in hiking and encouraging other women hikers are mentioned quite a bit but takes a very long time to get a full picture of the women and what happened at the time they went on their last trip together. I hadn’t even realized they had been separated at some point and apparently using the trip to reconnect in some way.
A lot of the book is about miscarriages of justice and how certain pieces of evidence against the main suspect seemed to have been taken completely out of context. His lawyers truly believed he was innocent. It also tells the background of some hate crime legislation and how it was politically important to have the murder of two blonde, white lesbians not only be solved but considered a hate crime. He ultimately had charges dropped because of other DNA evidence in the scene but the police did not seem to have tested it against who the Innocence Project people feel is a better suspect.
She was very upset by the murder rate in these large parks and maybe it’s the Baltimore in me but the numbers didn’t seem that unexpected if you consider the millions of people who visit these parks and how remote many of the areas in these parks are. I honestly think the number must be artificially low. Not that any murder is acceptable but when you have many people in very remote and isolated areas, it does seem prime for crime. She said we wouldn’t accept a similar rate of murder at Disneyland and maybe not but Disneyland has more security and every corner is monitored. You can’t expect that level of surveillance at a rural public park.
She talked about how park numbers (attendance rates) are artificially high because if you left a park and came back the same day, you are counted twice. How many people actually do that? Many national parks have caps that wouldn’t allow you to return anyway. In my experience at state and national parks people pack meals/supplies and plan to stay at least the day. Are people really coming and going multiple times a day and driving up the rates? She really focuses on this in a strange way.
There were just a few details and leaps in logic (or lack of logic) along these lines that stood out to me. She spent a lot of time dwelling on things like a possible indent in a sleeping bag but doesn’t think too deeply about other details she includes yet dismisses for what seems like no reason.
Early on in the book she shares a story of a park ranger tearfully remembering seeing a “pot” of uneaten couscous filled with rainwater at the scene and dog food–clearly distressed at the idea that these women and their dog were probably getting ready to have a meal when they were attacked. She then says that says their meal wasn’t in the crime scene photos so he must be confused. She makes the point of the fragility of human memory and sort of condescendingly discredits him a bit but later she talks about waterlogged macaroni spilling out of a bag and upturned dog bowls being on the scene. Isn’t it obvious that is what he was talking about?
Macaroni and couscous are both small shapes of pasta that would have been sitting out in the rain for days. Dogs get fed in bowls. It had been decades and I can’t imagine he spent a huge amount of time studying their food to figure out the exact shape of the pasta when the cause of death was readily apparent. How many murder victims could this man have come across as a ranger? It was not a leap in logic to think that if the women had food out and the dog bowls out they were getting ready to eat. The point of sharing the couscous memory was, I would think, to illustrate the distress of the man who saw the crime scene. Why be so dismissive of that by saying he’s misremembering that, throwing the whole firsthand account into doubt only to talk about uneaten pasta and dog bowls being on the scene later?
I don’t think the very jumbled and nonlinear format did the book any favors. It read like the author’s research journal and I had the strong feeling things were written about when they happened in her investigation or occurred to her rather than in a way that made sense and provided a narrative anyone outside of the case could follow. I ended up having to Google various aspects of the case to connect some pieces and clarify some details. I’ve never had to do that in any book I’ve read before. I truly think she was writing the book as she investigated and didn’t go back to make sure it made sense or was the best way to present the information. It felt like she only knew the broad strokes at the beginning and then finally was able to interview people about their life leading up to their deaths about 3/4 of the way into her investigation. Where are the editors?
She did do a good job of pointing out some of the bizarre missteps of the park service investigator including their odd insistence on a particular death day despite witness testimony that seemed solid. The waitress who said their food came with breakfast meats that the women said they didn’t want but asked if it could be wrapped up for their dog was discredited by an investigator because the women were vegetarian despite the waitress’ clear description of their quirky appearance and apparent discussion of their vegetarianism. He thought she was influenced by posters, which does seem less than likely. The investigator also quibbled over odd details like dark blue vs royal blue for a jacket or the shade of jeans or the weight of their dog. So strange and a good point to how odd the investigation was. All of this was important because of the waitress had seen the women then their suspect couldn’t have done it because he was in Annapolis.
I do think the book gave back some humanity and depth to the women and eventually, we do get a picture of who they were. I liked how she showed how broken the justice system is and how people can be accused and imprisoned for crimes that they didn’t commit. I also think a stronger editor was needed to make sure the story was readable. I really had to press through parts and started to be tempted to take notes myself, information was so scattered in the book.
All in all, well worth it if you are interested in the case and failures of the justice system.
June 7, 2022
Quite a well done story of people, mostly women being killed by someone while hiking and camping. Many interesting details are included such as the fact that many of these women were gay, as well as the suspicion that the killer was not actually found.
People who enjoy true crime will probably like this tale. The audio book was excellent.
People who enjoy true crime will probably like this tale. The audio book was excellent.
March 18, 2025
Despite the fact that the title clearly states that this Ms. Miles' story, I wanted the story of Lollie and Julie. In 1996, the two women were hiking not far from where I live and on trails that I have walked, when they were murdered.
I enjoyed the background stories of Julie and Lollie and I thought Ms. Miles' work with The Innocence Project was remarkably interesting.
Perhaps I was meant to come into this book with a basic knowledge, but I was mostly ignorant. I'd heard about the tragedy, of course, but in a vague, passing kind of way.
TRAILED, to me, seemed to just pick right up at the investigative stage. I still have no idea if the hikers were initially declared "missing", if there was a search or if someone just stumbled onto the scene. Also, in learning about Lollie, we learned of her beloved dog, Taj, but we didn't learn his fate, or if it was there, I totally missed it.
This was a well-written, interesting story and I appreciate the author's depth into certain aspects, I just happen to have more questions.
I enjoyed the background stories of Julie and Lollie and I thought Ms. Miles' work with The Innocence Project was remarkably interesting.
Perhaps I was meant to come into this book with a basic knowledge, but I was mostly ignorant. I'd heard about the tragedy, of course, but in a vague, passing kind of way.
TRAILED, to me, seemed to just pick right up at the investigative stage. I still have no idea if the hikers were initially declared "missing", if there was a search or if someone just stumbled onto the scene. Also, in learning about Lollie, we learned of her beloved dog, Taj, but we didn't learn his fate, or if it was there, I totally missed it.
This was a well-written, interesting story and I appreciate the author's depth into certain aspects, I just happen to have more questions.
May 12, 2022
4.0 Stars
This was a fascinating true crime memoir following the re investigation of a grisly set of murders. It was interesting to learn how outdoor investigation can differ so much from indoor urban crimes, focusing on the particular challenges of finding evidence.
The author did a great job laying out the facts of the case in an interesting, focused book. The author included a touch of herself in the narrative, without ever taking away focus from the main case.
I appreciated that this book was very victim focused, providing a well rounded picture of both of the girls. Overall I found the author's theory to be incredibly compelling and I would highly recommend this one to any true crime junkie.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the LibroFM review program.
This was a fascinating true crime memoir following the re investigation of a grisly set of murders. It was interesting to learn how outdoor investigation can differ so much from indoor urban crimes, focusing on the particular challenges of finding evidence.
The author did a great job laying out the facts of the case in an interesting, focused book. The author included a touch of herself in the narrative, without ever taking away focus from the main case.
I appreciated that this book was very victim focused, providing a well rounded picture of both of the girls. Overall I found the author's theory to be incredibly compelling and I would highly recommend this one to any true crime junkie.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the LibroFM review program.
April 26, 2022
Thank you so much to Algonquin Books, Penguin Audio, and Kathryn Miles for this book that came out on May 3! I didn’t know anything about this case and I was particularly interested in it because I grew up in the Shenandoah area. The book was about the brutal murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans while they were backpacking in Virginia. The case was left unsolved for years and on the 20th anniversary of the murder, journalist Kathryn Miles started looking into the tragedy. As she dove deeper into the case, she discovered evidence of cover-ups, incompetence, and thought the likely suspect to actually be innocent.
Thoughts: This book really resonated with me because of the aspect of violence against women when they are just trying to live their lives. It’s so sad that women can’t do normal, everyday things like go on a hike without a threat of violence. This case was so well researched and the story was told so well. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was wonderful as well. I didn’t know much about hiking culture so that was interesting to read about as well.
I really enjoyed the pacing and it made the book feel very quick. It was hard to hear about the issues with the case and all the things that could have been prevented. I wish the ending would have given us some more information, but as unsolved cases go, this was a great one to read about. I think it’s important to know about cases like this so we can fight for situations like this to happen less in the future. I loved that the book covered DNA testing, CSI, and hair microscopy and the problems with these techniques. It was very eye-opening- 4 stars!
Thoughts: This book really resonated with me because of the aspect of violence against women when they are just trying to live their lives. It’s so sad that women can’t do normal, everyday things like go on a hike without a threat of violence. This case was so well researched and the story was told so well. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was wonderful as well. I didn’t know much about hiking culture so that was interesting to read about as well.
I really enjoyed the pacing and it made the book feel very quick. It was hard to hear about the issues with the case and all the things that could have been prevented. I wish the ending would have given us some more information, but as unsolved cases go, this was a great one to read about. I think it’s important to know about cases like this so we can fight for situations like this to happen less in the future. I loved that the book covered DNA testing, CSI, and hair microscopy and the problems with these techniques. It was very eye-opening- 4 stars!
April 26, 2022
Trailed follows the journey of journalist Kathryn Miles as she investigates the murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans who were brutally murdered while backpacking in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park in May 1996.
I have not heard of this case before and it was truly an opening one for me. The amount of research done in this book was phenomenal and I admire the author's determination to seek justice for these women.
Both Julie and Lollie cases interspersed with other murder cases and it meanders a lot. The jumpy timelines also made it difficult for me to follow the book and it was a struggle. I personally think it'd have worked better for me if the information was presented in a more cohesive way.
I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narration by Gabra Zackman. It was well done!
Pub. Date: May 3rd, 2022
***Thank you Libro.fm for this gifted ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.***
I have not heard of this case before and it was truly an opening one for me. The amount of research done in this book was phenomenal and I admire the author's determination to seek justice for these women.
Both Julie and Lollie cases interspersed with other murder cases and it meanders a lot. The jumpy timelines also made it difficult for me to follow the book and it was a struggle. I personally think it'd have worked better for me if the information was presented in a more cohesive way.
I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narration by Gabra Zackman. It was well done!
Pub. Date: May 3rd, 2022
***Thank you Libro.fm for this gifted ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.***
October 2, 2022
There is an appalling factual error in this book. It is really important, and readers need to know.
With Lollie’s father, I have tried in vain to contact the author and publisher about a grave (and defamatory) error in this book. The author states that Lollie Winans was abused by her father. This is untrue. She was abused by her STEPFATHER, who fled the country rather than face criminal charges.
Lollie’s father is still alive and deserves an immediate apology, both by the author and by the publisher. I am also asking that both the author and the publisher make an immediate public retraction of this hurtful and unfounded accusation.
I grew up with Lollie, and I have spent years trying to reopen this case. Every year on the anniversary of Lollie’s death, I take food and supplies to thru-hikers on the AT to share Lollie’s joy. (Yes, I am the older lesbian role model in Lollie’s life who made a solo AT thru hike with my dog just a few years before Lollie and Julie set off on their trek. Lollie’s father helped me come out as a lesbian.) I have also been given possession of the FBI file on behalf of her parents. Lollie is now only survived by her father, John.
John is undergoing medical treatment that limits his ability to communicate. He can now only speak through his wife, Maureen, who by the way is NOT anything close to Lollie’s age as the book reports. We have tried to contact the author for an apology, but no response.
I could easily have served as a fact checker on this book. I could have easily served as an interpreter for John. The author never contacted me for an interview, when Ted Hobart is a mutual friend. This is unacceptable behavior for an author of serious nonfiction.
Thus my only recourse: to let readers know that the author and the publisher have made a MAJOR mistake in naming the wrong man as Lollie’s abuser. They both owe John Winans an immediate and personal apology. Who knows how many other factual errors are contained herein.
Which is sad, because we owe it to Julie and Lollie’s memory to solve this case.
Deeply disappointing. Personally, I’m outraged.
With Lollie’s father, I have tried in vain to contact the author and publisher about a grave (and defamatory) error in this book. The author states that Lollie Winans was abused by her father. This is untrue. She was abused by her STEPFATHER, who fled the country rather than face criminal charges.
Lollie’s father is still alive and deserves an immediate apology, both by the author and by the publisher. I am also asking that both the author and the publisher make an immediate public retraction of this hurtful and unfounded accusation.
I grew up with Lollie, and I have spent years trying to reopen this case. Every year on the anniversary of Lollie’s death, I take food and supplies to thru-hikers on the AT to share Lollie’s joy. (Yes, I am the older lesbian role model in Lollie’s life who made a solo AT thru hike with my dog just a few years before Lollie and Julie set off on their trek. Lollie’s father helped me come out as a lesbian.) I have also been given possession of the FBI file on behalf of her parents. Lollie is now only survived by her father, John.
John is undergoing medical treatment that limits his ability to communicate. He can now only speak through his wife, Maureen, who by the way is NOT anything close to Lollie’s age as the book reports. We have tried to contact the author for an apology, but no response.
I could easily have served as a fact checker on this book. I could have easily served as an interpreter for John. The author never contacted me for an interview, when Ted Hobart is a mutual friend. This is unacceptable behavior for an author of serious nonfiction.
Thus my only recourse: to let readers know that the author and the publisher have made a MAJOR mistake in naming the wrong man as Lollie’s abuser. They both owe John Winans an immediate and personal apology. Who knows how many other factual errors are contained herein.
Which is sad, because we owe it to Julie and Lollie’s memory to solve this case.
Deeply disappointing. Personally, I’m outraged.
September 18, 2022
I appreciate Kathryn Miles' hard work bringing Julie Williams' and Lollie Winans' life stories -- and their grisly, still unsolved murders -- to a wider audience. But I had some issues with the way this book was presented that left a lingering bad taste in my mouth, all of which stem from the subtitle "One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders." As it suggests, Kathryn Miles herself plays a big role in this book, and she repeatedly centers herself and the effect that investigating these murders had on her life. I don't want to downplay this necessarily. While I appreciate her perspective as a hiker and survivor of sexual assault, there just wasn't a strong enough material connection to the victims to warrant making the text so much about herself, and the connections she did try to draw felt really tenuous. There were also some strange moments of gallows humor, including a bizarre self-fashioned experiment with rotting pot roast, that felt jarring, ill-advised, and a little tone deaf. This book is illuminating and heartbreaking when it's focused on Julie, Lollie, and the other women who were victimized in these series of heinous crimes, but it fell flat for me, time and again, when Kathryn Miles turned the spotlight on herself. She clearly put a lot of her life and talent into investigating this and she should be commended for it -- I just wish it had been presented and edited in a way that better reflected upon the subject matter.
May 5, 2022
Riveting
Fascinating
Disturbing
TRAILED is a true crime story about the unsolved horrific murders of Julie Williams and Lillie Winans, at Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park while they were in a week-long backcountry camping trip.
Award-winning journalist and outdoors expert Kathryn Miles takes another look at the case with a fresh perspective and new theories about this crime.
I found the writing easy to read and follow, that really opened my eyes to the dangers women and others face in the campgrounds and the failures of providing a safe ground. There are detailed police procedurals all in an engaging journalism reporting.
Fantastic read!
Fascinating
Disturbing
TRAILED is a true crime story about the unsolved horrific murders of Julie Williams and Lillie Winans, at Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park while they were in a week-long backcountry camping trip.
Award-winning journalist and outdoors expert Kathryn Miles takes another look at the case with a fresh perspective and new theories about this crime.
I found the writing easy to read and follow, that really opened my eyes to the dangers women and others face in the campgrounds and the failures of providing a safe ground. There are detailed police procedurals all in an engaging journalism reporting.
Fantastic read!
May 11, 2023
I thought this book was well-researched.
Ms. Miles starts her book by talking about two young women, outdoor enthusiasts, who decide to take a section hike of the Shenandoah trail. Feeling safe on the trail and the lack of information being shared by the Park Service was a fatal mistake.
During the research phase of the story, Ms. Miles uncovers startling facts about the number of murders that happen on most trials around the US.
A man is arrested for the murders, but the facts of the murder and the accused don't match up.
The author and a nonprofit organization find they believe he is innocent and work the free him.
Some think the murders happen because the ladies were gay and a couple. nd were hiking to work on their relationship.
I found the story heartbreaking for the families and their families.
Also, not since my college years taking Women's Study Classes, have I felt ashamed about being male. Men have no idea that most women, their daughters, wives, partners, and Mothers. have to face harassment almost daily. And who is doing this harassment? Men!
Ms. Miles starts her book by talking about two young women, outdoor enthusiasts, who decide to take a section hike of the Shenandoah trail. Feeling safe on the trail and the lack of information being shared by the Park Service was a fatal mistake.
During the research phase of the story, Ms. Miles uncovers startling facts about the number of murders that happen on most trials around the US.
A man is arrested for the murders, but the facts of the murder and the accused don't match up.
The author and a nonprofit organization find they believe he is innocent and work the free him.
Some think the murders happen because the ladies were gay and a couple. nd were hiking to work on their relationship.
I found the story heartbreaking for the families and their families.
Also, not since my college years taking Women's Study Classes, have I felt ashamed about being male. Men have no idea that most women, their daughters, wives, partners, and Mothers. have to face harassment almost daily. And who is doing this harassment? Men!
April 10, 2022
I am a total true crime junkie. Dateline, podcasts,documentaries... you name it if someone was killed, raped, kidnapped or drawn into a cult... I am interested. So when I saw this one pop up on Libro.fm's ALC choices for the month, I prioritized it. I need more true crime books in my life. Listening to it via audiobook sounded like it would fit right into my podcast junkie heart.
Journalist Kathryn Miles tells us the story of the investigation into the murders of Julie and Lollie, two avid hikers who were brutally murdered in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. Kathryn is drawn to the story because of the way the case was treated. Julie and Lollie were gay and became the poster children for Ashcroft's new hate crime legislation. Miles tells us how inadequately the murders were investigated due to the politics of national parks. Then she has us follow the prosecution of the main suspect which was dubious at best.
I wanted to like this one more than I did. It mired itself in too much political rhetoric which added necessary context but often meandered a bit. I didn't need so much content on how anti-feminist the hiker community is. I found the politics of national parks interesting but perhaps it didn't need to be an entirely negative portrayal of how they are run. I just felt like this one had a lot of rants that I didn't need. Also, the ending was not one. Not a fan of that. Hope some day it gets an epilogue with a real answer.
Thanks to Libro.FM for access. All opinions above are my own.
Journalist Kathryn Miles tells us the story of the investigation into the murders of Julie and Lollie, two avid hikers who were brutally murdered in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. Kathryn is drawn to the story because of the way the case was treated. Julie and Lollie were gay and became the poster children for Ashcroft's new hate crime legislation. Miles tells us how inadequately the murders were investigated due to the politics of national parks. Then she has us follow the prosecution of the main suspect which was dubious at best.
I wanted to like this one more than I did. It mired itself in too much political rhetoric which added necessary context but often meandered a bit. I didn't need so much content on how anti-feminist the hiker community is. I found the politics of national parks interesting but perhaps it didn't need to be an entirely negative portrayal of how they are run. I just felt like this one had a lot of rants that I didn't need. Also, the ending was not one. Not a fan of that. Hope some day it gets an epilogue with a real answer.
Thanks to Libro.FM for access. All opinions above are my own.
August 22, 2022
Trailed was an ambitious book. Miles explored not only the famous case mentioned in the title, but delved into the victims' lives, plus potential park service and other law enforcements' mishandling of evidence and the case in general, all at the expense of her own well-being and sense of safety. She also examined other similar cases, and crafted a long-needed critique of 'outdoorsy culture' in general and how certain groups simply don't feel safe in natural spaces largely claimed by a specific, domineering male subculture.
This...gave me nightmares, even as someone who visits the creepy camping reddit threads and stuff. I got to the point where I needed to finish it for peace of mind.
There aren't set answers, still, in this case and there may never be because of the particular happenings along the road of investigation, as Miles laid out. It's frustrating, upsetting. But what a gripping book, and encouraging messaging, that someone somewhere often takes up the torch to pursue justice even in cold cases.
This...gave me nightmares, even as someone who visits the creepy camping reddit threads and stuff. I got to the point where I needed to finish it for peace of mind.
There aren't set answers, still, in this case and there may never be because of the particular happenings along the road of investigation, as Miles laid out. It's frustrating, upsetting. But what a gripping book, and encouraging messaging, that someone somewhere often takes up the torch to pursue justice even in cold cases.
July 23, 2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Trailed brings a chilling cold case from 1996 back into the spotlight, and just in time. Shortly after the publication of this book, the FBI finally retested DNA evidence from the scene and matched it to Walter Leo Jackson Sr., a known serial rapist who died in prison in 2018. While it’s unclear if Kathryn Miles’ work directly led to this breakthrough, her efforts undoubtedly helped reignite interest in the case and shed light on some serious investigative missteps.
This is not your typical true crime book. Instead of sticking to a rigid recounting of the facts, Miles chronicles her personal journey through the investigation, her frustrations, discoveries, and growing obsession with seeking justice for Lollie Winans and Julie Williams. Her passion is evident, and at times, her emotional connection to the case adds a deeply human layer to the story. But it also complicates the narrative. She becomes close with people on one side of the case and heavily criticizes law enforcement and the National Park Service. While much of her critique seems valid, especially in light of how long it took the case to be solved, it’s important to remember that the lens here is not purely objective.
The book is at its best when it’s focused on the actual investigation. These parts are gripping and fast-paced. Unfortunately, they’re weighed down by tangents that feel unnecessary, like the time she forgot her passport or an entire page dedicated to breaking down types of DNA. These moments pulled me out of the story and made it harder to stay engaged.
Still, Trailed does something important: it makes noise about a case that had gone frustratingly quiet. And given the case’s recent resolution, it seems like that noise finally got through.
Trailed brings a chilling cold case from 1996 back into the spotlight, and just in time. Shortly after the publication of this book, the FBI finally retested DNA evidence from the scene and matched it to Walter Leo Jackson Sr., a known serial rapist who died in prison in 2018. While it’s unclear if Kathryn Miles’ work directly led to this breakthrough, her efforts undoubtedly helped reignite interest in the case and shed light on some serious investigative missteps.
This is not your typical true crime book. Instead of sticking to a rigid recounting of the facts, Miles chronicles her personal journey through the investigation, her frustrations, discoveries, and growing obsession with seeking justice for Lollie Winans and Julie Williams. Her passion is evident, and at times, her emotional connection to the case adds a deeply human layer to the story. But it also complicates the narrative. She becomes close with people on one side of the case and heavily criticizes law enforcement and the National Park Service. While much of her critique seems valid, especially in light of how long it took the case to be solved, it’s important to remember that the lens here is not purely objective.
The book is at its best when it’s focused on the actual investigation. These parts are gripping and fast-paced. Unfortunately, they’re weighed down by tangents that feel unnecessary, like the time she forgot her passport or an entire page dedicated to breaking down types of DNA. These moments pulled me out of the story and made it harder to stay engaged.
Still, Trailed does something important: it makes noise about a case that had gone frustratingly quiet. And given the case’s recent resolution, it seems like that noise finally got through.
May 4, 2022
3.5 rounded up
May 6, 2022
First, I would like to say thank you to Algonquin for allowing me the opportunity to read this true crime before the masses got their hands on it. If you liked “I’ll Be Gone In the Dark” by Michelle McNamara then you will like this non-fiction read.
Trailed is the account of author Kathryn Miles as she follows the stories of two women, Lollie and Julie and there unsolved, cold case murder in Shenandoah National Park.
I vaguely remember hearing about these two women back in 1996. I’m a lover of hiking. After reading Wild by Cheryl Stayed, I was enthusiastic about hiking the PCT. After reading this book… well like so many other women after hearing about this tragic murder… I’m not that enthusiastic anymore. I never thought about “how many people are found dead in the wilderness? (not from accidents)” I also never thought about “What do the police do when they find a body?”
What I liked about this true crime is how thorough it is. You can tell how much attention and care Kathryn put into writing it. It definitely couldn’t have been easy.
“Maybe, if I could tell the story of what really happened to them and who was responsible, I could ameliorate some of that collective pain and help make the woods feel safer for all of us.”
Definitely recommend this book it was eye opening and I learned a lot.
Trailed is the account of author Kathryn Miles as she follows the stories of two women, Lollie and Julie and there unsolved, cold case murder in Shenandoah National Park.
I vaguely remember hearing about these two women back in 1996. I’m a lover of hiking. After reading Wild by Cheryl Stayed, I was enthusiastic about hiking the PCT. After reading this book… well like so many other women after hearing about this tragic murder… I’m not that enthusiastic anymore. I never thought about “how many people are found dead in the wilderness? (not from accidents)” I also never thought about “What do the police do when they find a body?”
What I liked about this true crime is how thorough it is. You can tell how much attention and care Kathryn put into writing it. It definitely couldn’t have been easy.
“Maybe, if I could tell the story of what really happened to them and who was responsible, I could ameliorate some of that collective pain and help make the woods feel safer for all of us.”
Definitely recommend this book it was eye opening and I learned a lot.
May 31, 2022
This is one of those nonfiction books that I am going to rate because it was so damn good. Yesterday, I took my dog on a 12 mile hike, and I was listening to this book while doing so… a bad idea for obvious reasons. About 6 miles in I freaked myself out and had to turn it off, especially since the trail was dark and gloomy. But, I really liked this book because it put a voice to the fear that myself and a lot of other female hiker friends have about being alone in the woods, or not even feeling safe in groups. The whole subject matter of the book, the murders especially, is just tragic and upsetting. The author did an outstanding job of deep-diving this case and the highlighting issues for women in the outdoors. Highly recommend.
May 15, 2022
Thank you to Libro.FM and Hachette Audio for an ALC. This one was not really what I expected. It was half memoir half crime investigation and I for me, it didn’t ever successfully achieve either of those goals. It was short so I finished it, but I would have DNF’d if it was much longer.
April 24, 2022
I vaguely remember the killing of two young women on the Appalachian Trail in 1996. Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were brutally murdered while backpacking in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. It got a lot of news headlines in the beginning of the investigation but it disappeared from the headlines when it wasn't quickly solved and became a cold case. Kathryn Miles went on a quest to learn more about the murders and to try to solve the case. Along the way, she found some shoddy work done by the FBI and local police that ended up accusing the wrong person of the crime. He was arrested but they never had formal charges and they let him out of prison. He was only considered a person of interest.
Both women were skilled backpackers who had met - and fallen in love at an outdoor program for women. As the FBI case followed leads, the case became a cold case. In 2002, the federal government decided to prosecute this case as a hate crime due to the women's sexuality. They decide to try Darrell David Rice and planned to use the death penalty on this crime. Two years later, the case was suspended due to lack of information that supported Rice as the killer.
The author got deeply involved in the case and talked to the FBI and the local authorities and followed up on many of their leads and met with the two women's family and friends. The further she got into the case, the more aware she became of cover-ups, incompetence, and crime-scene sloppiness. The information she gathered did not point to Rice as the murderer and she named the person that her research pointed to.
I don't read a lot of non-fiction because it's usually boring to me. This book was not boring. In fact, it was difficult to put down. It read more like a CSI program than an accumulation of data and the author did a fantastic job of letting us see Julie and Lollie and what their lives could have been had they not been murdered.
Thanks to the publisher Algonquin Book for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Both women were skilled backpackers who had met - and fallen in love at an outdoor program for women. As the FBI case followed leads, the case became a cold case. In 2002, the federal government decided to prosecute this case as a hate crime due to the women's sexuality. They decide to try Darrell David Rice and planned to use the death penalty on this crime. Two years later, the case was suspended due to lack of information that supported Rice as the killer.
The author got deeply involved in the case and talked to the FBI and the local authorities and followed up on many of their leads and met with the two women's family and friends. The further she got into the case, the more aware she became of cover-ups, incompetence, and crime-scene sloppiness. The information she gathered did not point to Rice as the murderer and she named the person that her research pointed to.
I don't read a lot of non-fiction because it's usually boring to me. This book was not boring. In fact, it was difficult to put down. It read more like a CSI program than an accumulation of data and the author did a fantastic job of letting us see Julie and Lollie and what their lives could have been had they not been murdered.
Thanks to the publisher Algonquin Book for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
January 30, 2025
This was an excellent book. It had me reading through the night with a bout of insomnia that was made all the more bearable by this book.
Kathryn Miles has made a fantastic job of investigating the murders of two young gay women in the Shenandoah National Park. The level of sheer incompetence, negligence, hubris and pigheadedness she uncovers is truly shocking but by now something I seem to be getting used to in reading about US law enforcement. Absolutely nothing was done correctly to help solve the murders of these two women. Miles seems to be the only person giving enough of a shit to look into the case properly. And look into it she does.
I really admire how she covers everything, from looking at the girls' lives in a holistic manner to maintain the fact that they were two humans in love, not just "bodies", "victims" or "remains". She interviews copious individuals to get a truly global picture of their lives, the events leading up to their murders and the aftermath of the tragedy. Then Miles throws the net out wider to look at the inherent misogyny not only in wilderness organisations but in the wider community. She looks at women's misgivings about hiking/camping alone or in female only groups. She looks at the discrimination faced by marginalised groups accessing the outdoors and what if anything is being done to mitigate this discrimination. She then looks at the justice system and their gung-ho, often politically motivated willingness to throw the wrong people under the bus for a quick conviction if they're feeling the pressure to "solve" a crime (and I use that word loosely with these apparent incompetents).
This book is truly brilliant. I feel that Miles covers all the bases and provides a really rounded look into the the case of not only Lollie and Julie, but other women that were kidnapped/murdered/raped /assaulted in that same geographical area over the course of those years in question. And sadly it all comes back to the same old thing for me: some men are right evil bastards, and many men sadly let them get away with it.
A 5 star read that would be higher if I could give it more.
Kathryn Miles has made a fantastic job of investigating the murders of two young gay women in the Shenandoah National Park. The level of sheer incompetence, negligence, hubris and pigheadedness she uncovers is truly shocking but by now something I seem to be getting used to in reading about US law enforcement. Absolutely nothing was done correctly to help solve the murders of these two women. Miles seems to be the only person giving enough of a shit to look into the case properly. And look into it she does.
I really admire how she covers everything, from looking at the girls' lives in a holistic manner to maintain the fact that they were two humans in love, not just "bodies", "victims" or "remains". She interviews copious individuals to get a truly global picture of their lives, the events leading up to their murders and the aftermath of the tragedy. Then Miles throws the net out wider to look at the inherent misogyny not only in wilderness organisations but in the wider community. She looks at women's misgivings about hiking/camping alone or in female only groups. She looks at the discrimination faced by marginalised groups accessing the outdoors and what if anything is being done to mitigate this discrimination. She then looks at the justice system and their gung-ho, often politically motivated willingness to throw the wrong people under the bus for a quick conviction if they're feeling the pressure to "solve" a crime (and I use that word loosely with these apparent incompetents).
This book is truly brilliant. I feel that Miles covers all the bases and provides a really rounded look into the the case of not only Lollie and Julie, but other women that were kidnapped/murdered/raped /assaulted in that same geographical area over the course of those years in question. And sadly it all comes back to the same old thing for me: some men are right evil bastards, and many men sadly let them get away with it.
A 5 star read that would be higher if I could give it more.
November 7, 2022
In Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders, author Kathryn Miles details the events surrounding the 1996 unsolved double homicide of a young couple inside Shenandoah National Park (Virginia). Miles has clearly poured herself into her research and her desire to find justice for the victims of this horrible hate crime is palpable in her well-written narrative. Miles has included interviews with investigators, legal experts, and friends and family members of the two victims, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams. This story has layers of tragedy: the brutal murder of this young couple; the seemingly flawed investigation and wasted man-hours used to indict a man who was likely not in the park on the day the couple was killed; and the FBI's refusal to examine existing evidence that may connect a known serial killer to this case. Miles' book also spotlights how our justice system tends to fail victims of marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community. She shows that those same groups experience national parks and outdoor recreational spaces differently because they are forced to think of their safety when entering spaces historically only enjoyed by cis het white males. This book unpacks a lot--and it does it well. Trailed a is a new classic for the true crime genre.
December 14, 2022
Truly a sad story. The case was bumbled from the beginning and it was sad to see that a government agency had so little staff or proper training to handle a crime scene effectively. That said, my issue with the book was the author's need to engrain herself in the story. I much prefer a true crime novel that includes the facts and not so many personal interpretations of events. Don't get me wrong, the writing was solid and the book read okay but in my opinion it detracted from the story itself. Even in our book group, none of us were sure who ultimately may have committed the crime due to how the author's slant on things were written in to the thread of what actually happened. She admitted to getting personally involved but it did take away from the story she was telling.
March 9, 2024
I will round this up to 5,. This book was en excellent portrayal of a woman's search to find answers to the horrible deaths of two female campers. The book caused me so much frustration at how difficult it is to solve crimes that occur out in nature, how much inexperienced, biased, or preconceived impressions impact the rate of murders solved that occur in national forests. I am very impressed by the research done by this author, although I also have to say, I'm glad I don't do much wilderness camping anymore after reading this!
July 12, 2022
Miles has written a powerful and compelling true crime account. Those who read the new style of true crime--author as citizen sleuth; focus upon justice for the victims, not the perpetrator; calling out botched investigative techniques; well-written and respectful without being lurid--will find much to mull over in this story.
January 5, 2023
Very interested in this story. It struck me since I did a 2-week hike in the Maine/New Hampshire section of the AT with Outward Bound when I was in college. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I highly recommend it.
I think it had a stronger effect on me since I had never been to camp or any backpacking treks.
This story is tragic in several ways, but the author is putting her research efforts to good use. At one point I thought it was going to become a memoir more about her, but she shifted back and it's all rolling quickly enough to make it hard to put down.
I think trails like the PCT and AT are gifts as well as our National Parks. We need to ensure they are funded and staffed well enough to serve our citizens and any other visitors. I know the AT has changed a lot since I've been on it, but it still wonderful and deserves the care it needs.
I think it had a stronger effect on me since I had never been to camp or any backpacking treks.
This story is tragic in several ways, but the author is putting her research efforts to good use. At one point I thought it was going to become a memoir more about her, but she shifted back and it's all rolling quickly enough to make it hard to put down.
I think trails like the PCT and AT are gifts as well as our National Parks. We need to ensure they are funded and staffed well enough to serve our citizens and any other visitors. I know the AT has changed a lot since I've been on it, but it still wonderful and deserves the care it needs.
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