It's a case reminiscent of the explosive story of Susan Smith, convicted in the drownings of her two young sons in South Carolina. But in The Unforgiven, three young children are in the back seat of a car driven by Amanda Hamm's boyfriend as it slips into an Illinois lake. Amanda and her boyfriend survive. Her three children do not.
The question of whether it was a horrible accident or a murderous plot divided family and friends and traumatized the entire community. The brief but intense police investigation included seven interviews Hamm voluntarily gave police without the benefit of counsel. The outcome remains controversial to this day and comes full circle with state child welfare workers' concern about children born to Hamm since the fateful day at Clinton Lake.
The Unforgiven coauthor and journalist Edith Brady-Lunny covered the case from start-to-finish, beginning the night of the drownings. Her coauthor Steve Vogel lives nearby. His Reasonable Doubt, considered a true crime classic, was a New York Times bestseller. Together they have extensive first-hand knowledge of the case and access to nearly every record related to the court proceedings.
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"This book is just an average true crime novel. Unfortunately, we'll never know what really happened to these poor children. Such a horrific situation. If you enjoy true crime, you should choose a different one. This book isn't great. "
— Julie (5 out of 5 stars)
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Steve Vogel is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, columnist, and talk show host who covered every minute of the original trial described in Reasonable Doubt. With a BA from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, he appeared on the American Forces Radio Network in Europe and later did commentaries on the Voice of America. His career has spanned print and broadcast news, radio programming, corporate communications, and newspaper column writing.
Keith Sellon-Wright is an audiobook narrator and an actor with more than thirty years of experience in Hollywood. His television roles have included Frasier, Seinfeld, The West Wing, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal. He also serves as a “voice of the New York Times,” narrating selected articles for their daily audio edition.