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A False Report

The chilling true story of the woman nobody believed

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A False Report

By: T. Christian Miller, Ken Armstrong
Narrated by: Hillary Huber, T. Christian Miller, Ken Armstrong
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Random House presents the audiobook edition of A False Report by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, read by Hillary Huber with an epilogue read by Ken Armstrong and an authors' note read by T. Christian Miller.

Two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists uncover the true story of Marie. She said she was raped; police said she lied. It was an easy case to close until two detectives cracked it back open.

On 11 August 2008, eighteen-year-old Marie reported that a masked man had broken into her home and raped her. Within days, police – and even those closest to Marie – became suspicious of her story: details of the crime just didn’t seem plausible. Confronted with the seeming inconsistencies, Marie broke down and said her story was a fabrication – a bid for attention. The police convicted her of making a false report. She was vilified as a liar.

More than two years later, some 1,600 kilometres away, detective Stacy Galbraith was assigned to a case of sexual assault. It bore an eerie resemblance to a rape that had taken place months earlier in a nearby town. Galbraith contacted the detective on that case, Edna Hendershot, and they joined forces.

Galbraith and Hendershot soon realised they were dealing with a serial rapist: a man who took calculated steps to erase all physical evidence, who photographed each of his victims, threatening to release the images online if the women went to the police. After weeks of meticulous investigation, they had a name. But they also had yet another victim – a young woman whose identity was a mystery, a possible missing link. It was imperative they find her.

Based on investigative files and extensive interviews with those involved, A False Report is a serpentine tale of doubt, lies and a hunt for justice. It unveils the disturbing reality of how sexual assault is investigated and the long history of scepticism towards its victims. But it is also the story of two women whose determined resolve and detective brilliance finally brought the truth to light.

Abuse Relationships Sexual Abuse & Harassment True Crime White Collar & Corporate Crime Scary Detective Crime
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Critic reviews

I pretty much read A FALSE REPORT in one sitting. It is deeply disturbing but brilliant. I hope it helps with the seismic shift needed in attitudes to women who are brave enough to come forward when they have been assaulted. (Sandi Toksvig)
A deep, disturbing, compelling, important book. A False Report digs into timeless issues – crime, victimhood, honesty, sexism – which have never been more timely. It is also a fascinating, sharply written story that will twist and surprise you. (Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief)
Incredibly compelling true-crime... Miller and Armstrong have forensically examined the case of a serial rapist, giving the victims a voice while underlining the importance of collaborative police work and believing testimonies - especially in circumstances of sexual violence.
The collection of interviews and research is remarkable.
A riveting and disturbing true-crime story that reflects the enduring atrocity of rape in America.
A timely story, this book examines not only the crimes at its heart, but also the way in which women who report being raped are often placed under suspicion themselves
A False Report is a reporting triumph: a heartbreaking deep-dive into a case gone horribly wrong; a bone-chilling portrait of a monstrous criminal; and a forceful cri de coeur on behalf of the victim whose claims fell on deaf ears. You'll never read another crime story quite like it. (Robert Kolker, author of Lost Girls)

Miller and Armstrong show how gender bias, and the many myths about sexual assault, still have far too much influence in the way law enforcement investigates these crimes.

This harms victims and allows perpetrators to go free, potentially to commit additional assaults.

But this brilliant book is also a thrilling depiction of an investigation gone right, showing us how good police work, informed by the latest research, can achieve justice for victims of sexual violence.

Well-researched and compassionate, A False Report is essential reading for police, prosecutors, and lawmakers, and for all those seeking to do better for victims of sexual assault.

(Joanne Archambault, CEO of End Violence Against Women International)
Remarkable
All stars
Most relevant
A terrible, horrible story that is, unfortunately, still something that happens around the world today. This is the story of amazing, incredible women who did not allow one man's awful, horrible, degenerate behaviour to define them. They rose above. They got on with their lives.
Horrifically, that man's behaviour was, in one case, compounded by a police force who made the terrible mistake of failing to believe an 18 year old rape victim, and they prosecuted her for "lying".
That he was caught was the result of amazing hard work by other officers and detectives. That evidence showing the truth of her attack was discovered was hard work and great good luck. That the 18 year old had not allowed his actions to poison her against the world, and that she went on to have a good life, with a happy family, was thanks to her strength of personality and character.
It's a harrowing tale. It could so easily have broken all of the women involved. Knowing that they survived, and did so unbowed by their experiences - moulded by them, sure, but not broken - is testament to their strength and grace.
All of it is well written, the pace maintained, the facts well researched, the prose almost conversational. For such a hard to discuss topic, with such difficult facts, it is easy to get caught up and drawn along with the story.
Great research, dreadful topic, great writing. Altogether a damn good book on a bloody awful subject.

Utterly Heartwrenching

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I get why it's there but too much tech .. you understand why and how rspe vice are treated sad but true

The series is better. a little too much tech ..but

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I just wanted to hear the story and not get a life story of every single person spoken about. found myself fast forwarding

Went on too long and off point

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This is great, well researched and very well written. Essential reading for anyone who wants to know more about rape culture and how the justice system has historically failed rape victims, and continues to.

Essential reading

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Try as I might, this one is without fault. I would defy anybody to give this one a try and then negatively critique it. I completed listening to this in one sitting. This one draws you in slowly at the perfect pace and then to consider this is also a true story it makes the ending all the more perfect. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Stunning Performance

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