John Ferak Books in Order

The murders of Wayne and Sharmon Stock expose serious problems in a Nebraska investigation. Ferak follows its false leads and disputed forensic evidence, examining how the pursuit of the killers became entangled with misconduct inside law enforcement.

Jessica O'Grady disappears, leaving investigators to build a murder case without finding her body. Ferak examines the evidence against Christopher Edwards and the questions raised when a forensic investigator's misconduct casts doubt over the work of his laboratory.

After years of domestic abuse, Dixie Shanahan kills her husband and conceals his body in their home. Ferak examines the troubled marriage and criminal proceedings, exploring the conflict between her account of self-defense and the prosecution's case.

Six people are convicted of Helen Wilson's murder before the case against them unravels. Ferak reconstructs the Nebraska investigation, examining coerced confessions, unreliable evidence, and the institutional failures that led to wrongful convictions and eventual exonerations.

A series of killings spreads fear through Joliet, Illinois, in 1983. Ferak reconstructs the investigation and the case against Milton Johnson, examining the surviving witnesses, community response, and pursuit of the man accused of the attacks.

Ferak follows attorney Kathleen Zellner's efforts to challenge Steven Avery's conviction for Teresa Halbach's murder. He examines the defense's claims about evidence and investigative conduct, tracing a postconviction battle over one of America's most closely watched criminal cases.