The Dreams of Ada
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4.4 • 28 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Serial and Making a Murderer, the true, bewildering story of a young woman’s disappearance, the nightmare of a small town obsessed with delivering justice, and the bizarre dream of a poor, uneducated man accused of murder.
On April 28, 1984, Denice Haraway disappeared from her job at a convenience store on the outskirts of Ada, Oklahoma, and the sleepy town erupted. Tales spread of rape, mutilation, and murder, and the police set out on a relentless mission to bring someone to justice. Six months later, two local men—Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot—were arrested and brought to trial, even though they repudiated their “confessions,” no body had been found, no weapon had been produced, and no eyewitnesses had come forward. The Dreams of Ada is a story of politics and morality, of fear and obsession. It is also a moving, compelling portrait of one small town living through a nightmare.
“A riveting true story of a brutal murder in a small town and the tragic errors made in the pursuit of justice.”—John Grisham
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A miscarriage of justice, in Mayer's unconvincing view, occurred in the Oklahoma town of Ada when two young men, Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, were accused of the 1984 rape and murder of Denice Haraway, a newly married 24-year-old grocery clerk, for which they were sentenced to death although no body was found. The men repudiated their confessions, which were extracted by allegedly coercive police officers, claiming that they were recounting dreams. In suspenseful style, journalist-novelist Mayer recreates in minute detail the investigation and trial along with character and actions of those concerned with the casevictim, the accused, families, witnesses, authorities and outraged townspeople. Haraway's body has now been found, and the two men on death row await a new trial before a court of appeals. Photos not seen by PW. 25,000 first printing.
Customer Reviews
dreams of Ada
Great reading