Description

This stranger-than-fiction cold case is about to crack wide open!
Perfect for fans of I’ll be Gone in the Dark and Zodiac
On December 30th, 1999, in rural Oklahoma, 16-year-old Ashley Freeman and her best friend, Lauria Bible, were having a sleepover. The next morning, the Freeman family trailer was in flames and both girls were missing.

While rumours of drug debts, revenge killings, and police corruption abounded in the years that followed, the case remained unsolved and the girls were never found.

In 2016, crime writer Jax Miller travelled to Oklahoma to discover what really happened. What she unearthed was shocking. These forgotten towns were wild, lawless, and home to some very dark secrets.

Finally, in April 2018, the first arrests were made… could justice finally be in sight for the girls and their families?

‘There is, in the best of us, a search for the truth, to serve the living and dead alike…Jax Miller is one of those people and Hell in the Heartland is one of those books’ Robert Graysmith,author of Zodiac

‘Every generation has its standout true-crime writer. Jax Miller does with Hell in the Heartland what Truman Capote did with In Cold Blood’ A.A. Dhand, author of Streets of Darkness

‘Mesmerizing, raw, evocative, unforgettable’ William Boyle, author of A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself

‘A captivating ride through the frustrating twists, turns, and dead ends of a horrifying murder case’
Publishers Weekly

‘Beautiful and devastating’
Crime Reads

Publisher Review

'There is, in the best of us, a search for the truth, to serve the living and dead alike...Jax Miller is one of those people and Hell in the Heartland is one of those books' Robert Graysmith,author of Zodiac 'Every generation has its standout true-crime writer. Jax Miller does with Hell in the Heartland what Truman Capote did with In Cold Blood' A.A. Dhand, author of Streets of Darkness 'Mesmerizing, raw, evocative, unforgettable' William Boyle, author of A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself 'A captivating ride through the frustrating twists, turns, and dead ends of a horrifying murder case' Publishers Weekly 'Beautiful and devastating' Crime Reads Praise for Jax Miller: 'A terrific read from a powerful new voice ' Karin Slaughter 'Original, compelling and seriously recommended.' Lee Child 'Seldom has a literary creation bounced off the page with as much raw vitality ... one of the standout debuts of the year' Guardian 'There's a reckless power to Miller's untamed prose... And sometimes she's just plain amazing' New York Times 'Crackles with intensity, keeping the reader gripped' Express 'Chilling ... A compelling read, but don't expect to get a good night's sleep afterwards' Sunday Times (Ireland) 'A propulsive, full-throttle tale of revenge and redemption' Irish Times 'It's fast, it's furious and it takes no prisoners' Sunday Independent (Ireland) 'A relentless and fiercely compelling debut. Freedom's Child will hold you captive until the very last page' Richard Montanari 'Freedom's Child isn't just a great debut, it's a great book with one of the most angry, complex and compelling heroines this side of a certain girl with a certain tattoo' Simon Toyne 'I loved it. Such an original new voice' Kate Medina 'Brilliant' Julia Crouch