The gripping true story of a young law student, an unspeakable crime and a past that refuses to stay buried.

'Compulsive, eloquent and profoundly troubling' Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

When law student Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich is asked to work on a death-row hearing for convicted murderer and child molester Ricky Langley, she finds herself thrust into the tangled story of his childhood. As she digs deeper and deeper into the case she realizes that, despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.

The Fact of a Body is both an enthralling memoir and a groundbreaking, heart-stopping investigation into how the law is personal, composed of individual stories, and proof that arriving at the truth is more complicated, and powerful, than we could ever imagine.

'A haunting story of abuse, deep-buried secrets and the power of mercy' Observer

'Haunting and beautifully written' The Times Books of the Year

'One of the most fascinating, satisfying, moving, uplifting books I've ever read.' Lucy Mangan, Stylist

[A] true-crime masterpiece . . . There are no easy conclusions in The Fact of a Body, but there are many moments of profound revelation.