Overview

A tangled web of family dysfunction, fatal attraction, and greed wends its way from the elegant Southern mansions of old Montgomery, Alabama, to the New Age salons of Boulder and rural, windswept Wyoming in Drifting Into Darkness, a true saga of bloodshed and betrayal. Two grisly murders—a brutal double parricide—a suicide, and a fourth death under suspicious circumstances. Drifting Into Darkness is a tangled tale of family dysfunction, fatal attraction, and greed, a saga that wends its way from the elegant Southern mansions of Montgomery, Alabama, to the New Age salons of Boulder, Colorado, to rural, windswept Wyoming. On Thanksgiving weekend in 2004, philanthropists Charlotte and Brent Springford Sr. - a wealthy, socially prominent Montgomery couple - were brutally beaten to death with an ax handle, echoing the infamous case of Lizzie Borden. Suspicion quickly fell on the Springfords' gifted but troubled son Brent Jr., who would be tried and sentenced to life without parole. But a mystery remained: Who was the mysterious, elusive woman who claimed to be a Native American shaman that investigators believed manipulated Brent into this murder? Journalists solving murders is a time-tested trope in movies, mysteries, and on television. But cops and cop reporters know that rarely happens in real life. Except when it does. Veteran crime reporter Mark I. Pinsky, who covered the sensational cases of serial killer Ted Bundy and Green Beret Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, broke the cardinal rule of journalism by involving himself in the story. Pinsky’s extensive research prompted investigators to invite him to join their dogged pursuit of justice. His access to unique and heart-breaking behind-the-scenes material enables him to take readers with him into the troubled, tortured minds of the case's main players.

Full Product Details

9781588384577

Table of Contents

Reviews

A lavishly detailed story of murder, madness, and treachery in Alabama and parts beyond. Mark Pinsky's prose is as sweetly beckoning as a Southern breeze. -- Michael Cuneo, New York Times-acclaimed author of Almost Midnight and American Exorcism Descend and drift into madness in journalist Mark I. Pinsky's second work of true crime. To report on the Springford case, Pinsky personally had to comprehend his subject's sociopathy, immersing himself in a story of parricide. To lay down with sociopaths is to risk getting fleas, but that is the only way to get the story. Then came the sociopath I wasn't expecting... -- Arthur Jay Harris, investigative true-crime author of The Unsolved Murder of Adam Walsh and Speed Kills A captivating tale of madness, manipulation, and murder. I simply couldn't stop turning the pages. -- Diane Fanning, crime writer and television commentator Detailed and deeply compelling, Drifting Into Darkness radiates with a veteran investigative reporter's drive to shake the tree on his cross-country quest to uncover the criminal and cultural complexities of a family's dysfunction. -- Joe Sharkey, author of Above Suspicion Pinsky offers a gripping tour de force of crime journalism as he documents the fatal disintegration of a vulnerable young man under the spell of a malignant hustler. -- Dr. Katherine Ramsland, author of How to Catch a Killer

Pinsky offers a gripping tour de force of crime journalism as he documents the fatal disintegration of a vulnerable young man under the spell of a malignant hustler. -- Dr. Katherine Ramsland, author of How to Catch a Killer

Pinsky offers a gripping tour de force of crime journalism as he documents the fatal disintegration of a vulnerable young man under the spell of a malignant hustler. -- Dr. Katherine Ramsland, author of How to Catch a Killer-- Source

Drifting Into Darkness is a fascinating look into true crime, superbly written. Anyone who cracks this book open will not want to put it down. Be prepared to miss work and social events! -- Phil Chalmers, criminal profiler, host of the Where the Bodies are Buried podcast A lavishly detailed story of murder, madness, and treachery in Alabama and parts beyond. Mark Pinsky's prose is as sweetly beckoning as a Southern breeze. -- Michael Cuneo, New York Times-acclaimed author of Almost Midnight and American Exorcism Descend and drift into madness in journalist Mark I. Pinsky's second work of true crime. To report on the Springford case, Pinsky personally had to comprehend his subject's sociopathy, immersing himself in a story of parricide. To lay down with sociopaths is to risk getting fleas, but that is the only way to get the story. Then came the sociopath I wasn't expecting... -- Arthur Jay Harris, investigative true-crime author of The Unsolved Murder of Adam Walsh and Speed Kills A captivating tale of madness, manipulation, and murder. I simply couldn't stop turning the pages. -- Diane Fanning, crime writer and television commentator Detailed and deeply compelling, Drifting Into Darkness radiates with a veteran investigative reporter's drive to shake the tree on his cross-country quest to uncover the criminal and cultural complexities of a family's dysfunction. -- Joe Sharkey, author of Above Suspicion Pinsky offers a gripping tour de force of crime journalism as he documents the fatal disintegration of a vulnerable young man under the spell of a malignant hustler. -- Dr. Katherine Ramsland, author of How to Catch a Killer

Author Information

Mark I. Pinsky is a veteran investigative journalist specializing in capital murder cases. A former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and Orlando Sentinel, his work—which has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today—has followed topics ranging from the trial of serial killer Ted Bundy to the death of Trayvon Martin. His expertise has been showcased in multiple television appearances for Investigation Discovery, TruTV, and Amazon Prime. Pinsky is the author of Met Her on the Mountain: A Forty-Year Quest to Solve the Appalachian Cold-Case Murder of Nancy Morgan and four religious books: Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith, Disability, and Inclusion; A Jew Among the Evangelicals; The Gospel According to The Simpsons; and The Gospel According to Disney.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available