The Dreams of Ada

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 murdera case that chillingly parallels the one, occurring in the very same town, chronicled by John Grisham inThe Innocent Man.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 menTommy Ward and Karl Fontenotwere 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 Adais 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.

Robert Mayer was born and raised in New York City. As a journalist and columnist for Newsday, he twice won the Mike Berger Award for the year’s best writing about New York City, as well as a National Headliner Award as best feature columnist in the country. Mayer has written seven novels and two works of nonfiction. He currently lives in New Mexico.