Three Weeks in October Hardcover - 2003

by Charles A. Moose; Charles Fleming

The police chief who led one of the tensest manhunts of the early twenty-first century takes readers behind the scenes of this notorious murder case that galvanized a nation.

They were the most terrifying three weeks of any month in recent history. From Maryland to Virginia, ordinary Americans feared for their lives, too frightened to do normal, everyday things like pump gas at the local station or allow their children to frolic in parks and school playgrounds. For twenty-one nightmarish days, a nation was caught in the grip of a crime spree that cut across state lines, at the mercy of a pair of serial snipers with the most chilling M.O. of all: They chose their victims at random. Now, a year after those horrific events, comes a book by the man whose courage, integrity, and tenacious dedication helped to finally crack the case.

Three Weeks in October follows Police Chief Charles A. Moose into the taut days and nights of his investigation, from the first shocking murder through the massive team efforts of law enforcement in several counties to the final break that ultimately led to the snipers' capture. Written from his unique insider perspective, it is also Moose's inspiring personal story, detailing his rise from a young African-American cop battling prejudice and racism to a respected homicide chief in the highest ranks of the Montgomery County police department.

Suspenseful, moving, and compulsively readable, this is an unwaveringly honest and intelligent account by a man who wouldn't rest until two of the most bizarre killers America has ever known were brought to justice.