Unbelievable

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The real-life investigation behind the hit Netflix series, from two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLD DAGGER AWARD

She said she was raped.
Police said she lied.
She was made to retract the report – but the nightmare only got worse.

On 11 August 2008, eighteen-year-old Marie reported that a masked man had broken into her home and raped her. Within days, police – and even those closest to Marie – became suspicious of her story. Confronted by these minor inconsistencies and doubt, Marie broke down and said her story was a lie. The police charged her with making a false report.

Two years later, Colorado detective Stacy Galbraith was assigned to a case of sexual assault. It bore an eerie resemblance to a rape that had taken place months earlier in a nearby town. Joining forces with the detective on that case, Edna Hendershot, the two soon discovered they were dealing with a serial rapist. As their investigation deepened, it became clear that numerous police departments had extremely similar cases on their hands – and that Maries story bore an eerie resemblance to the cases they were investigating.

Unbelievable is a chilling tale of doubt, lies, and the hunt for justice, unveiling the disturbing reality of how sexual assault is investigated and the long history of scepticism toward its victims.
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Previously published as A False Report