What makes this book especially compelling is that the authors provide complex portrayals of the many people involved in the case - not only the victim Chandra Levy, but also her family, the various lawyers, FBI and D.C. Police investigators assigned to her case, and former congressman Gary Condit, who was the main focus of the initial investigation. This book also reveals the numerous mistakes made during the original murder investigation.

The authors, who are also reporters for the Washington Post, describe personalities, psychological motivations, and a chain of a events that are insightful and illuminating, without being needlessly sensational or lurid. Eventually, months after Chandra Levy's body was found, Ingmar Guandique was identified as the prime suspect in the murder investigation, and details about his past, how he may have killed Levy, and how he attacked other women in the park where Levy was found--all of this was revealed. For a stark, behind-the-scenes, detail packed true crime mystery, this book is highly recommended.