Closing Time: The True Story of the “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” Murder

In 1973, Roseann Quinn, an Irish-Catholic teacher at a school for deaf children, was murdered in New York City after bringing a man home from an Upper West Side pub. The crime became a major news story and cultural phenomenon, inspiring both a bestselling novel and a film adaptation. Lacey Fosburgh, the New York Times reporter originally assigned to cover the case, presents this account of the murder. Using a dramatization technique in which she gives the victim a different name, Fosburgh moves between the personal interactions preceding the stabbing and the details of the NYPD investigation and arrest of John Wayne Wilson. The case sparked broader discussions about the sexual revolution and the dangers associated with singles bars. An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this book examines both the circumstances leading to the crime and its aftermath.