Unfinished Murder: The Pursuit of a Serial Rapist

An Edgar Award finalist, this extensively researched true crime account documents the five-year hunt for Ronnie Shelton, known as Cleveland's West Side Rapist. From 1983 to 1988, the twenty-seven-year-old serial rapist targeted women on Cleveland's West Side, surveilling and assaulting them in their homes. Despite being arrested at least fifteen times for other crimes, Shelton repeatedly evaded capture by an overburdened police department. Based on more than 150 interviews with survivors, police, psychiatrists, and Shelton himself, the book chronicles his crimes and the investigation that led to his arrest. Investigative journalist James Neff documents the long-term effects of rape on survivors and highlights the women whose testimony secured his conviction. Shelton received a sentence of 3,195 years—the longest in Ohio state history. The book examines the nature of serial rape in America and the courage required of victims to pursue justice. Neff is also the author of The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case and Mobbed Up: Jackie Presser's High-Wire Life in the Teamsters, the Mafia, and the FBI.