About this item
In the early evening of June 25, 1980 in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, two middle-class outsiders named Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were murdered in an isolated clearing. They were hitchhiking to a festival known as the Rainbow Gathering but never arrived; they traveled with a third woman however, who lived. For thirteen years, no one was prosecuted for the "Rainbow Murders," though deep suspicion was cast on a succession of local residents in the community, depicted as poor, dangerous, and backward. In 1993, a local farmer was convicted, only to be released when a known serial killer and diagnosed schizophrenic named Joseph Paul Franklin claimed responsibility.
About the Author
Emma Copley Eisenberg is a queer writer of fiction and nonfiction. Her debut novel, Housemates, is forthcoming from Hogarth on May 28, 2024. Her first book, The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia (2020) , was named a New York Times Notable Book and was nominated for an Edgar Award, a Lambda Literary Award, and an Anthony Bouchercon Award, among other honors. Her fiction has appeared in Granta, McSweeney's, VQR, American Short Fiction and more. Raised in New York City, she lives in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Blue Stoop, a community hub for the literary arts.
