I remember the bare outlines of the Tawana Brawley case, when a young African-American girl was reportedly raped and beaten…this was around the time when there were well-publicized racist incidents in places like Howard Beach…and in my memory, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are always on the scene, outraged and speaking publicly at every opportunity.

A couple of things I missed: the subsequent hoopla around whether or not the assault was fabricated by Tawana herself, the lawsuit/trial, and oh by the way the murder of Anna Kithcart in Kingston, New York, a crime bearing similarities to the Tawana Brawley case. Sidetracked is the subject of Richard Cahill’s book, provided to me in exchange for my honest review (thanks to WildBlue Press and NetGalley).

Anna was 19 years old when she was found beaten and strangled to death, left alongside the railroad tracks (lots of photos made this crime easy to visualize the people, location, etc.). Anna was found with “KKK” carved on her body which may have contributed to the arrival of Al Sharpton on the scene and the Tawana Brawley-ish media circus that ensued.

A local man confesses, then things get weird as he recants, and subsequently claims to be an undercover agent for the CIA, FBI, and Interpol. The crime was well researched, the writing and editing are good, and the courtroom scenes are terrific.

True crime fans will enjoy, and anyone interested in the controversial ssues around criminal justice and racism. Four stars.