''Finding Chandra: A True Washington Murder Mystery'' is a non-fiction book by

Scott Higham Scott Higham is an American journalist and author who documented the corporate and political forces that fueled the opioid epidemic, in addition to conducting other major investigations. He is a five-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and won the Pul ...

and Sari Horwitz, two

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning investigative journalists at ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. The book, released in May 2010, chronicles the 2001 disappearance of Washington, DC intern

Chandra Levy Chandra Ann Levy (April 14, 1977 – May 1, 2001) was an American intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., who disappeared in May 2001. She was presumed murdered after her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek Park ...

, whose remains were found one year later in an isolated area of the city's

Rock Creek Park Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest, Washington, D.C., Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Created by Act of Congress in 1890, the park comprises 1,754 acres (2.74 mi2, 7.10 km2), generally along Rock Cr ...

. Higham and Horwitz present a thoroughly researched narrative of Chandra's case and the factors that complicated it—an affair between the victim and Congressman

Gary Condit Gary Adrian Condit (born April 21, 1948) is an American former politician who represented California's California's 18th congressional district, 18th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives f ...

, missteps by DC law enforcement, and relentless scrutiny from national media. ''Finding Chandra'' received early praise, including from fellow ''Post'' colleague

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the honorific title of associate editor though the Post no longer employs ...

, who declared it to be "Washington's ''

In Cold Blood ''In Cold Blood'' is a non-fiction novel by the American author Truman Capote, first published in 1966. It details the 1959 Clutter family murders in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. Capote learned of the quadruple murder bef ...

'', expertly and marvelously told by two of journalism's greatest investigative reporters."

Authors

is a

-winning member of ''

''s investigations unit. He has conducted numerous investigations for the news organization, including an examination of abuse at the

Abu Ghraib prison Abu Ghraib prison (, ''Sijn Abū Ghurayb'') was a prison complex in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, located west of Baghdad. Abu Ghraib prison was opened in the 1960s and served as a maximum-security prison. From the 1970s, the prison was used by Saddam Hus ...

, and waste and fraud in

Homeland Security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" to ...

contracting. Sari Horwitz is another Pulitzer Prize–winning member of ''The Washington Post''s investigation unit. A reporter for ''The Washington Post'' for twenty-six years, she has covered crime, homeland security, federal law enforcement, education, and social services. Horwitz and Higham shared the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 19th century media magnate *Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) * Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-pro ...

for their examination of the deaths of children in the D.C. foster care system. She was a member of the team of reporters who won the

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting is a Pulitzer Prize awarded for a distinguished example of breaking news Breaking news, also called late-breaking news, a special report, special coverage, or a news flash, is a current issue ...

for the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. Horwitz co-authored the 2003 book, ''Sniper: Inside the Hunt for the Killers Who Terrorized the Nation''.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Finding Chandra''
(Official website)
''Finding Chandra''
at

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, parent company of Scribner
"Who Killed Chandra Levy?"
– 13-part series at ''

by Higham and Horwitz'' 2010 non-fiction books Non-fiction books about murders in the United States The Washington Post