Long Haul

"A true-crime masterpiece." —Don WinslowA Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Finalist (Best Fact Crime)From the FBI’s former assistant director, a shocking true crime journey to the dark side of America’s highways, revealing the FBI Highway Serial Killings Initiative’s hunt for the long-haul truckers behind an astonishing 850 murders–and counting. In 2004, the FBI was tipped off to a gruesome pattern of unsolved murders along American roadways. Today at least 850 homicides have been linked to a solitary breed of predators: long-haul truck drivers. They have been given names like the “Truck Stop Killer,” who rigged a traveling torture chamber in the rear of his truck and is suspected to have killed fifty women, and “The Interstate Strangler,” who once answered a phone call from his mother while killing one of his dozen victims. The crisis was such that the FBI opened a special unit, the Highway Serial Killings Initiative. In many cases, the victims—often at-risk women—are picked up at truck stops in one jurisdiction, sexually assaulted and murdered in another, and dumped along a highway in a third place. The transient nature of the offenders and multiple jurisdictions involved make these cold cases incredibly difficult to solve. Based on his own on-the-ground research, commitment to immersive investigative journalism, and drawing on his twenty-five-year career as an FBI special agent, Frank Figliuzzi investigates the most terrifying cases. He also rides in a big-rig with a long-haul trucker for thousands of miles, gaining an intimate understanding of the life and habits of drivers and their roadside culture. And he interviews the courageous victims of human trafficking, and their inspiring efforts to now help others avoid similar fates. Long Haul is a gripping exploration of a violent, disordered world hiding in plain sight, and the heroes racing to end the horror. It will forever unsettle how you travel on the road. Shortlisted for four 2025 True Crime AwardsTwenty-five years in the FBI. Thousands of miles on the road. One horrifying conclusion. FBI Investigation: Go inside the Highway Serial Killings Initiative and see how the Bureau connects the dots between 850+ murders and a solitary breed of predator. Highway Serial Killers: Confront the chilling realities of men like the “Truck Stop Killer,” who turned his rig into a traveling torture chamber, and other predators who hunt the interstate. Long-Haul Trucker Culture: Ride shotgun for thousands of miles to understand the roadside culture, isolation, and pressures that create the perfect hunting ground for killers. Victims’ Voices: Hear from the courageous survivors of trafficking who reveal the violent, disordered world hiding at truck stops and their inspiring efforts to help others escape.