A gripping true crime memoir of loss, resilience, and an unlikely connection. Kathleen Murray's life shattered on September 11, 1976, when her husband, NYPD bomb disposal expert Brian Murray, was killed by a terrorist's bomb. Life Detonated details her journey from a childhood marked by poverty in the Bronx to navigating life as a young widow with two sons. As Kathleen heals, she sues New York City to uncover the truth behind the bombing and begins a correspondence with hijacker Julie Busic. Discover how Kathleen became a founder of Survivors of the Shield, advocating for families of fallen officers. This true story of love, loss, and forgiveness is perfect for readers of true crime, biography, and personal memoirs . "A raw, somber emotional journey that concludes with hope and a measure of forgiveness." —Kirkus Reviews "An impressively candid, extraordinarily detailed, ultimately inspiring read from cover to cover, 'Life Detonated' is a consistently compelling and exceptionally personal story that is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections." —Midwest Book Review "In this inspiring memoir, Moran recounts her story of overcoming grief after the death of her husband, NYPD bomb squad member Brian Murray. On September 11, 1976, Murray died attempting to defuse a bomb that was planted in Grand Central Station by husband and wife Zvonko and Julie Busic, who were involved with the Croatian freedom fighters and later sentenced to life in prison for hijacking a TWA flight. After her husband’s death, Moran looked to the NYPD’s other bomb squad members for more information on how the detonation went wrong and why there appeared to be no safety equipment in use. They refused to speak, so she sued the city. Moran lost the suit, but refused to give up, and teamed up with other NYPD widows to successfully push for vital legislation that offer support and assistance to spouses of police officers. Moran’s journey to overcome grief led her to begin a letter correspondence with Julie Busic. Seeking comfort in the source of her pain, Moran writes of their relationship, “Who would better understand what I went through than the person who put me there in the first place?” Moran, who founded the nonprofit organization Survivors of the Shield, shares a remarkable journey in this well-written debut." —Publisher's Weekly   Kathleen Murray Moran holds a BA in Journalism and an MA in English from SUNY Stony Brook. She taught writing and literature at Suffolk Community College for twenty-five years.    She is the co-founder of Survivors of the Shield (SOS) and was instrumental in passing legislation that led to former Governor Mario Cuomo’s COPS program which protects the pension benefits of survivors, provides full scholarships for line of duty widows and children to all SUNY schools and a four year scholarship to St. John’s University.   Kathleen is a speaker, advocate, and tireless supporter of family members of police officers who have experienced loss.   She lives on Long Island where she organizes writing and book groups. Kathleen is currently working on her first novel.  Life Detonated The True Story of a Widow and a Hijacker By Kathleen Murray Moran Amberjack Publishing Copyright © 2017 Kathleen Murray Moran All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-944995-45-4 CHAPTER 1 We Lost Him September 11, 1976 I was lying perfectly still in a lavender-scented bath thinking about the man who would slip into bed with me in another hour, run his hand down my back until I turned around, show me that sheepish grin, and kiss me with those lips that tasted like Lucky Strikes and smelled like the night air. I traced the constellation of freckles along my chest that he would outline with his fingers after we made love. We were trying for a girl. We had been hoping for a girl since our second son was born two years before. "This is a special report from CBS News. TWA flight 355 to Chicago carrying eighty-six passengers and seven crew members has been hijacked." I opened my eyes to hear the eleven o'clock news coming from our bedroom. "Shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport at 8:00 p.m., the aircraft was commandeered by Zvonko and Julie Busic, a Croatian and his American wife. They claim to have a bomb on board the plane and a second device located in New York City." I stood up, grabbed a towel, and ran into the bedroom. The camera left Walter Cronkite and panned Grand Central Station, and the most familiar face in the world to me came into focus: my husband Brian in a Kevlar vest, "Bomb Squad" written on the back. Bath water dripped onto the rug as I stared at the tiny black-and-white TV. The scene panned across a row of twenty-five cent luggage lockers, the doors torn off their hinges, to Brian lifting a shopping bag from inside one of the lockers. The white Macy's bag looked harmless. NYPD uniforms crowded around as Brian placed the bag