It's a case reminiscent of the explosive story of Susan Smith, convicted in the drownings of her two young sons in South Carolina. But in "The Unforgiven", three young children are in the back seat of a car driven by Amanda Hamm's boyfriend as it slips into an Illinois lake. Amanda and her boyfriend survive. Her three children do not.The question of whether it was a horrible accident or a murderous plot divided family and friends and traumatized the entire community. The brief but intense police investigation included seven interviews Hamm voluntarily gave police without the benefit of counsel. The outcome remains controversial to this day and comes full circle with state child welfare workers' concern about children born to Hamm since the fateful day at Clinton Lake."The Unforgiven" co-author and journalist Edith Brady-Lunny covered the case from start-to-finish, beginning the night of the drownings. Her co-author Steve Vogel lives nearby. His "Reasonable Doubt", considered a true crime classic, was a New York Times best-seller. Together they have extensive first-hand knowledge of the case and access to nearly every record related to the court proceedings. Publishers Daily Reviews : "... broader questions of abuse, crime, justice, and redemption...galvanize a story made even more powerful (if that is possible) by the personal involvement of author/reporter Edith Brady-Lunny, who witnessed much, if not most, of what's described in this book." "That it moves beyond the usual documentation of events to consider not just motives but the hearts of all involved places The Unforgiven in a highly recommended category of its own in the true crime field. Itdeftly employs the high drama of fiction to weave a compelling,can't-put-it-down story that considers different viewpoints as eventsunfold to an unexpected, riveting conclusion." Fiona Guy, Crime Traveller : "...fascinating and thought-provoking..." Susan Hazlett, columnist, The Pantagraph : "...intending to read a few chapters, but instead read the entire book, cover to cover. I couldn't put it down." Steve Vogel is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, columnist and talk show host who invites you to visit his web page at stevevogelauthor.com. He is author of "Reasonable Doubt," a New York Times best-seller that became part of the St. Martin's Press True Crimes Classics library.With a B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. His graduate school education was interrupted by service in the U.S. Army, including a year in Europe where he was assigned to the American Forces Radio Network.After grad school, Steve resumed broadcasting work with WJBC Radio in Bloomington, where he did a daily talk show and led an award-winning news department while also doing commentaries on the Voice of America. He later headed the media relations department of a Fortune 25 company and was the company's chairman and CEO communications assistant. He retired from that post in 2012 and returned to his print journalism roots with an opinion page column for The Pantagraph. He's received numerous journalism awards,including a Champion-Tuck Award for economics reporting from Dartmouth College, from the Freedom Foundation, the National Headliners Club and the Associated Press. He lives in central Illinois with Mary, his wife of 45 years. They have three children and three grandchildren. He loves music, and likes to read almost as much as he likes to write. Edith Brady-Lunny is a veteran journalist whose coverage of the criminal justice system has been recognized by The Associated Press, Illinois Press Association and Mental Health America. She worked as the legal affairs and courts reporter for The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois.  She wrote extensively on the court proceedings in the Amanda Hamm-Maurice LaGrone cases detailed in The Unforgiven. Her experience includes time as a weekly newspaper owner,magazine writer and reporter at newspapers in California and Michigan, and Illinois.