The Carpool Detectives: How Four Suburban Moms Solved a Double Murder in Their Spare Time

In a compelling new true-crime narrative, The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case (Random House; Hardcover, July 29, 2025), celebrated author Chuck Hogan chronicles the extraordinary journey of four suburban mothers who solved a 15‑year‑old double homicide previously dismissed as an accident.

During a 2020 journalism course, Marissa—formerly a forensic accountant—spots an archival news clip about an apparent car crash flagged as a double homicide. Intrigued, she enlists three friends—Jeannie (a writer/research exec), Samira (a project manager), and Nicole (a researcher)—to investigate. Despite no prior law enforcement experience, the women employ their distinct skills to dig into public records, financial irregularities, and witness accounts.

Their efforts uncover evidence of financial fraud, suspicious activity by the victims’ son and son-in-law, and mob involvement. They earn the trust of the victims’ daughter, which leads to the case being reopened by a now-retired district attorney. Hogan weaves the story with novelistic flair while safeguarding identities through altered names and details.

In addition to detailing their breakthrough investigation, the narrative explores how this reinvention empowered the women as they are now pursuing another chilling cold case—this time involving a suspected serial killer from the 1970s and 1980s.

The Carpool Detectives is a gripping, emotionally resonant testament to perseverance, collaboration, and the unforeseen power of everyday individuals seeking truth.