Michelle Kaminsky is the author of the new book Murder on the Trail: Mysteries, Deaths & Disappearances in National Parks. She has written three other true crime books.
Q: What inspired you to write Murder on the Trail?
A: There’s something undeniably creepy and disturbing about the idea that many people retreat into nature to find peace, yet that quiet and solitude can also pose incredible danger and risk, from both natural and human forces. When my publisher approached me with the idea for Murder on the Trail, that contrast immediately grabbed me.
National parks are the beautiful places we (some of us anyway!) go to feel restored and safe, so when tragedy occurs in those spaces, it feels especially unsettling. I wanted to explore the stories behind the headlines, focus on the victims’ lives, and examine the larger impact of these cases.
Q: How did you choose the cases to include in the book?
A: I wanted to share compelling, human stories and the investigative journeys within them. Some are well-known and essential to any book about national park mysteries, deaths, and disappearances, while others are lesser-known cases that deserve attention.
In selecting cases, I sought a mix that reflected the book's broader theme: how ordinary landscapes can conceal extraordinary, and sometimes tragic, events. Each case offered something meaningful — whether it was investigative complexity, community impact, or a story that continues to resonate.
Q: How did you research the book, and what surprised you most?
A: Research involved digging through archival newspapers, investigative reports, court records, books – any and all information I could find.
If you’ve been around true crime for five minutes, you probably would agree that investigative miscues tend to be the most surprising (yet somehow also entirely predictable) aspects — that “How could they have missed that?” kind of surprise is quite common.
Back to my research, though, it was important to me to provide a broader context for the stories, so my research extended well beyond the case itself and into the time period when it happened.
A case can feel very different when you understand what was happening in the world at that time, socially, politically, economically — sometimes even meteorologically. Investigations never happen in a vacuum.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I hope readers feel the human depth behind these stories — the loss, resilience, and the lasting impact on loved ones and communities. I hope the book encourages greater awareness and compassion, reminding readers that real people exist behind the headlines.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on a new book for Ulysses Press that explores crime on cruise ships — another environment people associate with leisure and escape. Much like national parks, cruise ships operate in isolated settings with complex jurisdictional frameworks that can complicate investigations and accountability when something goes wrong.
To be clear, though, I promise I’m not trying to discourage everyone from taking vacations.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I love hearing from readers, especially when they share local knowledge or perspectives about a case — the colder or more obscure the better! It’s a reminder that true crime isn’t just about the past; it’s about memory and how stories endure.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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