Sign-In
Cart
The Trailside Killer: David Carpenter
Paperback
Publisher: Silverback Books
Published: Jan 19 2026
Pages: 436
Weight: 1.11
Height: 0.97 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
The Trailside Killer: David Carpenter
The Trailside Killer: David Carpenter and the Murders That Terrorized Northern California presents a comprehensive examination of one of America's most calculating serial predators. Between 1979 and 1981, David Carpenter stalked hikers on the scenic trails of the San Francisco Bay Area, transforming beloved natural spaces into hunting grounds. This meticulously researched account traces Carpenter's trajectory from an abused child with a severe stutter to a methodical killer whose signature-forcing victims to kneel before execution-revealed the psychological function his crimes served.
Drawing on trial transcripts, psychological evaluations, and forensic evidence, this narrative explores how institutional failures repeatedly released a dangerous predator, how early FBI profiling techniques helped identify him, and how survivor Steven Haertle's testimony proved crucial to his capture. The book examines the devastating impact on the Bay Area hiking community, the complex legal proceedings including juror misconduct that reached the California Supreme Court, and the comprehensive psychological assessment that revealed how violence temporarily cured Carpenter's stutter-making his crimes serve a profound neurological function that ensured rehabilitation was impossible.
Also in
True Crime
Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision for World Peace
Janney, Peter
Hardcover
Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings
Feichtinger, Gail
Paperback
Dawn of the Code War: America's Battle Against Russia, China, and the Rising Global Cyber Threat
Carlin, John P.
Graff, Garrett M.
Paperback
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Hardcover
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Larson, Erik
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise
Sherman, Casey
Hardcover
The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers
Barragán, Carlos
Hardcover
Blizzard of Lies: Karen Read, John O'Keefe, and the Shocking Unsolved Murder in Cop Town, USA
Wedge, Dave
Hardcover
Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie
Weaver, Mary Frances
Turrubiate-Simpson, Blanca
Paperback
Face to Face with Whitey Bulger: An FBI Agent's Account of Capturing and Debriefing Boston's Most Notorious Gangster
Ward, Bob
Teahan, Rich
Paperback
The Typewriter and the Guillotine: An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, and Paris on the Eve of WWII
Braude, Mark
Hardcover
The Vampire's Cult: The Untold Story of Obsession, Control, and a Shocking Small-Town Murder
Hardin, Chet
Paperback
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Hardcover
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth (Large Print Edition)
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution
Grandjean, Katherine
Hardcover
The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis
O'Shea, Devin Thomas
Hardcover
The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence
de Greef, Kimon
Hardcover
The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy
Campbell, Matthew
Hardcover
Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the Fbi, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage
Wolfe, Matthew
Hardcover
Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
Cohen, Adam
Hardcover
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate
Lichtblau, Eric
Hardcover
White Elephant Gifts for Adult: 500 Serial Killers Encyclopedia Facts and Figures
Murdle, K.
Paperback
Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet
Gardiner, Beth
Hardcover
Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent's Search for Hope and Justice
Edward, John
Hilland, Robert
Hardcover
Don't Talk about Joe Mac: The Life, Wars, and Secret History of the Man Behind the Winter Hill Gang
Toledo, Springs
Hardcover
The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East
Ghattas, Kim
Hardcover
The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy
Ireland, Josh
Hardcover
One Nation Under Blackmail - Vol. 1: The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime That Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein, Vol.1
Webb, Whitney Alyse
Paperback
Brain Games - Criminal Mind Puzzles: Crime-Themed Brain Teasers Visual, Verbal, Memory & Logic Puzzles Spiral Bound Activity Book for Adults & Teens
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Clinton Bush and CIA Conspiracies: From The Boys on the Tracks to Jeffrey Epstein
Attwood, Shaun
Paperback
Thirteen Perfect Fugitives: The True Story of the Mob, Murder, and the World's Largest Art Heist
Kelly, Geoffrey
Hardcover
The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory
Chamblee Burch, Elizabeth
Hardcover
The Doctors' Riot of 1788: Body Snatching, Bloodletting, and Anatomy in America
McPhee, Andy
Hardcover
The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time
Zill de Granados, Oriana
Rey, Michael
Hardcover
Without Consent: A Landmark Trial and the Decades-Long Struggle to Make Spousal Rape a Crime
Weinman, Sarah
Hardcover
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars
Collins, Paul
Paperback
Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida
King, Gilbert
Hardcover
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast (Large Print Edition)
Colloff, Pamela
Paperback
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Johnson, Kirk Wallace
Paperback
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
McNamara, Michelle
Paperback
The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther
Haas, Jeffrey
Paperback
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
McGowan, David
Paperback
The Rembrandt Heist: The Story of a Criminal Genius, a Stolen Masterpiece, and an Enigmatic Friendship
Amore, Anthony M.
Hardcover
Lucky Devils: The True Story of Three Rebel Gamblers Who Beat the Odds and Changed the Game
Chellel, Kit
Hardcover
Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South
Assael, Shaun
Harpootlian, Richard A.
Hardcover
Who's Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly's Abuse
Landfair, Reshona
Hardcover
Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked
Davis, Duane 'keffe D'
Jah, Yusuf
Paperback
The Assassination of Leon Trotsky: Espionage, Scandal, and the Crime of the Century
Melton, H. Keith
West, Nigel
Hardcover
Starstruck: A Journalist's Pursuit of a Fugitive Pop Star, Her Diabolical Maestro, and Their Teenage Sex Cult
McDougall, Christopher
Paperback
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight
Cohen, Shawn
Paperback
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church
Gore, Gareth
Paperback
Is the Government Legally Killing Us?: Is the Evidence Obvious? How Fear of Death and the Illusion of Freedom Turn Us Into Accomplices to Evil
(Scott Schara), Grace's Dad
Paperback
The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling
Corbett, Rachel
Hardcover
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Paperback
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Bauerlein, Valerie
Paperback
Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Warden Force: The Worst of the Worst and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 101-114
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--And the Evil That Swallowed Her Up
Parry, Richard Lloyd
Paperback
Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
Harmon, Mark
Paperback
Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie
Turrubiate-Simpson, Blanca
Weaver, Mary Frances
Hardcover
She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales
Hollandsworth, Skip
Hardcover
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
Callahan, Maureen
Paperback
Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of the Hunt for the Nation's Most Elusive Serial Killer
Graysmith, Robert
Paperback
50 True Stories That Will Scare You to Death: True Crime, Hauntings, Aliens, and More
Krahl, Sebastian
Paperback
Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War
Tapper, Jake
Hardcover
The Serial Killer Coloring Book II: An Adult Coloring Book Full of Notorious Serial Killers
Rosewood, Jack
Paperback
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
El Invencible Verano de Liliana / Liliana's Invincible Summer (Premio Pulitzer)
Rivera Garza, Cristina
Paperback
Warden Force: Deadly Intent and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 76 - 87
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
A Murderer's Guide to Cleaning: And Other Stories from My Life as a Probation Officer
Baxter, Elizabeth
Hardcover
Dog's Day: The True Story of a Bank Robbery, Gay Liberation, and Toxic Love That Inspired a Hollywood Classic
Prigge, Matthew J.
Hardcover
What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator
Butcher, Barbara
Paperback
Wired on Wall Street: The Rise and Fall of Tipper X, One of the Fbi's Most Prolific Informants
Hardin, Tom
Hardcover
No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth
Henderson, Artis
Hardcover
Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer's Daughter
McCollum
Paperback
The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the Fbi's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
Douglas, John E.
Olshaker, Mark
Paperback
Vida Y Muerte del Cartel de Medellín / Life and Death of the Medellin Cartel
Lehder, Carlos
Paperback
Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness
Swidey, Neil
Paperback
Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud: The Basis for the Documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money
McKenzie, Ben
Silverman, Jacob
Paperback
The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case
Hogan, Chuck
Hardcover