CATCH THE SPARROW

Unsolved for over two decades, this is the gripping story of a young woman's murder brilliantly investigated and reconstructed by her stepsister. Growing up, Rachel Rear knew the story of Stephanie Kupchynsky's disappearance. The beautiful violinist and teacher had fled an abusive relationship on Martha's Vineyard and made a new start for herself near Rochester, New York. She was at the height of her life in a relationship with a man she hoped to marry, and close to her students and her family. Then one morning she was gone. Rachel had more reason than most to be haunted by this particular story - her mother had married Stephanie's father after the crime, and Rachel grew up in the shadow of her stepsister's legacy. Here she follows the case's dark and serpentine path, drawing closer to the details than any journalist could. She reveals how a dysfunctional justice system laid the groundwork for Stephanie's murder and stymied the investigation for more than 20 years, and what those hard years meant for Stephanie's family and loved ones. 'A beloved violin teacher gone from the home she shared with only her pet birds. The sheets missing from her bed. Her cheque book found discarded on the side of the road. Her car abandoned in an airport parking lot. That was all anyone knew - a beautiful woman was gone.' 2022 new hardback, 245pp.