The Lady of the Dunes: My Mother Paperback – June 10, 2025

In a true crime memoir that spans ages and decades, author Richard Hanchett / Terry offers an intimate look at his life, recounting how he followed his heart and dreams and found that the answers he sought weren't the ones he expected.In the 1950s, a young unwed woman was about to give birth to a son. Alone, away from home, and in the city with no support. Fate supplied an option: a married couple unable to have children.That woman was Ruth Marie Terry, an unidentified murder victim for decades. Her voice was silenced by the heartless Cape Cod Killer, her son; the author speaks for her in this book.Drawing on his biological mother's life and struggles as the foundation of this tale, Richard crafts a thrilling narrative about his own life and struggles and the truths that set him free as he begins investigating his past. "It is through her eyes, her story, that I have found the strength to share mine. This is a journey of discovering who I am, where I come from, and how even the most brutal truths can lead you to a place of healing and understanding," asserted Richard.Readers will meet Ruth, Richard and his adoptive parents Dick and Thelma-offering a profoundly human perspective on adoption, trauma, and the long shadows caused by violence. Each chapter is built from memory and emotion, with reflections from his perspective now, creating a complete picture of how life, choices, and destiny affected a group of people in the 1950s. The Lady of the Dunes: My Mother is a must-read, a powerful true crime story. That unearths a shocking legacy of loss, identity, and healing. Read more