CHICAGO, IL, September 05, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In July 2018, Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan, two young idealists who left behind successful careers in Washington, D.C., set out to cycle the world in search of a different kind of American dream. Their journey ended in tragedy on a remote highway in Tajikistan, known as "the roof of the world," when they and two fellow cyclists were brutally murdered by ISIS terrorists.

The shocking attack made international headlines, drawing coverage from The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, BBC, and countless other outlets. The story captured the world's attention not only because of its brutality but also because of the couple's hopeful worldview, their journey of discovery, and the chilling reminder of extremism's global reach.

Now, for the first time, bestselling author William Elliott Hazelgrove delivers the definitive account of this tragedy in his forthcoming book, Evil on the Roof of the World (to be released November 13, 2025 Bloomsbury). Through meticulous research and narrative storytelling, Hazelgrove pieces together the events that led Jay and Lauren from Georgetown University classrooms to a fatal stretch of highway in Central Asia. Already being compared to Jon Krakauers Into the Wild, the story will resonate with readers of true criime and adventure.

"This was one of the most widely covered murders of the decade, but no book has ever fully explored what happened, why it happened, and what it means," Hazelgrove says. "Their story is both heartbreaking and profoundly important."

Hazelgrove, the national bestselling author of over twenty books including Madam President and The Pitcher, is known for blending investigative depth with novelistic storytelling. With Evil on the Roof of the World, he provides not only a harrowing true-crime account but also a meditation on risk, adventure, and the enduring clash between hope and hatred.

Evil on the Roof of the World is the only book to cover the highly publicized murder of Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan, making it a landmark work for readers of true crime, international affairs, and narrative nonfiction.

The book will be available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook on November 13, 2025.

William Elliott Hazelgrove is the National Bestselling author of ten novels and fourteen nonfiction titles. His work has received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and selections by Book of the Month, ALA Editors Choice, and Junior Library Guild. His books have been optioned for film, and he has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered. Has three forthcoming titles, Evil on the Roof of the World, Hemingways Attic, and Capones Vault.

Website: http://www.williamhazelgrove.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wehazelgrove
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazelgrove/
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rocketman46

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