Searching for the Lady of the Dunes

For nearly fifty years, the Lady of the Dunes was Cape Cod's most enduring mystery. Found savagely murdered and mutilated in the remote dunes of Provincetown in 1974 it seemed her identity would be forever unknown. In 2022 she was finally identified as Ruth Marie Terry.

Filmmaker Victor Franko worked tirelessly for two years attempting to give the Lady of the Dunes her name back through his documentary. Whether directly, or indirectly, he succeeded.

Repeatedly told he was 'chasing ghosts' and to 'let it go' Victor persevered. The process led to visiting rustic dune shacks, creepy cemeteries, iconic Provincetown night spots, Boston's infamous Combat Zone, and correspondence with convicted serial killers. Over time the project became about more than just a dead girl in the dunes.

The documentary shone new light on the Lady of the Dunes case. This book pulls the curtain back on the Wild West that was Provincetown in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to those who were there at the time in a true crime thriller with a splash of historical fiction.