by Amy Littlefield
Legacy Lit
3/10/2026, hardcover
SKU: 9781538769041
A reporter and abortion access correspondent investigates the secret killers and hidden motives behind the death of abortion rights.
They are going to kill people, investigative reporter for The Nation Amy Littlefield knew, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. After a decade covering abortion, she wanted to more deeply understand the motives, means, and opportunities behind the antiabortion movement's victory. So she set out to investigate the murderers of Roe.
Killers of Roe chronicles Littlefield's journey into the unexplored corners of the most successful social movement of our time. As in every good murder mystery, the killers turn out to be the people you least suspect. Plot twists lurk around every corner as Littlefield meets believers, opportunists, and complicated heroes. Along the way, she encounters surprising characters who shed light on how we got to this moment of authoritarian rule: from the former fetus keeper standing trial in Michigan to the antiabortion militant turned long shot presidential candidate to the pro-choice superfans at the Reagan Library. Throughout the book, Littlefield draws upon women's stories and her own experience as a mother to reveal the life-and-death stakes of America's abortion wars.
At once clever and poignant reportage, this abortion whodunit uncovers the deeper story of how we lost Roe--and how we will win back so much more.
Reviews:
"Haunting, riveting, and built around some of the most complex characters you'll ever meet, Amy Littlefield's Killers of Roe reads like a political murder mystery while providing the invaluable history of people and politics that were always knottier and more twisted than many of us know. A true gift to anyone who cares about the past or future of politics, families, and abortion care in the United States."-- Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of Good and Mad and All the Single Ladies
"Littlefield has written a gripping, must-read investigation into the secret architects and unlikely characters behind America's greatest rollback of rights. Killers of Roe reads like a political thriller, but one with real material harms and life-and-death consequences." -- Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her and All We Want Is Everything
"A quirky yet hard-hitting inquiry into the overturning of Roe v. Wade. A fan of murder mysteries, the author frames her narrative as a whodunit in search of perpetrators... The result is a dogged pursual of those responsible for women's deaths."-- Publishers Weekly
"Amy Littlefield is one of the best journalists reporting on abortion and her sleuthing shines in Killers of Roe. Littlefield's curiosity and gumshoe reporting unfolds an interesting cast of characters as she uncovers the complicated questions surrounding the fall of Roe. Killers of Roe is a perfect read for true crime readers, cozy mystery aficionados, and reproductive freedom activists alike."-- Renee Bracey Sherman, co-author of Liberating Abortion
" Killers of Roe is not just a compelling whodunit; it's a searing call to arms. With curiosity and compassion, Amy Littlefield takes readers inside the movement that brought down Roe. She brings moments of humor and levity to this serious task and reminds us not to forget the suffering the anti-abortion movement's success has produced."-- Mary Ziegler, author of Personhood
About the Author:
Amy Littlefield has reported on abortion rights for more than a decade. She is the abortion access correspondent for The Nation. She has contributed to The New York Times Opinion section and wrote the Times' Sunday Review cover story "Where the Pro-Choice Movement Went Wrong." She is a frequent commentator on abortion for TV and radio news outlets and podcasts, including MSNBC and Democracy Now! Littlefield was a lead reporter and narrator on episodes for Reveal, the national investigative journalism show. She lives in Boston with her family.