Two acclaimed South African journalists tell the true story of Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympics superstar known as "the Blade Runner" who shot and killed his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 2013

At 08:03 on the morning of Valentine’s Day 2013, news broke that the Paralympic superstar had shot and killed his girlfriend at his home in a housing estate in Pretoria. Within minutes, the story reverberated around the world as banners flashed across television screens broadcasting global news networks. At first glance, it appeared to be a heart-wrenching, tragic accident. Pistorius had mistaken Reeva Steenkamp for an intruder, reminiscent of a similar incident involving a retired rugby player who had shot his daughter a decade earlier. This resonated with an empathetic South African society rattled by a pervasive fear of violent crime. But as the morning unfolded, a second version of events began to reveal itself, indicating that the country’s celebrated icon, its ‘Golden Boy’, may have murdered his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in a fit of rage.

 

Through compelling and descriptive narrative, South African journalists Mandy Wiener and Barry Bateman reveal the true story of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp. Drawing on evidence from the trial as well as on-the-ground interviews with family and friends of Oscar and Reeva, this is the authoritative account of how a country’s golden boy may have become a cold-blooded killer.

One Tragic Night: The Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial
by Mandy Wiener and Barry Bateman

• Publication Date: October 7, 2014
• Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• ISBN-10: 1250046173
• ISBN-13: 9781250046178