Bailey-King Author Series: Casey Sherman Wows Thayer

Investigative journalist and best-selling author Casey Sherman kept listeners spellbound April 16 as guest speaker for the 10th annual Bailey-King Author Series. A master storyteller, the Cape Cod native detailed gruesome serial killings, horrific sea disasters, evil terrorist bombings, and incurable illnesses for his Southworth Library audience. 

But Sherman didn’t focus on the sadness of those tragedies but rather the heroism of those who responded to them or the courageous grace of those who survived them. 

“I want to give voice and agency to the victims,” said Sherman, who added that his own career in journalism was sparked by a woman he never met: his aunt, Mary Sullivan, who died at age 19 and is considered to be the final victim of the Boston Strangler. The controversial topic became the subject of Sherman’s first book, A Rose for Mary: The Hunt for the Real Boston Strangler, and a mystery Sherman still investigates with a passion today. 

“Murder is multigenerational,” said Sherman, who made clear that the family always remembers their beloved Mary. 

Speaking for roughly an hour, Sherman spent the night telling the stories of heroes like Bernie Webber, who led the U.S. Coast Guard’s daring 1952 rescue of sailors from two oil tankers off Cape Cod (subject of Sherman’s book The Finest Hours, co-written with Michael J. Tougias); Carlos Arredondo, aka “Carlos The Cowboy,” who aided victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing (subject of Sherman’s book Boston Strong: A City’s Triumph Over Tragedy, co-written with Dave Wedge); and Pete Frates, the former Boston College baseball star who faced ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) head-on and raised more than one billion dollars to fight the illness (subject of Sherman’s book The Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight Against ALS, also co-written with Wedge). 

And, with as much energy as he started the night, Sherman finished his talk by describing the quiet heroism of John Lennon, who spent the years before his 1980 murder living in near seclusion to protect his family from various death threats (subject of Sherman’s book The Last Days of John Lennon, co-written with James Patterson). During the Q&A portion of the evening, Sherman even offered details on his upcoming book, The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, which is slated for a late May release. 

“It’s Romeo & Juliet meets The Shining,” said Sherman, drawing a laugh from the Southworth Library crowd. 

At one point in his talk Sherman explained his passion for his work by comparing himself to an archaeologist. 

“It’s the digging that I love as a journalist and a storyteller,” he said. 

As part of the day’s visit to campus, Sherman worked with a number of Upper School students from Thayer’s Scene to Screen, AP Language & Composition, English II, and Law & Society classes as well as several students from the staff of The General, Thayer’s student newspaper. He also facilitated a mock news conference with students based upon Hunting Whitey, his 2020 book co-written with Wedge, which details the capture and final days of infamous crime figure James “Whitey” Bulger. In that mock press conference, Sherman sought to provide only the most basic information while student reporters — armed with research from Sherman’s book — asked specific questions to try to glean as much real news as possible. The students then formed groups to write 100-word press releases which were read aloud. 

Despite Sherman’s best efforts, the student reporters were able to pry telling details from him for their press releases. Among those details was the fact that Bulger, as an inmate in federal prison during the 1950s, took doses of LSD as part of the CIA’s top secret MK-ULTRA experimental program on mind control. Another detail? Bulger and girlfriend Catherine Greig stopped at a Chili’s restaurant in Braintree just before beginning their 16 years on the lam. 

“You guys rocked it,” Sherman told students before giving them more specific advice on the craft: “Write what you know. Write where you’ve been.” 

Head of School Chris Fortunato P ’26, ’28 and Upper School English Faculty Denise King P ’08, ’10, director of the Bailey-King Author Series, took turns welcoming guests to the event and thanking those responsible for making it happen. 

“The Bailey-King Author Series shines a light on the written word,” said Fortunato. 

King had the honor of introducing Sherman and began by mentioning his 19 books, his numerous appearances on radio and television, his connections to blockbuster films, and his recent distinction as the number one true crime writer in the nation. 

“I could not be happier to welcome Casey Sherman to the podium,” she said.

Both Jim King P ’01, ’04, ’06 and Betty Bailey ’63 — longtime Thayer English teachers and the “Bailey” and “King” behind the eponymous series — attended the April 16 event. Addressing the crowd afterwards, King was at first a little tongue-tied by Sherman’s performance. 

“Wow,” was all King could muster before recovering himself and offering thanks on behalf of both himself and Bailey. He then found his eloquence and praised Sherman’s ability to plumb the depths of darkness and despair to highlight the absolute best of humanity. 

“All through it, there’s a thread of compassion,” King said of Sherman’s work. 

Established in 2016 through the generous support of Amelia and Todd Slawsby ’88, the Bailey-King Author Series celebrates the written word through annual author events at Thayer. The series is named in honor of longtime English faculty members Betty Bailey ’63 and Jim King P ’01, ’04, ’06. 

Past Bailey-King authors include: Derek Green (2017), Dominic Tierney (2018), Kirsten Greenidge (2019), Mira T. Lee (2020), Brit Bennett (2021), Joshua Bennett (2022), Kirsten King ’10 (2023), Farrah Penn (2024), and Justin Elliott ’03 (2025).