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Life Without
- Author
- Sandy Shaw, Dan Gleason
- Narrator
- Megan Gage
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 18 August 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 42 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
In 1987, when Sandy heard the bark of the first pistol shot right next to her ear, she bolted and ran for her life. After ducking behind desert scrub brush in the dim glow of the moonlight, she spotted eighteen-year-old Troy Kell and his buddy Billy Merritt standing over the dead body of James Cotton Kelly. Though only fifteen, this was the fourth murder Shaw witnessed in two years.
Touted as the “Show & Tell Killer” by the media because a crooked prosecutor told the press and jury she took classmates to view the dead body, Sandy was immediately mutilated by the press. She was convicted and sentenced to two life terms without parole and became the youngest female ever incarcerated in an adult Nevada prison. Shaw endured twenty-one years in prison and fifteen more on “lifetime parole” for this wrongful conviction before being fully exonerated in June of 2022 by the Nevada Supreme Court. Yet, she lost her entire youth in the process—the best years of her life. She never went to Prom. Never got married. Never had kids. Her dreams were stripped away.
And she has never told her story. Now—being fully free—the time is right to tell it.
Life Without is a crisis-driven tale of violence and murder, tragedy, and injustice, and ultimately—triumph. This book is the almost unbelievable, yet true life story of a woman with extreme bad luck, a childhood ripped away, generations of dysfunction before and alongside her, who endured abuse of all kinds, and who still found her way to freedom and redemption.
Critics Review
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Like most of society, I’m fascinated by true crime stories. What happened to Sandy Shaw at the young age of 15 is unbelievable. As a master storyteller, Dan Gleason beautifully conveys Sandy’s unfortunate story and her long fight to clear her name.
Kristina Rivera, producer, American Sniper, Sully, and The Mule
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Sandy Shaw’s powerful story, in the hands of writer Dan Gleason, is hard to put down. Time would expose the injustice of Shaw’s sentence (she was 15 when sentenced to life without parole). Gleason, with empathy and admiration, details how Shaw used her prison time to grow as a compassionate person. This is a story of redemption and reclaimed justice.
David Bonior, US House Majority Whip, 102nd and 103rd Congresses; author of When Mercy Seasons Justice (2021)
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This is an important story, the kind not often told because it includes revelations that society doesn’t want to hear. That Sandy Shaw is both willing and able to tell her story is miraculous. That Dan Gleason recognized its significance and worked for years to make it available is a public service.
Stephen Greenleaf, author of the John Marshall Tanner detective mystery series, The Ditto List, and Impact
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In this powerful telling of resilience and the persistent quest for justice in Life Without, Sandy Shaw and co-author Dan Gleason relate a compelling story of a young girl, framed for murder and illegally sentenced as an adult, who endures years of injustice. Her personal awareness and moral conviction sustain her on the long journey to find justice.
Anthony Flacco, New York Times and international bestselling author
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Few writers with a commitment to a cause can compare to Dan Gleason’s efforts on behalf of Sandy Shaw. Imprisoned for 21 years for a crime committed when she was a teenager, Shaw kept the faith and Gleason stayed in her corner. In Life Without, he tells her story in her voice, with an insider’s insight, deftly recreating the crime, the trial, the bleak times that followed, and the push for the ultimate victory. It’s a hell of a story!
William Brashler, author of The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings, City Dogs, and The Don: The Life and Death of Sam Giancana
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Details
- Author
- Sandy Shaw, Dan Gleason
- Narrator
- Megan Gage
- Duration
- 8 hours 42 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 August 2026
- ISBN
- 9798216477471
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- True crime: serial killers and murderers, Autobiography: general, Penology and punishment
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Life Without: The Wrongful Conviction of Sandy Shaw by Sandy Shaw and Dan Gleason, read by Megan GageIn 1987, when Sandy heard the bark of the first pistol shot right next to her ear, she bolted and ran for her life. After ducking behind desert scrub brush in the dim glow of the moonlight, she spotted eighteen-year-old Troy Kell and his buddy Billy Merritt standing over the dead body of James Cotton Kelly. Though only fifteen, this was the fourth murder Shaw witnessed in two years.Touted as the “Show & Tell Killer” by the media because a crooked prosecutor told the press and jury she took classmates to view the dead body, Sandy was immediately mutilated by the press. She was convicted and sentenced to two life terms without parole and became the youngest female ever incarcerated in an adult Nevada prison. Shaw endured twenty-one years in prison and fifteen more on “lifetime parole” for this wrongful conviction before being fully exonerated in June of 2022 by the Nevada Supreme Court. Yet, she lost her entire youth in the process—the best years of her life. She never went to Prom. Never got married. Never had kids. Her dreams were stripped away.And she has never told her story. Now—being fully free—the time is right to tell it. Life Without is a crisis-driven tale of violence and murder, tragedy, and injustice, and ultimately—triumph. This book is the almost unbelievable, yet true life story of a woman with extreme bad luck, a childhood ripped away, generations of dysfunction before and alongside her, who endured abuse of all kinds, and who still found her way to freedom and redemption.
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