A Killing in Cannabis

“An exhilarating, deeply reported true-crime murder mystery and love story that moves like a Netflix thriller.”—The New York Times Book Review “True crime doesn’t come much better than this. . . . [Eden’s] ability to dig into how marijuana is grown one minute and generate top-shelf suspense the next sets the account apart.”—Publisher’ Weekly (starred review) “[An] exceptional piece of journalism. . . . An unsettling portrait of [an] opaque, quasi-legal, unremittingly perilous world.”—Booklist (starred review) “A Killing in Cannabis is three books in one. First, it’s a murder mystery that would work even if every word was made up. Next, it’s a deeply reported literary nonfiction masterpiece, as if Robert Caro reported a story written by Colum McCann. It’s a book that inhabits the subculture of illegal and legal weed, of the last tracer afterglow of whatever good was happening in San Francisco in the 1960s, before it turned sour, connecting Neal Cassady to El Chapo, and the Acid Tests to violence, venture capitalism, and greed. Which brings me to the third book: Scott Eden has written a parable.”—Wright Thompson, New York Times bestselling author of The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi  “A grimly fascinating true-crime yarn centered on California’s legal—and otherwise—weed business. . . . A complex story well told, and a cautionary tale for would-be drug kingpins.”—Kirkus  “This book is more than an epic American true crime offering. Multilayered, riveting, and, yes, trippy, it’s a coronation of Scott Eden as one of our finest journalists, combining incisive investigative reporting with lyrical prose.”—Seth Wickersham, ESPN Senior Writer and New York Times bestselling author of American Kings “In A Killing in Cannabis, Scott Eden takes us deep into a hidden world of indelible characters, strange folkways, and the darker edges of American ambition. This is an immersive and masterfully suspenseful book.”—Benjamin Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine “A Killing in Cannabis is a thoughtful, well-researched exploration of a violent crime set against the backdrop of a transforming industry and culture. It’s at once a human story and a social commentary, making it a compelling read for true crime enthusiasts and those interested in the cannabis legalization movement alike. If you appreciate true crime that goes beyond the whodunit to examine why a crime unfolds within a particular time and place, this book offers fresh insights and real emotional weight.”—The Street