PRIZES to win! PROMOTIONS

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Life Without

The Wrongful Conviction of Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw Dan Gleason

$50

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
Bloomsbury Academic
11 December 2025
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.
By:   ,
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 28mm
Weight:   454g
ISBN:   9798881802806
Pages:   296
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Chapter One: High Anxiety: Seeking a Pardon Chapter Two: Turbulent Beginnings Chapter Three: Battle Scars Chapter Four: Sweet in Small Doses Chapter Five: The One that Broke the Camel’s Back Chapter Six: My Bridge to Sin City Chapter Seven: Things We Lost in the Fire Chapter Eight: Beware of an Enemy Reconciliation Chapter Nine: “Who You Want to Live With?” Chapter Ten: Dysfunction: The New Normal Chapter Twelve: Vegas: Doorway to Disaster Chapter Eleven: Kidnapping Us Back Chapter Twelve: Vegas: Doorway to Disaster Chapter Thirteen: Sixth Sense Chapter Fourteen: Neon Wilderness Chapter Fifteen: Enter Troy Kell Chapter Sixteen: Rescuing Baby Nicole Chapter Seventeen: Kidnapped . . . Again Chapter Eighteen: I Already Got a Sister Chapter Nineteen: The Last Kidnapping Chapter Twenty: The Truce Chapter Twenty-One: Grandma’s Sobering Moment Chapter Twenty-Two: Big Trouble at Rancho Circle Chapter Twenty-Three: Virginia’s Fatal Decision Chapter Twenty-Four: Triple Homicide Chapter Twenty-Five: Alex’s Grand Plan Chapter Twenty-Six: Aftermath Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Night Terrors Chapter Twenty-Eight: Psychotic Intrusions and Lowlife Friends Chapter Twenty-Nine: Halloween Fiasco and Back to Dad’s Chapter Thirty: Another Shooting Chapter Thirty-One: Enter “Cotton” Chapter Thirty-Two: Fighting Off a Rapist Chapter Thirty-Three: The Stalker: Prelude to Murder Chapter Thirty-Four: Cotton’s Murder Chapter Thirty-Five: A Nightmare, But Not a Dream Chapter Thirty-Six: Booked for Murder Chapter Thirty-Seven: Clark County Jail Chapter Thirty-Eight: Five-Day Circus Chapter Thirty-Nine: On Hold Chapter Forty: Welcome to the Rest of Your Life Chapter Forty-One: Lockdown in the Fish Tank Chapter Forty-Two: Breaking Point Chapter Forty-Three: What to Do with Me Chapter Forty-Four: First Day in the Yard Chapter Forty-Five: Monica Chapter Forty-Six: Wall of Noise, Den of Violence Chapter Forty-Seven: Facing a Predator Chapter Forty-Eight: Ordeal in the Prison Kitchen Chapter Forty-Nine: Just a Bar of Soap Chapter Fifty: Return of My Jailhouse Stalker Chapter Fifty-One: Sheila’s Ordeal Chapter Fifty-Two: First Appeal and Varela’s Contrition Chapter Fifty-Three: Changing My Tune Chapter Fifty-Four: Appeal Denied! Chapter Fifty-Five: Bitter Winter and Off to Reno Chapter Fifty-Six: Troy’s Troubled Life Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Annabelle Hall Situation Chapter Fifty-Eight: Sold Down the River Chapter Fifty-Nine: Our Escape Plan Chapter Sixty: What Happened in Between Chapter Sixty-One: Shakopee Prison and Troy Kell’s Fate Chapter Sixty-Two: Fighting for a Parole Chapter Sixty-Three: 2002 Pardons Hearing and the Mob Cop Chapter Sixty-Four: The Mystery Packet Chapter Sixty-Five: Big Win at the Pardons Board Chapter Sixty-Six: 2007 Parole Hearing Chapter Sixty-Seven: On Parole—Forever Chapter Sixty-Eight: Last Visits with Dad Chapter Sixty-Nine: Back to Prison Chapter Seventy: A Week of Sorrow Chapter Seventy-One: Judgement Day Chapter Seventy-Two: The Morning After Index About the Authors

Sandy Shaw, whose life experiences provide the information for this story, became the youngest female ever incarcerated in an adult Nevada prison. After earning two college degrees in prison, the former honors student launched her valiant battle to win her freedom. Dan Gleason is a prolific magazine writer of award-winning fiction and non-fiction. He earned his Masters of Fine Arts degree from Iowa University’s celebrated Writers Workshop.

Reviews for Life Without: The Wrongful Conviction of Sandy Shaw

""Like most of society, I'm fascinated by true crime stories. What happened to Sandy Shaw at the young age of fifteen 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 ""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 fifteen 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 Season's Justice ""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 series, including The Ditto List and Impact ""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 ""Few writers with a commitment to a cause can compare to Dan Gleason's efforts on behalf of Sandy Shaw. Imprisoned for twenty-one 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


See Also