Victim F

From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors

By: Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn, Nicole Weisensee Egan

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, James Fouhey, Samantha Desz

The shocking true story of a bizarre kidnapping and the victims' re-victimization by the justice system.

In March 2015, Denise Huskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, awoke from a sound sleep into a nightmare. Armed men bound and drugged them, then abducted Denise. Warned not to call the police or Denise would be killed, Aaron agonized about what to do. Finally he put his trust in law enforcement and dialed 911. But instead of searching for Denise, the police accused Aaron of her murder. His story, they told him, was just unbelievable. When Denise was released alive, the police turned their fire on her, dubbing her the “real-life ‘Gone Girl’” who had faked her own kidnapping.

In Victim F, Aaron and Denise recount the horrific ordeal that almost cost them everything. Like too many victims of sexual violence, they were dismissed, disbelieved, and dragged through the mud. With no one to rely on except each other, they took on the victim blaming, harassment, misogyny, and abuse of power running rife in the criminal justice system. Their story is, in the end, a love story, but one that sheds necessary light on sexual assault and the abuse by law enforcement that all too frequently compounds crime victims’ suffering.

©2021 Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn, Nicole Weisensee Egan (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Wow. Just wow.

I happened upon this book with no previous knowledge of this crime. A tragic and courageous story by two remarkable people. I wish I could give them a hug and buy them a craft beer.

Victim F

Shocking situation. VPD totally dropped the ball with their inept investigation. ACSO always professional and glad Det. Noticed similarities. I could not stop listening to this book. The way it was written made it hard to stop listening when I pulled into work.

Sad and eye-opening!

Very sad situation multipled by a crooked police department. Very informative if ever you find yourself in a similar position. I think it took great courage to relive these crimes, by both the offenders and the police, in order to write this book. To the victims and their family and friends I say God Bless you all!

Shock!

I believed this story when it was first brought to the media. I’ve followed it the whole time. But, wow!!! This was life changing simply reading the story. I’ll just pray for them forever. Their daughter and I are birthday buddies.

Gross Injustice

This was a relatively long book that I had difficulty stopping. The 2 narrators did a great job when reading for each individual who were the centers in the case. True crime is always of interest to me but it's not often that I get to hear the story from the victim/suspect/survivor all in one book. There were several times that I cried with Denise as well as with Aaron. Their story broke my heart and touched me deeply. I pray for their full recovery.

Fascinating and horrifying

This book was both interesting and thought provoking. It enlightened me on the horrors that innocent people can be subjected to. The behavior of the Vallejo PD was appalling. Truly a nightmare that one can’t even imagine in your wildest nightmare. Good read/listen!

I never heard of this crime. Wow.

I was interesting. Makws you think twice about making that call. Too much indignation though. Just Facts .

fascinating!

So utterly sad that a victim can be so cruelly treated by police. This book sheds light on police misconduct outside of racially charged situations. The story is so crazy, you can't make it up, which is why it's so ironic that they were accused of such. So happy they are free and moving on!

Gripping and well-written

I’m at the edge of my seat listening to this book. It’s brilliant, immersive storytelling. I absolutely loved that they dove right into the story without 10 chapters about their childhoods. They sprinkle in life stories throughout the book at exactly the right times. So good!

The only thing that bothered me about the audiobook was the person who narrated Denise’s sections often used a shaky voice, which made Denise seem timid. Of course, she was scared - the whole situation was terrifying. But Denise is tough, not timid.

I just hate that Denise and Aaron went through all of this and I hope for all good things for them.

Wow.

This was a great true crime book. Written from the perspective of both the victims made the series of events easy to follow. The narration was also fantastic- for both voices. I didn’t know anything about this case before I started the book which made it even more gripping.