Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Amy Billig--A Mother's Search for Justice [Mass Market Paperback]

Greg Aunapu (Author), Susan Billig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2001

On March 5, 1974 -- the same day that rival motorcycle clubs roared through suburban Miami in celebration of their annual "Bike Week" -- seventeen-year-old Amy Billig left home to meet a friend for lunch ... and vanished. Several days later, Amy's frantic mother, Susan Billig, received an anonymous phone call saying that her daughter had been carried off by one of the biker gangs. And so began Susan's harrowing and extraordinary twenty-five-year search for her lost child -- an odyssey that led a desperate parent into the seedy heart of a dangerous subculture built on drugs, rebellion, brutality, and sex; a relentless hunt for the truth that showed her the best side of humanity...and the very worst.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Greg Aunapu is a freelance correspondent for Time and People magazines and has reported for the New York Times, The New York Daily News, and the Fox News Channel. He lives in Coconut Grove, Florida

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Avon (September 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380814137
• ISBN-13: 978-0380814138
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #937,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was a freelancer for Time and People magazines during the 1990s, writing and reporting on hundreds of stories and cover articles, sometimes juggling three pieces a week during that time. My specialties are crime, politics and popular culture, but the nature of general assignment reporting could easily mean that I found myself interviewing Madonna or Shakira one day, then struggling to protect myself in the middle of a riot the next. Subjects that I covered include the trial of General Manuel Noriega, a surging interest in the religion of Santeria, undersea treasure hunting, and the murder of Gianni Versace on Miami Beach.



During this time, I reported for Time, and all the various editions of the magazine, such as Time Europe, Time Asia, Time Latin- American, Time for Kids (!), and Time Digital. I also reported extensively for People and People en Espa'ol.

I have written and reported for dozens of national and regional magazines and newspapers including: Fortune, Life, Money, Travel Holiday, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Miami New Times, XS Magazine (published by The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel), South Florida Magazine, Miami Metro, Public Citizen and many others.



I was also a freelance producer for the Fox News Channel for a year when the company produced a national news broadcast. These stories were also syndicated to local Fox channels throughout the county.

American Spy will be the third book published with my name on the cover. I have also book-doctored several other published works.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I WAS AMAZED!, November 8, 2001

By 

Sasha (Orlando) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Amy Billig--A Mother's Search for Justice (Mass Market Paperback)

I always hate when a reviewer reveals things that you wouldn't want to know, so suffice it to say that this is one of the most amazing true stories I've ever read. I got to know very nasty bikers, stalkers and a bunch of creeps I would never want to meet in real life, but I'm also very glad I met Sue and Amy and the Billigs.

The book jacket doesn't mention one of the most important parts of the case, which is the 23-years of stalking that Susan endured while searching for her daughter. Yeah, they catch the guy, finally, but you won't believe who it is, and I'm not going to tell you! The trial is fantastically portrayed, and the prosecutors and their strategy are very well drawn. I love legal thrillers, and this beat most of the ones I've read before.
All in all, Without A Trace is a book that kept me reading from page 1 to the end, hardly able to put it down. It's also a cautionary tale that every parent and teenager should read.

I had seen this story in a documentary on A&E and on 20/20, and thought I knew a lot about it, but the book tells you so much more, and then you find out that a lot you saw in the documentary isn't even quite right. There is also a lot of important information that the authors found after the documentary had already come out.

My last word on this is you gotta read it to believe it!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Incredible Story..., November 12, 2001

By 

Dan (Winter Park, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Amy Billig--A Mother's Search for Justice (Mass Market Paperback)

This book clearly illustrates that fact is indeed stranger than fiction. Like peeling away layers of an onion, "Without a Trace" reveals the layers of horror Susan Billig endured while searching for her daughter. Greg Aunapu has cleverly assimilated this famous case into an engaging and spell binding story I simply could not put down once I started. From the ugly dark underbelly of the biker world, a cast of horrible characters comes alive which Susan Billig heroically confronts. This is ultimately a story about the human spirit, courage and everlasting hope that prevails in the face of evil.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A PROFOUND AND COMPULSIVELY READABLE BOOK!, May 18, 2002

By 

SSinger (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Amy Billig--A Mother's Search for Justice (Mass Market Paperback)

As a reporter, I have written and read a lot of true crime stories over the years. While Sue Billig's search for Amy has filtered into the American consciousness through a variety of television pieces on Unsolved Mysteries and other news shows, no one has ever recorded the full, complex and mesmerizing story until now. No 5 minute news clip or 90 minute documentary could possibly convey the myriad bizarre complications that arise during the search for Amy, the effect on the family and the sheer amount of strange characters Sue confronts. If you thought you knew anything about this case, think again . No one else seems to have gotten it right. This is truely a modern epic on a grand scale, and Sue Billig is a modern day hero.
On a sheer storytelling level, the writing is straight forward and profoundly compelling, with great insight into the human heart. This true story has more twists and turns than most bestselling novels, the pacing is just right, and the characters are so well drawn you would think they're in the room with you. If this book had been published as a hardcover first, I have no doubt it would have received the attention it deserves, placing it in the top echelon of True Crime.