Publishers Weekly rave for book on millenial cyclists who quit jobs to bike around the world slain by ISIS


NEW YORK, NY, September 18, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Bloomsbury Publishing is pleased to announce the November release of Evil on the Roof of the World: A Cycling Trip That Ended in Terror, a chilling true crime story by acclaimed novelist and historian William Elliott Hazelgrove. Capturing the harrowing fate of American cyclists Lauren Geoghegan and Jay Austin, the book has already earned a stellar review from Publishers Weekly.

In its review, Publishers Weekly notes, "Readers will be aghast," calling the book a "chilling true crime tale". Hazelgrove, author of Dead Air The Night Orson Welles Terrified America, meticulously reconstructs the couple's two-year journey, which began in South Africa and took them through Europe before a brutal, ISIS-led ambush in Central Asia's Pamir Mountains.

Drawing from the couple's personal blogs and interviews with their family and friends, Hazelgrove vividly portrays the cyclists' journey, from facing down charging elephants and malaria in Africa to dealing with suspicious officials in Europe. The story culminates in Tajikistan, where their adventure tragically ended. This deeply researched account is carried forward by Hazelgrove's direct and utilitarian prose, which the review notes "pays off, lending the account an unsettling air".

William Hazelgrove is the National Bestselling author of ten novels and twelve nonfiction titles. His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly Kirkus, Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards Junior Library Guild Selections, Literary Guild Selections, History Book Club Selections, History Book Club Bestsellers, Distinguished Book Award. and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today, The Smithsonian Magazine, and other publications and has been featured on NPR All Things Considered. The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, CSPAN, USA Today, World News Tonight have all covered his books with features. His book Madam President The Secret Presidency of Edith in development. He has two forthcoming books. Dead Air The Night Orson Welles Terrified America, Hemingways Attic Hell and Glory in Cuba and the Writing of Old Man and the Sea. More information can be found at www.williamhazelgrove.com.

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