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As a journalist, the author began covering the murders of Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary Yates hours after their mother Andrea Yates drowned them in their suburban Houston home in June 2001. To answer critical questions, investigative reporter Suzanne O'Malley interviewed or witnessed the sworn testimony of nearly two hundred people, including Yates herself, her husband Rusty Yates, and their families.

O'Malley argues persuasively that under less extraordinary circumstances, a mentally ill woman would have been quietly offered a plea bargain and sent to a mental hospital under court supervision. But on March 13, 2002, Andrea Yates was found guilty of the murders of three of her five children. She is currently serving a life sentence and will not be eligible for parole until 2041.

O'Malley's exclusive personal communications with Andrea Yates and her personal interviews with Rusty Yates allow her to offer fully realized portrayals of people at the center of this excruciating drama. In "Are You There Alone?" O'Malley makes an important contribution to our understanding the significance and ramifications of mental health issues within the criminal justice system.