New Book Explores 2018 ISIS Murder of American Cyclists in Tajikistan

William Elliott Hazelgrove, the national bestselling author of over twenty books, will release Evil on the Roof of the World on November 13, 2025, through Bloomsbury Publishing. The book delivers the first comprehensive account of the July 2018 murders of Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan, two Washington, D.C. idealists who were brutally killed by ISIS terrorists while cycling through Tajikistan.

The attack, which also claimed the lives of two other cyclists on a remote highway in Central Asia, generated extensive international media coverage from outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and BBC. Hazelgrove's book pieces together the events through meticulous research and narrative storytelling, tracing the couple's journey from Georgetown University classrooms to what he describes as a fatal encounter with extremism.

Hazelgrove states, This was one of the most widely covered murders of the decade, but no book has ever fully explored what happened, why it happened, and what it means. Their story is both heartbreaking and profoundly important. The author, known for works such as Madam President and The Pitcher, blends investigative depth with novelistic techniques in this account.

Already being compared to Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, Evil on the Roof of the World is positioned as a landmark work for readers of true crime, international affairs, and narrative nonfiction. The book provides not only a harrowing true-crime account but also a meditation on risk, adventure, and the enduring clash between hope and hatred. More information about the author can be found at http://www.williamhazelgrove.com.

The murder case highlighted the global reach of extremist violence and raised questions about safety for Western travelers in regions affected by terrorism. The story captured worldwide attention due to both its brutality and the couple's hopeful worldview, which they documented during their cycling journey in search of what they called a different kind of American dream.

The book will be available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook formats. Hazelgrove has three forthcoming titles, including Evil on the Roof of the World, Hemingway's Attic, and Capone's Vault. His work has received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and selections by Book of the Month, ALA Editors Choice, and Junior Library Guild.