Hot off the presses, Pagan Kennedy’s The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A true crime story should be one of the most talked-about books of the year. Kennedy spent years piecing together the story of how Marty Goddard pushed against stigma and stereotypes in society and even deep within policing to develop and spread the use of rape kits to systematize the collection of biological samples that could be used as evidence – and help achieve convictions – in rape cases. As she tries to track down the elusive Goddard, Kennedy very deftly weaves a three-part braid: her own search for Goddard, Goddard’s own story, and a condensed history of how the rape kit changed – and continues to change – forensics.

Exhaustively researched but concisely told, Kennedy spent months of the pandemic polishing each sentence. The resulting book is a two-night read – a fast-paced and hard-boiled page-turner, and 2025’s first must-read.