SURVIVING A SERIAL KILLER'S HUNTING GROUND IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGANI Should Have Been #18 is the powerful true crime memoir of Stefanija Delande, a woman who narrowly escaped becoming a victim of a serial killer's murderous reign in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is not just a survival story-it is a testament to resilience, an investigation into systemic failure, and a voice for the seventeen victims whose families never received full justice.
In the shadows of Division Avenue, evil hunted freely for years. While authorities fumbled their investigation, a predator claimed victim after victim. Stefanija Delande lived through the terror. She survived the encounters. She witnessed the failures of a system meant to protect. Now she tells the story the victims cannot. This is a memoir like no other-part personal survival narrative, part investigative account, and entirely unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths.
Delande doesn't shy away from her own complicated story: her family's generational trauma, her own struggles with addiction and identity, the choices she made that led her to be in the wrong place-and the grace that let her escape with her life. But this is ultimately a story about the seventeen women who weren't as lucky. It's about their names, their lives, their families left without answers. It's about a justice system that failed them.
It's about a predator who hunted in plain sight while authorities looked the other way. Through raw, unflinching prose, Delande weaves together her personal journey with the broader investigation, creating a narrative that is both deeply intimate and urgently social. She doesn't ask for your pity. She demands your attention. She insists that these victims be remembered. She calls for accountability.
I Should Have Been #18 is a testament to human survival. It is a cry for justice. It is a memorial to the forgotten. And it is proof that one woman's voice-refusing to be silenced-can speak for many. Perfect for readers of true crime memoir, survivors seeking recognition, and anyone who believes that the stories of victims matter. Includes discussion questions for book clubs and thoughtful reflection on resilience, accountability, and redemption.
This is the story that needed to be told. This is the voice that needed to be heard.
SURVIVING A SERIAL KILLER'S HUNTING GROUND IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGANI Should Have Been #18 is the powerful true crime memoir of Stefanija Delande, a woman who narrowly escaped becoming a victim of a serial killer's murderous reign in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is not just a survival story-it is a testament to resilience, an investigation into systemic failure, and a voice for the seventeen victims whose families never received full justice.
In the shadows of Division Avenue, evil hunted freely for years. While authorities fumbled their investigation, a predator claimed victim after victim. Stefanija Delande lived through the terror. She survived the encounters. She witnessed the failures of a system meant to protect. Now she tells the story the victims cannot. This is a memoir like no other-part personal survival narrative, part investigative account, and entirely unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths.
Delande doesn't shy away from her own complicated story: her family's generational trauma, her own struggles with addiction and identity, the choices she made that led her to be in the wrong place-and the grace that let her escape with her life. But this is ultimately a story about the seventeen women who weren't as lucky. It's about their names, their lives, their families left without answers. It's about a justice system that failed them.
It's about a predator who hunted in plain sight while authorities looked the other way. Through raw, unflinching prose, Delande weaves together her personal journey with the broader investigation, creating a narrative that is both deeply intimate and urgently social. She doesn't ask for your pity. She demands your attention. She insists that these victims be remembered. She calls for accountability.
I Should Have Been #18 is a testament to human survival. It is a cry for justice. It is a memorial to the forgotten. And it is proof that one woman's voice-refusing to be silenced-can speak for many. Perfect for readers of true crime memoir, survivors seeking recognition, and anyone who believes that the stories of victims matter. Includes discussion questions for book clubs and thoughtful reflection on resilience, accountability, and redemption.
This is the story that needed to be told. This is the voice that needed to be heard.