October 12, 2026 — Join us on Thursday, Oct. 15 — Author and former FBI Special Agent executive Katherine Schweit helps us learn about “Women Who Talk to the Dead”
Monday Morning Magic from Inkandescent® PR + Publishing Co. — Today we introduce you to Katherine Schweit, who worked as an FBI Special Agent executive, a prosecutor, and a journalist before settling down as a full-time writer, professor, and security consultant.
During her career as a Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent, she helped jail bank robbers, kidnappers, and domestic terrorists while working daily with local police investigating and responding to mass casualty and active shooter incidents. A native of Detroit, Ms. Schweit earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University. She earned a law degree at DePaul University and joined the Cook County prosecutor’s office as an assistant state’s attorney. Learn more: katherineschweit.com
Katherine’s latest book is Women Who Talk to the Dead: The True Story of 200 Forgotten Murder Victims and the Relentless Pursuit of Justice by an FBI Agent and a Detroit Police Detective
A true story of the largest exhumation of murder victims ever undertaken by the FBI, seeking justice for 200 families
In the shadows of Detroit’s abandoned buildings and beneath the soil of county cemeteries lay hundreds of murder victims-buried anonymously, their killers uncharged, their families not knowing why they disappeared. For decades, only decaying police files hinted at what happened to these forgotten cold-case murders.
Until two women decided to listen to the dead.
Women Who Talk to the Dead chronicles the remarkable journey of Detroit Police Detective Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen. Surrounded by skepticism and bureaucratic roadblocks, these women spearhead Operation UNITED—the largest coordinated exhumation of unidentified murder victims in FBI history.
Through rain-soaked cemetery digs, crumbling case files, and bone-filled body bags, Jones and Larsen assemble a team led by female forensic anthropologists, scientists, and investigators who methodically unearthed Detroit’s painful past. Their primary goal: to identify the nameless dead and bring closure to families who had spent decades wondering what happened to their loved ones. Their ultimate goal: to solve 200 murder cases.
Tomorrow, you’ll find Katherine’s video and podcast interview with Jeffrey James Higgins at Elaine’s Literary Salon. The former DEA agent asks this FBI executive about her work, her process, and how she become a woman who talks to the dead.
Today: Watch our pre-event interview above!
Until next Monday: Here’s to having the courage to do what you know needs to be done. — Hope Katz Gibbs, founder and president, Inkandescent® Inc. Inkandescent.us
Inkandescent Women magazine • BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine • Inkandescent Radio • Inkandescent.tv • Inkandescent Shop • Inkandescent Books