Moonlit Massacre

In the summer of 1978, six employees of a Sirloin Stockade buffet restaurant found themselves forced into a walk-in freezer during a robbery, then executed, leaving no witnesses. The shocking events and resulting nine-month, nationwide manhunt left a deep scar in the psyche of Oklahoma City residents and served as inspiration for a new novel coming this October by English Professor and OKC City Councilor James Cooper.

Moonlit Massacre, Cooper's debut novel, draws inspiration from one of Oklahoma's most notorious crimes as well as other unsolved murders in the same time frame to knit together a story of a community gripped with fear. Rather than focus on the assailants, Cooper explores a young city rocked by tragedy.