The Murder of Abby Vandiver

Dunwoody, Georgia in 1987 was the very essence of a bedroom community. Roughly twenty miles as the crow flies from downtown Atlanta, it seemed a world away from the violence, crime and traffic that had clogged up the state’s capital city, earning it the dubious title in the early 80s as The Murder Capital of the U.S.

Upscale subdivisions with names like Brooke Ridge, Hidden Branches, Redfield, Wynterhall, Village Mill and Dunwoody Station skirted the homey Dunwoody Village, where you would pop into the local Hallmark store or Versatile Video to rent a game or VHS movie. You played…