CBS NEWS LAUNCHES NEW TRUE-CRIME BOOK SERIES BASED ON "48 HOURS MYSTERY" BROADCASTS

"48 HOURS," in Partnership with Simon & Schuster's Pocket Books, Expands into True-Crime Books -- "Nightmare in Napa" is the First to be Published on April 24

CBS News, in partnership with Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, will publish a new series of books based on the compelling stories reported on CBS News' 48 HOURS MYSTERY. The books will expand on the 48 HOURS content and characters, including a behind-the-scenes look at the television storytelling process, the latest court action and the stunning crime scene breakthroughs that turn cases around. 48 HOURS MYSTERY: "Nightmare in Napa," which inspired the first book, is to be broadcast Tuesday, April 17 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The debut title in the book series, Nightmare in Napa, written by 48 HOURS producer Paul LaRosa, will be published on April 24, 2007. The book has already received praise from Publishers Weekly, which said it was a "...riveting account....LaRosa's clear chronology and thorough research give the tale the weight of reality, while his skillful winnowing of details and novel-like prose keep the pace up and the pages turning; anyone with a taste for true-crime will happily gulp down this sharp, satisfying narrative."

"48 HOURS has proved to be a powerful force on television," said Susan Zirinsky, Executive Producer, 48 HOURS MYSTERY. "In this age of multi-platform programming, the book series is a natural. It's a great way to further tell these fascinating real-life stories."

The second book in the series is co-written by Emmy Award-winning 48 HOURS correspondent Peter Van Sant and producer Jenna Jackson. Perfectly Executed, the story of two boys who wrote a screenplay involving murder that was either fiction or a clue to a real crime, is scheduled to be published in late August.

The gruesome mystery told in both the broadcast and book versions of Nightmare in Napa began on Halloween night 2004 in idyllic Napa, Calif., a beautiful place with a strong community of neighbors and friends. Two young female roommates-a transplanted southern beauty queen and a popular engineering graduate from the Napa area-were brutally stabbed by an intruder who entered their home through a first-floor window. A third roommate heard the horrific commotion but never saw the killer. News of the tragedy sent shock waves throughout the region as well as the nation, but while investigators pursued every angle from a satanic cult to a disgruntled suitor, the murders of Leslie Mazzara and Adriane Insogna remained unsolved-until someone close enough to the women to escape suspicion came forward with a shocking confession.

LaRosa, the author of the book, is an award-winning producer for 48 HOURS MYSTERY. He won a primetime Emmy for the acclaimed CBS documentary 9/11 and has also won a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award, and an Edward R. Murrow Award. For 16 years, he was a reporter for the New York Daily News, where he was the co-winner, with Anna Quindlen, of the Meyer Berger Award given by Columbia University's School of Journalism.

48 HOURS MYSTERY debuted in January 1988 and has received 17 Emmy Awards and three George Foster Peabody Awards, among many other awards. Now in its 19th season, it is still winning its time period and expanding its scope. The executive editor of the broadcast is Al Briganti and the executive producer is Zirinsky.

Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster and part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Online, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Editors' Note: To purchase or read an excerpt of Nightmare in Napa, please go to http://www.cbsnews.com/. A photograph of the author, the book jacket and cover are available at http://resources.simonsays.com/