Events › True Crime Local Author Sherri Kukla

Local author Sherri Kula will be discussing her latest book, Riders on the Storm, and signing copies afterwards.

Book Summary: In the winter of 1951, a young hitchhiker named Billy Cook set off on a brutal cross-country killing spree that shocked the nation, leaving a trail of terror stretching from Missouri to California, targeting unsuspecting Good Samaritans who offered him a ride. His cold-blooded crimes captured headlines, terrified travelers, and led to one of the most intense manhunts in American history.

Two decades later, the haunting legacy of Billy Cook would echo through popular culture—most notably in The Doors’ iconic 1971 song, Riders on the Storm.

Sherri Kukla is an author known for her MotoMysteries series for middle grade readers, the Dry Brook faith-based mystery series for adults, and the historical true-crime book Riders on the Storm. She is co-founder and publisher of S&S Off Road Magazine with her husband Steve. Married as teenagers, over the next five decades, they raised four children and operated their off-road camp Thundering Trails from 2006 to 2021, impacting nearly 300 young people. Sherri lives in the small desert community of Ocotillo Wells near Borrego Springs.