John Ferak

John Ferak is a nonfiction, mystery, and crime fiction novelist who was born in Joliet and spent much of his childhood in Plainfield, Illinois. He has fond memories of growing up in the Nowell Park suburb on the eastern side of the city, where he played basketball games organized by the Catholic Youth Organization and participated in Little League baseball.

Ferak's journalism career has taken him to various news organizations, including the Omaha World-Herald, the South Bend Tribune in Indiana, The Daily Herald based in Arlington Heights Ill., and the Green Bay Press-Gazette. He currently works as an award-winning investigative team member for Gannett Wisconsin Media, based at The Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wis. Ferak gained recognition for his coverage of the awful tragedy in rural Murdock while he was an investigative journalist for the Omaha World-Herald. He has also appeared on Investigation Discovery's "Cold Blood."

In addition to his work as an investigative journalist, Ferak is an accomplished author. He has written several true-crime books, including "Failure of Justice," which chronicles the nation's largest wrongful conviction case, and "Bloody Lies," which tells the story of a CSI director who went to prison for planting blood in high-profile Nebraska murder cases. Ferak's latest book, "Wrecking Crew: Demolishing The Case Against Steven Avery," was published by WildBlue Press on November 20, 2018.

Despite his busy career, Ferak enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Andrea, and their three children. He is a fan of the Green Bay Packers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Ferak also enjoys following Major League Baseball and is a devoted follower of the Chicago White Sox. He is known to enjoy a can or two of his favorite canned beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon, which he affectionately calls "The people’s beer."