Life Detonated: The True Story of a Widow and a Hijacker

In this inspiring memoir, Moran recounts her story of overcoming grief after the death of her husband, NYPD bomb squad member Brian Murray. On September 11, 1976, Murray died attempting to defuse a bomb that was planted in Grand Central Station by husband and wife Zvonko and Julie Busic, who were involved with the Croatian freedom fighters and later sentenced to life in prison for hijacking a TWA flight. After her husband’s death, Moran looked to the NYPD’s other bomb squad members for more information on how the detonation went wrong and why there appeared to be no safety equipment in use. They refused to speak, so she sued the city. Moran lost the suit, but refused to give up, and teamed up with other NYPD widows to successfully push for vital legislation that offer support and assistance to spouses of police officers. Moran’s journey to overcome grief led her to begin a letter correspondence with Julie Busic. Seeking comfort in the source of her pain, Moran writes of their relationship, “Who would better understand what I went through than the person who put me there in the first place?” Moran, who founded the nonprofit organization Survivors of the Shield, shares a remarkable journey in this well-written debut. (Oct. 17)