What if the most terrifying criminal was never real? In The Victim Who Wasn't, author Camille F. Arden unravels one of the most unsettling true crime cases in modern history-the Ruth Finley hoax that convinced police, the FBI, and an entire city that a violent predator was on the loose. Through chilling letters, staged attacks, and meticulously crafted fear, Finley created a phantom threat that gripped Wichita and defied logic. As investigators chased an invisible enemy, evidence quietly pointed inward-toward a truth no one wanted to believe. Blending investigative detail with psychological insight, this book explores how fear spreads, how belief overrides logic, and how the human mind can construct realities powerful enough to deceive even trained professionals. Disturbing, fascinating, and unforgettable, The Victim Who Wasn't challenges everything we think we know about crime, victimhood, and truth itself.