Fox News' Trey Gowdy draws from chilling real-life experience for debut novel ‘The Color of Death'

Fox News

15-07-2025

Fox News host Trey Gowdy announced his thrilling fiction debut on Tuesday, the psychological crime novel "The Color of Death," which hits retailers on August 26 and is available for preorder now.
Gowdy wrote "The Color of Death," the latest title from FOX News Books and its first fiction offering, alongside Wall Street Journal bestselling author Christopher Greyson. The novel aims to take readers inside the cat-and-mouse psychology of a killer and the district attorney who must catch him.
"Throughout my years as a prosecutor, I've learned that those who do this work best don't just argue cases, they endure the fear, anger, pain, and loss of innocence of the victims they are fighting for. This book is a rare window into how the pursuit of justice doesn't end with the verdict; it lingers long after the courtroom lights have dimmed," Gowdy said.
"The Color of Death" is a dark mystery that follows Assistant District Attorney Colm Truesdale, who is left mentally scarred following the death of his wife and daughter. After some time off, Truesdale is brought back into the murder investigation of a young woman who runs a beauty salon outside of town. When a page from her appointment book goes missing, and then the crime scene burns down, it's up to Truesdale to untangle the web of deception that implicates a powerful judge and his family.
"I lived that unique relationship that prosecutors have with victims, that unique relationship that we have with law enforcement, and what being surrounded by death does to you," Gowdy said on "FOX & Friends" when announcing the project.
Gowdy said he wanted to offer readers a first-hand look at the steps it takes to prosecute a murder.
"I want them in the driver's seat with me from the moment a murder happens until the verdict comes back, the role that prosecutors play, the impact it has on everybody involved, so it's a psychological crime drama. Yes, it's a whodunit, yes it's the roller coaster of emotions that you go through, but it's also the psychology of what death does to people," Gowdy said.
"I lived it," he added. "I lived it for almost two decades."
Gowdy, a former state and federal prosecutor who handled thousands of criminal cases and took nearly 100 cases to jury verdict, prosecuted scores of murder cases, including seven death penalty trials. He served in Congress for eight years, chairing two committees and leaving in 2019 to return to South Carolina.
Gowdy hosts the hit weekend primetime show "Sunday Night in America" on Fox News Channel, and "The Trey Gowdy Podcast" on FOX News Audio.
Greyson, an award-winning author of mystery, action, and thriller novels, is recognized as one of the top 100 Kindle authors of all time with over 3.5 million eBooks, print copies and audiobooks sold.
The novel will mark the 16th title for FOX News Books, which has surpassed three million copies sold since its launch in 2020.