Everyone Said We Should Write a Book on This. So We Did.

Ten Years of EDA History. Five Volumes. One Extraordinary Story.

After more than a decade of reporting and over 680 published news stories, The Cost of Trust is complete.

Written by Royal Examiner publisher Mike McCool, this approximately 1,500-page, five-volume historical narrative chronicles the Front Royal–Warren County EDA scandal—from the early promises of economic development through the investigations, courtroom battles, and the long effort to rebuild a community.

But this isn’t simply a collection of old newspaper articles.

It’s one continuous true story.

A story of ambition and promises. Of questions that demanded answers. Of investigations, accountability, consequences, and a community determined to move forward.

For ten years, the Royal Examiner reported the events as they unfolded. Now, for the first time, those years of reporting come together in one sweeping historical narrative.

And we’ve decided that this history should be available to everyone.

The Royal Examiner will publish all five volumes online, FREE for everyone to read.

No subscription. No purchase necessary.

Five volumes. Approximately 1,500 pages. More than 680 original news stories behind them.

One extraordinary chapter in Warren County’s history.

The story has been written. Soon, the community can read it.

Coming soon to RoyalExaminer.com.