Why did Ghislaine Maxwell do it?

Since the publication of NOBODY’S GIRL in October 2025, I’ve spoken up again and again for Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who tragically died by suicide before her memoir was published. I’ve been deeply moved to connect with many of her readers, who raise one question more than any other: “Why did Ghislaine do these things?” I’ve been asked that question so many times, in fact, that I've decided to write a book about Ghislaine Maxwell, and I’m hoping – if you knew her – that you’ll help me get it done.

I’m an award-winning journalist who’s best known for collaborating with Giuffre, the late Jeffrey Epstein survivor and victims rights advocate, on her worldwide bestseller. Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years in prison, is the only American to be prosecuted for the vast sex trafficking scheme that was masterminded by Epstein, her friend and one-time romantic partner. That scheme forever damaged the lives of more than a thousand survivors—including, of course, Virginia. Female sex offenders are a rare breed, which is why so many people want to know: “How could a woman hurt so many women and girls?”

I will ask Ghislaine that question. But so far, at least, she’s not talking.

Ghislaine had more options than many women do. She was Oxford-educated, socially connected, and by all accounts irresistibly charming when she needed to be. Did the powerful societal forces that helped shape Ghislaine – privilege, entitlement, misogyny, and so much else – provide the mechanisms and incentives that put her at the center of a global criminal conspiracy that brutalized young women and girls while catering to world-famous men? Could her manipulative relationship with her father, the disgraced media baron Robert Maxwell, help explain the dynamic between Ghislaine and Epstein? Who was Ghislaine, really, before she met Epstein and why did she stay in his orbit for so long? How much money did Epstein actually give her over the 28 years they knew each other? Who did Ghislaine become as she tried to decouple her reputation from Epstein’s? And what more can the many survivors of Epstein and Maxwell –  some who interacted with Ghislaine for months and even years – tell us about what drove her? 

We delude ourselves if we see Epstein and Maxwell as outliers. The four years I spent helping Virginia bring her story to light were often spent in a world of darkness. To be honest, I was initially reluctant to delve into that world again. But I’ve come to believe it’s essential that we know how these crimes happen in the first place, to try to keep them from happening again.

Right now I’m looking to talk to anyone and everyone who knew or knows Ghislaine. If you have insights you can share, please reach out. I can be reached via email or on Signal: @msamywallace.58. You can also follow me on Instagram (@msamywallace).