Chilling Stories of Crimes and Investigations

MURDEROUS FAMILIES: Unraveling Darkness

In the world of crime, families turning to wicked acts know no bounds, exemplified by the infamous Bender family luring and murdering travelers. The Manson "family" trial for Sharon Tate's murders remains an enduring symbol of brutality.

PARENT KILLERS: Betrayal Within

Parents face the unthinkable as children turn to murder, seen in Lizzie Borden's notorious axe killings and Sidney Fox's deadly choice to dispose of his mother.

VITAL CLUES: Threads of Justice

Criminologists are captivated by vital clues leading to convictions. Explore cases like "The House of the Rising Sun," where a postcard becomes a sole tangible clue, and "Death Wore a Gold Chain," revealing critical evidence for a murder conviction.

FIRERAISERS: Minds of Arson

Psychiatrists delve into the twisted minds of arsonists who find thrill in deliberate fires. Historical cases, like A. A. Rouse's misfired plans and a Manhattan garment factory's negligence leading to tragedy, expose the dark motives behind intentional blazes.

KILLED ON DUTY: Tragedy in Blue

The murder of a police officer triggers horror. Historical cases include PC Gutteridge's tragic end in 1927 and the controversy surrounding Derek Bentley and Christopher Craig's trial, ultimately influencing the abolition of the death penalty.

"True Tales of Murder & Mayhem" explores these dark narratives, venturing into the world of murderous families, the betrayals of parent killers, the unraveling of vital clues, the minds of fireraisers, and the tragic stories of those who fell while upholding the law.

Chilling Stories of Crimes and Investigations

True Tales of Murder and Mayhem - Volume #3 delves into five fascinating themes of criminal history, from cunning inmates who escaped the executioner to the shadowy world of traitors and spies. Through shocking cases and dramatic trials, this thrilling new volume illuminates some of the darkest corners of the human story.

HANGING BY A THREAD unveils prisoners who somehow cheated the gallows through luck or deceit, like the infamous Iron Man of Hull who evaded punishment for multiple murders before public outrage intervened. It also tells of Maria Barberi, dubbed the "Angel of the Tombs", who won jury sympathy and escaped execution in 19th century New York amid impassioned media coverage.
 

JEKYLL AND HYDE SYNDROME probes the inner discord behind split personalities, where an upright citizen harbors a violent other self. This includes the disturbing 1920s case of Ronald True, a respectable Londoner who claimed "his other identity" murdered a prostitute, exemplifying the havoc wreaked when good and evil clash within one mind.

LEFT LUGGAGE MURDERS explores chilling cases where victims' remains surfaced in abandoned luggage, their bodies callously discarded. Such as the 1920s London trunk murder, where a killer chopped up a woman and left her in a train station suitcase. And a decade later, another accused killer faced the court for a similarly gruesome slaying.

ROYALTY AND THEIR ASSASSINS reveals the constant peril faced by royalty, from the jealous and enraged who see murder as the path to power. Like plots against King George III and the ultimately fatal obsession of Tsar Alexander II's assassin.
 

TRAITORS AND TREASON dives into the perplexing psyches of turncoats like Cold War defector Alger Hiss. And Sir Roger Casement, who exposed colonial abuses then allied with Britain's WWI enemies, illuminating the complex nuances surrounding treason.

The Russian Ripper and Dead End Charlie Starkweather