Janie Sharp had been murdered while walking home along a wooded country lane on a hot July afternoon in 1910 near the backwoods community of Rural Hill, Mississippi. Suspicions fell immediately upon a young man, Swinton Permenter, not yet eighteen himself. A two-year ordeal ensued that included a trial and conviction, a Supreme Court ruling that overturned the conviction, suspicions cast upon others, the murders of two men and a second trial that was a sensation across Mississippi and the South.
Around noon, November 22, 1915, everyone in Stoutland, Missouri, who could walk or ride rushed to view the mortal remains of one of the area's most prosperous farmers and leading citizens. Hidden in a brush pile on nearby Rouse Hill, the victim's body displayed the marks of a determined and vicious killer.Six years later, a dozen lawyers, four doctors, one hundred witnesses, four jury trials, a Missouri Supreme Court decision, and the only eyewitness--a Missouri fox-trotter horse named "Sam"--had not resolved the brutal murder of Jasper Jacob "Jap" Francis.Alan Terry Wright's suspenseful tale of greed, fraud, political influence, and cold-blooded murder will keep you riveted. His descriptions of the predawn killing, carried out in pitch darkness on a public road, and the agony of "Sam," Francis's prized horse, tied by the killer and left to starve, are both frightening and moving. The accused killer, Charlie Blackburn, nearly lynched by townsfolk, died in his bed in a California nursing home in 1964 at the advanced age of 91. The victim, Jasper Francis, had been dead for 49 years. Wright's account of a young girl's unwitting visit to the murder scene in 1928 is chilling. Her return there as a feisty 84-year-old accompanies events so bizarre and puzzling they verge on the paranormal.Recent interviews with the accused killer's family, the opinion of a renowned medical examiner, and the report of a handwriting expert shed important new light on this nearly forgotten case.Wright's skillful weaving of the story line with gently humorous vignettes of backwoods living sets this book apart from typical "true crime" stories. His love for the history and lore of Missouri helps craft a tale that rings with authenticity.
It was the most brutal murder in the history of Coffey County, Kansas. On May 30, 1925, Florence Knoblock, a farmer's wife and the mother of a young boy, was found slaughtered on her kitchen floor. Several innocent men were taken into custody before the victim's husband, John, was accused of the crime. He would endure two sensational trials before being acquitted. Eighty years later, local historian Diana Staresinic-Deane studied the investigation, which was doomed by destroyed evidence, inexperienced lawmen, disappearing witnesses, and a community more desperate for an arrest than justice. She would also discover a witness who may have seen the murderer that fateful morning.
In this award-winning debut mystery novel, the chief of police of a small town is also an unreliable drunk. So when Dora Lee Parjeter is murdered, her old friend and former police chief Samuel Craddock steps in to investigate. He discovers that a lot of people may have had it in for Dora Lee—the conniving rascals on the farm next door, her estranged daughter, and her live-in grandson. And then there’s that stranger Dora Lee claimed was spying on her. As Craddock digs to find the identity of the killer, the human foibles of Jarrett Creek's residents—their pettiness and generosity, their secret vices and true virtues—are also revealed.
A veteran on leave investigates a murder in his Kentucky backwoods hometown in this Appalachian noir by the acclaimed author of Country Dark. Mick Hardin, a combat veteran and Army CID agent, is home on a leave to be with his pregnant wife—but they aren’t getting along. His sister, newly risen to sheriff, has just landed her first murder investigation—but local politicians are pushing for someone else to take the case. Maybe they think she can’t handle it. Or maybe their concerns run deeper. With his experience and knowledge of the area, Mick is well-suited to help his sister investigate while staying under the radar. Now he’s dodging calls from his commanding officer as he delves into the dangerous rivalries lurking beneath the surface of his fiercely private hometown. And he needs to talk to his wife. The Killing Hills is a novel of betrayal within and between the clans that populate the hollers—and the way it so often shades into violence. Chris Offutt has delivered a dark, witty, and absolutely compelling novel of murder and honor, with an investigator-hero unlike any in fiction.
'I loved A Village Murder and its setting. It kept surprising me!' Faith Martin, #1 bestselling author The start of a brand new series from the bestselling author of the Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries. An English village can be deadly, when your past catches up with you... In the beautiful rural Somerset village of Lower Hembrow, crammed full with English eccentrics, something is amiss... Landscape gardener Imogen Bishop has spent the last thirty years trying to forget one fateful school night but when her estranged husband Greg Bishop is found dead in the grounds of her fathers' Georgian hotel, danger threatens to overwhelm her. Retired police officer Adam Hennessey, hoping for a peaceful life running his traditional Somerset country pub, finds himself drawn into the unfolding drama in the hotel across the road. Imogen, Adam and Harley the stray dog form an unlikely partnership as they try to untangle a knot of secrets, solve a murder mystery, and bring a killer to justice. A brand new cosy mystery series from the bestselling author of Murder at the Lighthouse, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Betty Rowlands and Joy Ellis. Other Books in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series by Frances Evesham A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES: 1. Murder at the Lighthouse 2. Murder on the Levels 3. Murder on the Tor 4. Murder at the Cathedral 5. Murder at the Bridge 6. Murder at the Castle 7. Murder at the Gorge 8. Murder at the Abbey What readers are saying about A Village Murder: ’Wonderfully portrayed characters, a mystery that keeps you guessing till the end, this is a brilliantly written piece of cozy mystery.' ’I loved this book and think that it marks the beginning of a fun new series!’ ’There are plenty of red herring plus twists & turns & a growing number of murders before the culprit is revealed. I happily whiled away a few hours with this engrossing read.’ ’I would recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining read.’ ’An enjoyable and entertaining plot making for an engaging, relaxing read providing some much needed escapism.’ ’What a wonderful beginning to a series that I just know I am going to follow.’
On March 28, 1966, Peace Corps personnel in Tanzania received word that volunteer Peppy Kinsey had fallen to her death while rock climbing during a picnic. Local authorities arrested Kinsey's husband, Bill, and charged him with murder as witnesses came forward claiming to have seen the pair engaged in a struggle. The incident had the potential to be disastrous for both the Peace Corps and the newly independent nation of Tanzania. Because of the high stakes surrounding the trial, questions remain as to whether there was more behind the final "not guilty" verdict than was apparent on the surface. Peter H. Reid, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania at the time of the Kinsey murder trial, draws on his considerable legal experience to expose inconsistencies and biases in the case. He carefully scrutinizes the evidence and the investigation records, providing insight into the motives and actions of both the Peace Corps representatives and the Tanzanian government officials involved. Reid does not attempt to prove the verdict wrong but examines the events of Kinsey's death, her husband's trial, and the aftermath through a variety of cultural and political perspectives. Meticulously researched and replete with intricate detail, this compelling account sheds new light on a notable yet overlooked international incident involving non-state actors in the Cold War era.
Named a New York Times Best Book to Give The world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot—legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile—returns to solve a delectably twisty mystery in this “masterful and multi-layered puzzle...adding a new dimension to a much-loved series” (NPR). “Yet again, the diminutive man with the little gray cells delivers the goods.” —Wall Street Journal Hercule Poirot is traveling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned the renowned detective to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. Poirot will have only days to investigate before Helen is hanged, but there is one strange condition attached: he must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family. The coach is forced to stop when a distressed woman demands to get off, insisting that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. Although the rest of the journey passes without anyone being harmed, Poirot’s curiosity is aroused, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered with a macabre note attached . . . Could this new murder and the peculiar incident on the coach be clues to solving the mystery of who killed Frank Devonport? And if Helen is innocent, can Poirot find the true culprit in time to save her from the gallows?
Prosecuting attorney Bell Elkins and her estranged teenage daughter, Carla, try to protect their town and each other in the aftermath of a shocking triple murder committed by an unknown shooter whose identity is gradually realized by Carla.
“A taut romantic thriller which mixes past and present with a menacing atmosphere, believable characters, and a fast-moving plot.”—Suspense Magazine Bostonian Kathryn Stinson is on a deeply personal quest to solve a family mystery: the identity of a nameless beauty in an old photograph from over a century ago. But, as Kathryn quickly discovers when she shows up in the sleepy hilltown of New Nottingham, the Berkshires possess a host of dark secrets—both ancient and new—that can only be revealed at the price of danger and even death. Her suspicious neighbors on Rattlesnake Hill become openly hostile when Kathryn starts seeking answers to a more recent mystery: the murder of Diana Farley, who once occupied the house Kathryn is now renting. Was it Diana’s husband, who killed her to keep her from divorcing him, or her lover, Earl Barker, a backwoods charmer and leading member of a wild clan known for their violent tempers? When Kathryn plunges into a passionate affair with Earl, she puts herself on a collision course with past and present. She must find out if Earl killed Diana, or risk becoming a victim herself. “Strong characterization with a believable, surprise-filled plot and a voice reminiscent of Sharyn McCrumb in her Ballad series.”—Denise Dietz, USA Today bestselling author “A riveting tale of past and present, innocence and evil, that kept me turning the pages far into the night.”—Barbara Ross, Agatha Award-nominated author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries
