Historical Forensic Mysteries

What drives a person to commit unspeakable acts of violence? How does a seemingly ordinary individual become a monster? This gripping collection takes you deep inside twenty of the most harrowing and complex criminal cases in modern history. Forget simple headlines and sensationalism. This is a meticulous work of investigative journalism that explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. Each chapter is a comprehensive deep dive, detailing the perpetrators' backgrounds, their chilling methodologies, and the desperate investigations that brought them to justice. From the calculated ...

CRACKING THE LIZZIE BORDEN CASE: FORENSICS, FORGERIES, AND FORGOTTEN CLUES “Lizzie Borden took an axe…” — or did she? For more than 130 years, one name has haunted American true crime history: Lizzie Borden. In the summer of 1892, the quiet New England town of Fall River, Massachusetts, was shattered by the brutal double homicide of Andrew and Abby Borden. The weapon was simple — a household axe — but the question of who wielded it has divided generations of investigators, historians, and forensic experts. The rhyme is famous, the story legendary… but what if the legend is ...

Paradise has a dark side. Beyond the postcard-perfect beaches and breathtaking landscapes of the islands, a chilling history of violence and mystery lies hidden. This gripping collection unearths the stories that are rarely told—the infamous murders, the baffling cold cases, and the shocking crimes that shattered the illusion of tranquility in America's pacific paradise. From the hunt for the city's first serial predator in the 1980s to a stunning modern-day organized crime takedown, this book delves into the most compelling and haunting events in the state's history. Explore decades-old ...

Peter Coldrick had no past; that was the conclusion drawn by years of personal and professional research. Then he employed the services of one Morton Farrier, forensic genealogist - a stubborn, determined man who uses whatever means necessary to uncover the past. With the Coldrick Case, Morton faces his toughest and most dangerous assignment yet, where all of his investigative and genealogical skills are put to the test.

You will have ninety minutes to solve the murder. A startling declaration by a new Harvard instructor: sixty-seven-year-old Frances Glessner Lee. It’s 1945. Before her, six wary male students given to assumptions—especially when it comes to women without a formal education—are challenged to solve a real-life whodunit using Mrs. Lee’s creation, the crime scene diorama. Every detail is accurate. And every detail matters when solving a crime with no survivors…

It's not the dead that seem strange to Quirke. It's the living. One night, after a few drinks at an office party, Quirke shuffles down into the morgue where he works and finds his brother-in-law, Malachy, altering a file he has no business even reading. Odd enough in itself to find Malachy there, but the next morning, when the haze has lifted, it looks an awful lot like his brother-in-law, the esteemed doctor, was in fact tampering with a corpse—and concealing the cause of death.

Morton Farrier's life as a forensic genealogist has kept him from his own family's secrets- until now. This Christmastime novella follows Morton as he investigates the mysterious events surrounding his family's past, as well as events from one hundred years ago.

When Morton Farrier, the formidable forensic genealogist, is called upon to uncover the mysterious disappearance of a housemaid working in a large Edwardian country house in 1911, he embarks on a perilous journey into the past. Uncovering surprising secrets and facing dangerous adversaries, Morton must use his comprehensive genealogical skills to solve the case. Will he be able to put the pieces together before it's too late?

“A tour de force of storytelling.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series “Jobb’s excellent storytelling makes the book a pleasure to read.” —The New York Times Book Review ”When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of...

Morton Farrier, the esteemed English forensic genealogist, had cleared a space in his busy schedule to track down his own elusive father finally. But he is then presented with a case that challenges his research skills in his quest to find the killer of a woman murdered more than 180 years ago. Thoughts of his own family history are quickly and violently pushed to one side as Morton rushes to complete his investigation before other sinister elements succeed in derailing the case.

A mystery thriller novel set in early 20th-century London where an unexpected death on a train sets the stage for a complex investigation. Our protagonist, Langdon, a young barrister specialising in criminal law, boards the last east-bound train out of town. He finds himself in the company of two vastly different men and, after a shocking death, is thrust into the heart of a lethal game of cat and mouse. The Incident on the Train One man, a Weathered military-looking individual, suddenly succumbs to a fatal seizure. The other, a sallow-faced stranger, makes a hasty escape. Our barrister ...

In the tightly knit world of Boston medicine, the Randall family reigns supreme. When heart surgeon J. D. Randall’s teenage daughter dies during a botched abortion, the medical community threatens to explode. Was it malpractice? A violation of the Hippocratic Oath? Or was Karen Randall murdered in cold blood? The natural suspect is Arthur Lee, a brilliant surgeon and known abortionist, who has been carrying out the illegal procedure with the help of pathologist John Berry.

The job presented to forensic genealogist, Morton Farrier, ought to have been simple and easy. But the surprise discovery of an additional marriage to his client’s father leads Morton on an enquiry, revolving around a mysterious death in the county asylum. Requiring his various investigative genealogical skills, Morton must work to unravel this complex 80-year-old secret and finally reveal the truth to his client.

A FEMALE SLEUTH WITH A DRIVE FOR JUSTICE, A KILLER ABOUT TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, A WORLD WHERE A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE HOME. It’s 1931 and Dr. Maggie Fitzmorris has traded in her gingham apron for a lab coat at the City Morgue, where she pursues her profession as a forensic pathologist—a profession that is highly improper for a lady. Not only does she face the opposition of her fiancé but also the mistrust of the men who believe a woman’s place is in the home. Her drive for justice motivates her to defy the rules when she believes a killer is about to get away with murder. In ...

Claire Shipley is a single mother haunted by the death of her young daughter and by her divorce years ago. She is also an ambitious photojournalist, and in the anxious days after Pearl Harbor, the talented Life magazine reporter finds herself on top of one of the nation's most important stories.

Hambledon, Pennsylvania, is still reeling from the sensational murder trial that shattered the peace of the bucolic hamlet less than a year ago. Dr. Jonathan Ferrier was accused of killing his beautiful young wife after she died following a botched abortion. The scion of a powerful old eastern family, Jonathan hired the best attorneys money could buy. When he was acquitted, many believed he had bought his freedom. Now, he has returned home to sell his practice and move on. But haunted by his wife's death, Jonathan still strives to heal the judgmental people of his divided town.

Superintendent of Nurses Julia Stimson must recruit 64 nurses to relieve the battle-worn British, months before American troops are ready to be deployed. She knows the young nurses serving near the front lines will face a challenging situation, but nothing could have prepared her for the difficulties that await when they arrive at British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France. The primitive conditions, a convoluted supply system, and horrific battle wounds are enough to discourage the most hardened nurses, and Julia can do nothing but lead by example.

Edmund Harkins has gone missing. Few in Bampton liked him, knowing him to be a wife-beater and distinctly unsavory character, so when some hungry pigs unearth his corpse from a shallow grave, there is hardly an outpouring of grief. As bailiff, it is Hugh de Singleton’s duty to bring Edmund’s killer to justice. But where is he to start investigating when almost everyone in the village has a motive? And when everyone is pleased to see the scoundrel dead, who knows how far they might go to help someone get away with murder?

Step back into the gaslit alleys of Victorian London, where a shadow known only as Jack the Ripper unleashed a reign of terror that haunts us to this day. In the autumn of 1888, the impoverished district of Whitechapel became the hunting ground for a phantom. A series of brutal, ritualistic murders of destitute women exposed the dark underbelly of the world's wealthiest empire and launched one of the most intense and frustrating manhunts in history. The killer was never caught, leaving behind a terrifying legend and a perfect, unsolved mystery. This meticulously researched book cuts through...

As the Great Depression presses down around him, Archer teeters at the edge of a precipice. He must choose between his hard-won career and the sacred oaths he took as a doctor and scientist—before all his choices are lost forever.