Historical Nonfiction Crime

The Dark Side of History: 50 True Crime Stories of Murder, Power and Intrigue By Prof. Heinrich Müller Step into the shadowy corridors of history where power, passion, and politics collide in chilling acts of true crime. In this gripping and meticulously researched collection, renowned historian Prof. Heinrich Müller unveils 50 of the most fascinating real-life crimes from ancient times to the 21st century. These are not just tales of murder—they are windows into the darkest corners of human ambition, greed, and betrayal. From ancient political assassinations to modern-day spy scandals,...

Fatal Appointment: The Assassination of President James A. Garfield It was the dawn of the modern age — and the death of a president who could have changed America forever. On a humid July morning in 1881, President James A. Garfield walked into a Washington, D.C. train station — smiling, unguarded, and unaware that a delusional man was waiting for him in the crowd. Two gunshots shattered the peace and hurled the United States into chaos. The assassin, Charles J. Guiteau, believed he was on a mission from God. The doctors who tried to save the president would, in their arrogance, become...

A journalist's twenty-year fascination with the Manson murders leads to shocking new revelations about the FBI's involvement in this riveting reassessment of an infamous case in American history. Over two grim nights in Los Angeles, the young followers of Charles Manson murdered seven people...

" La Mia Famiglia is more than the usual coming-of-age story. Anthony Scarpo's personal journey against struggles outside his control, is framed against the backdrop of growing up in his father's bar business, the insular world of 1960s and 70s Tampa, and the unnerving specter of the Mafia. An intriguing, and well-paced, story that belongs firmly in the Tampa history canon." Scott M. Deitche. Author Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld From modest beginnings in a Pennsylvania coal mine to the height of success in Tampa, Florida, there was one constant threat in the ...

Brooklyn, 1929. During the joy and bustle of the Christmas season, a mysterious package arrives at the Falzone home. Moments later, an explosion rips through the apartment—killing three innocent children: Mary, Philip, and Rose Falzone. Who would send a bomb disguised as a holiday gift? And why target a working-class family? In this gripping true crime investigation, Rod Kackley unearths the dark secrets behind one of New York’s most horrifying unsolved crimes. As police navigate the shadows of 1920s Brooklyn—where organized crime thrives and silence is bought—suspects emerge, but ...

Beneath the cobblestone streets and Spanish moss of America’s oldest city lies a history written in blood. St. Augustine, Florida, is a city of sun-drenched beaches, charming colonial architecture, and a romantic, old-world allure that draws millions of tourists each year. But behind the beautiful facade is a dark and violent past that stretches back centuries—a legacy of mayhem that has never truly gone away. This gripping true crime anthology unearths the shocking stories of murder and mystery that haunt the Ancient City. From its brutal founding to the chilling crimes of the modern ...

Weird but True Stories from the 1950's: Bizarre, Shocking, and Unbelievable Tales from America’s Atomic Age Think you know the 1950's? Think again. Beneath the surface of poodle skirts, chrome diners, and black-and-white TV was a decade overflowing with mystery, irony, and stranger-than-fiction true stories. This captivating collection reveals ten astonishing real-life events from the 1950's that defy expectation and logic—each one verified and rooted in historical fact. From radar panic over Washington D.C. to the eerie Phantom Whistler of New Jersey, from mid-air collisions with ...

In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt and Erik Larson, the author of the #1 NYT bestseller The Lost City of the Monkey God presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding Florence as he seeks to uncover one of the most infamous figures in Italian history...

This program includes an epilogue and acknowledgements read by the author “A fascinating tale of poisons and poisonous deeds which both educates and entertains.” --Kathy Reichs As any reader or listener of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring—and...

Weird but True Stories from the Roaring 1920s: Strange and Bizarre Tales from the Prohibition Era is a riveting collection of real, historically documented events that prove truth is stranger than fiction. From haunted courtrooms and dance marathons that drove people to madness, to bootlegging schemes, deadly medical frauds, and a massacre that changed organized crime forever, this book explores the weirdest corners of 1920s America. Set against the backdrop of Prohibition, jazz, flappers, and gangsters, these ten unforgettable stories showcase the bizarre side of the decade that redefined ...

The Music of Murder: A True Crime Tale from Jazz Age New Orleans – The Axeman Files By Eliza Hawthorne Step into the haunted heart of Jazz Age New Orleans—where the rhythms of jazz clashed with the silence of murder, and a city danced on the edge of dread. New Orleans, 1918–1919. The air was thick with music, heat, and fear. An unknown killer slipped through the shadows, striking down victims in their homes with an axe—then vanishing into the night. The press called him The Axeman. His crimes sparked panic, folklore, and one of the most bizarre letters in American true crime history...

On the eve of a major treaty conference between Iroquois leaders and European colonists in the distant summer of 1722, two White fur traders attacked an Indigenous hunter and left him for dead near Conestoga, Pennsylvania. This act of brutality set into motion a remarkable series of criminal investigations and cross-cultural negotiations that challenged the definition of justice in early America. Leading historian Nicole Eustace reconstructs the crime and its aftermath, bringing us into the overlapping worlds of white colonists and Indigenous peoples in this formative period.

Jack the Ripper is one of the most notorious serial killers in history—and yet over one hundred years later, his identity remains cloaked in mystery. Or does it? There’s only ever been one man who could solve this crime: the inimitable Sherlock Holmes. When news of the first murder hits the paper, the story immediately catches Holmes’ attention—and he’s determined to be involved in the case. Soon, Holmes has entered a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the Ripper, trying to unmask the murderer before being framed for the crimes himself. As he wanders the dark, seedy streets of ...

Featuring a new preface and afterword by the author. From the host of MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, the riveting story of a 1975 police shooting of an unarmed black man in Boston—one of the first to draw national headlines—and the dramatic investigation and court case...

Cocaine Cowboys tells the story of Ireland's love affair with cocaine since it first washed ashore on Cork's rugged coast to the billion-euro trade it has become. From Ireland's first cocaine lord and his attempts to establish a direct route from Miami to Dublin, to the modern-day violence that led to the brutal dismemberment of teenager Keane Mulready Woods, the book will follow the stories and the increasing chaos that has engulfed those desperate for a slice of this modern day gold rush.

In 1941, with London burning in the Blitz, a group of hedonistic English nobles partied shamelessly in Kenya. Far removed from falling bombs, the wealthy elites of "Happy Valley" indulged in morphine, alcohol, and unrestricted sex, often with their friends' spouses. But the party turned sinister in the early hours of a January morning for Josslyn Hay, Lord Erroll, who had been enjoying the favors of the beautiful young wife of a middle-aged neighbor. Hay was found dead, a bullet in his brain.

In the summer of 1967, 19-year-old Brenda Joyce Holland disappeared. She was a mountain girl who had come to Manteo to work in the outdoor drama The Lost Colony. Her body was found five days later, floating in the sound. This riveting narrative, built on unique access to the state investigative file and multiple interviews with insiders, searches for the truth of her unsolved murder. This island odyssey of discovery includes seances, a suicide, and a supposed shallow grave. Journalist John Railey cuts through the myths and mistakes to finally arrive at the long-hidden truth.

Women on the Run: Fugitives, Outlaws, and the Ones Who Got Away By Richard Fleischman They vanished—not in silence, but on their own terms. They stole headlines. They stole lives. Sometimes, they just stole away. Women on the Run uncovers the jaw-dropping true stories of women who disappeared—by choice, by cunning, or by sheer force of will. Some ran from the law. Others ran from danger. All of them refused to be caught. From Wild West outlaws and Depression-era bandits to mob couriers, escape artists, trafficked survivors, and political fugitives, these are the women who made the world...

Step into the polyester-clad, disco-fueled, and unpredictably weird world of the 1970s with this fascinating collection of bizarre, shocking, and unbelievable true stories from one of the most chaotic decades in modern history. In Weird but True Stories from the 1970's, you'll explore ten astonishing tales that reveal the stranger side of the Me Decade—each one entirely real, thoroughly researched, and almost too strange to believe. From exploding record collections and garbage barges gone rogue to military standoffs over a tree and heiresses turned bank robbers, this book uncovers the ...

The murder of Sarah Payne, Adam the Thames Torso, the London bombings, the Night Stalker and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. The solving of all these cases can be linked to one man: Ray Fysh, a beer-swigging Charlton Athletic fan from Woolwich, a natural raconteur, and also one of the finest forensic detectives the country has ever seen. Ray began work for the Met Police in the 1970s when forensic investigation was seen as little more than a geeky side show, only in existence to confirm or eliminate evidence. But by the mid '90s Ray and his team had made huge progress in their field.