Historical Nonfiction Mystery

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.

Step back into the shadowed cities, remote villages, and colonial frontiers of the eighteenth century, a time when reason and enlightenment existed alongside superstition, brutality, and relentless crime. In 25 True Crimes That Shocked the 18th Century, history is brought vividly to life through twenty-five deeply researched true crime stories reconstructed from court records, newspapers, and contemporary accounts. From the Cape Colony in southern Africa to the cities of Europe and the colonies of the Caribbean, North America, and South America, these stories trace a world where violence ...

Discover the secrets of our past and unlock a deeper understanding of human development. Immerse yourself in the legacies of ancient civilizations and uncover the interconnectedness and impact they still hold today. Gain a comprehensive overview of the most pivotal societies that have shaped human history. Experience the achievements, beliefs, and complexities of ancient cultures through captivating narratives. Delve into the advancements of ancient China, the diverse culture of the Persian Empire, and the enduring legacies of the Maurya and Byzantine Empires. Learn about the foundational ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a renowned National Book Award–winning scholar, an extraordinary new account of the life of Jesus that explores the mystery of how a poor young man inspired a religion that reshaped the world. “This is a brilliant and necessary book. Sober, wise, respectful...

In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the incident—unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes—have led to decades of speculation over what really happened.

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 ...

After the long period of cultural decline known as the Dark Ages, Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today. By placing the image of the Virgin...

From the author of Crossed Over, another masterful account of a horrible crime: the murder of four girls, countless other ruined lives, and the evolving complications of the justice system that frustrated the massive attempts--for twenty-five years now--to find and punish those who committed it...

Acclaimed New Yorker writer and author of the breakout debut bestseller The Lost City of Z, David Grann offers a collection of spellbinding narrative journalism. Whether he’s reporting on the infiltration of the murderous Aryan Brotherhood into the U.S. prison system, tracking down a chameleon...

Truths Behind History’s Greatest Myths — Volume 4 Cut through the hype and get to the hard evidence behind 11 of the world’s most talked-about mysteries. No crystal balls, no woo-woo—just facts, context, and a healthy dose of skepticism. Inside, you’ll: • Dive beneath the Mediterranean to the lost port of Thonis-Heraklion and see why it really sank. • March Iran’s little-known “Red Snake” wall and discover the engineering genius that built it. • Debunk the “curse” of the Hope Diamond, the empty decks of the Mary Celeste, and the panic on Dyatlov Pass. • Separate ...

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For nearly a thousand years, the Tower of London has stood as a fortress, palace, and prison, a place where history and horror are forever entwined. But behind its ancient stone walls, secrets still linger, and the past refuses to stay silent. In Whispers in the Tower, G.J. Fene unveils chilling firsthand accounts from modern-day witnesses, Yeoman Warders, staff, and visitors, who have encountered the Tower’s restless spirits. From ghostly footsteps echoing in the Bloody Tower to fleeting visions of Anne Boleyn’s sorrowful figure, these true stories bring the Tower’s bloody history ...

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 ...

What if the world was built from the body of a giant—and we’ve been chasing that legend ever since? From the dawn of civilization to the digital age, humankind has been haunted by stories of enormous beings. The Hidden History of Giants by Leif Harren is a sweeping exploration of these myths and mysteries—tracing how ancient faith, emerging science, and modern imagination have shaped our fascination with creatures larger than life. Across continents and centuries, giants appear as gods, heroes, villains, and metaphors. They build worlds, guard treasures, challenge the gods, and ...

Spiritual beings populate the stories of Scripture. Angels singing. Demons infecting. Heavenly hosts fighting . . . Ignore the armies of God and Satan and you ignore the heart of Scripture. Ever since the snake tempted Eve in Eden, we've known: there is more to this world than meets the eye. In...

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.

Part history, part cultural biography, and part literary mystery, The Orientalist traces the life of Lev Nussimbaum, a Jew who transformed himself into a Muslim prince and became a best-selling author in Nazi Germany. Born in 1905 to a wealthy family in the oil-boom city of Baku, at the edge...

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography In this critically acclaimed true crime tale of "welfare queen" Linda Taylor, a Slate editor reveals a "wild, only-in-America story" of political manipulation and murder (Attica Locke, Edgar Award-winning author). On the South Side of...

The rivetingly strange story of the world's most expensive bottle of wine, and the even stranger characters whose lives have intersected with it. The New York Times bestseller, updated with a new epilogue, that tells the true story of a 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux—supposedly owned by Thomas...

This book interweaves two narratives. The first treats the Royal Navy's Arctic Overland Expedition of 1819, a harbinger-misadventure during which Franklin rejected the advice of Dene and Metis leaders and lost eleven of his twenty-one men. The second discovers a startling new answer to that greatest of Arctic mysteries: what was the root cause of the catastrophe that engulfed Franklin's last expedition?