Small Towns True Crime

The vast plains hide the darkest secrets. In the heart of America’s northern frontier, isolation is a way of life—and the perfect cover for unthinkable acts. Beneath the endless skies and sweeping prairies lies a hidden history of brutal tragedies, vanished travelers, and quiet towns shattered by sudden violence. From the lawless days of the Gold Rush to modern-day disappearances that still haunt local communities, this gripping collection pulls back the curtain on twenty of the most perplexing and haunting criminal acts ever committed on the plains. Inside, discover: • The terrifying...

Two true tales of small-town murders Unfriendly: How a social media feud led to a double homicide When the bodies of Bill Payne and Billie-Jean Hayworth were discovered in their Mountain City, Tennessee home on January 30 2012, investigators initially assumed it was a drug deal gone awry. However, soon their attention was drawn to a vicious online feud that had been simmering in full view of the entire town of Mountain City for over a year. What followed was an unbelievable case involving a CIA agent, a secret relationship, and an impressionable local man who had never had a girlfriend. At ...

🔪 Murder, Mystery, and Legends from the Heart of the Mountains 🔪 The Ozarks hold more than breathtaking landscapes—they hide secrets soaked in blood. Across Arkansas and Missouri, small towns and winding highways have been the hunting grounds of killers whose crimes remain unsolved. Legends have formed around these dark events, leaving behind whispered warnings and restless ghosts of the past. Inside True Crime: Ozarks, you’ll discover: 🩸 The Highway’s Harvest – A forgotten serial killer stalked the roads of northwest Arkansas, preying on hitchhikers and vanishing without a...

Whether in Truman Capote’s detailed murder of the Clutter family or Ted Bundy’s small-town charm, criminals have always roamed rural America and towns worldwide. Featuring murder stories, criminal case studies, and more, The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns contains all-new accounts from writers of true crime, crime journalism, and crime fiction. And these entries are not based on a true story—they are true stories. Edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, the stories in this volume span the globe.

Packed with small-town murders, cold cases, and real criminal history, True Crime in Lee County, Iowa is a gripping read that exposes the darkest stories of Southeastern Iowa. Set along the Mississippi River, this Iowa true crime collection uncovers unsolved murders, violent crimes that shocked tight-knit communities, and the kinds of cases locals still whisper about decades later. Inside, you’ll find chilling accounts of murders committed by brothers, bank robberies that rattled rural towns, and investigations that raised more questions than answers. The book also explores the lasting ...

The mountains keep their secrets. Until someone digs them up. In the deep, isolated hollows, the most dangerous thing isn’t the rugged terrain—it’s the people. This compilation features fifteen interconnected tales of local corruption and devastating realities that echo the darkest news reports. Justice isn't always decided in a courtroom; sometimes, it’s settled on a dirt road by a man with no license plates. From a substitute teacher navigating a terrifyingly quiet school, to an estranged granddaughter inheriting a family cemetery with too many graves, to a journalist unearthing a...

A sinister secret lies buried—one that swallows two young teens into an abyss of mystery. When two young teens at a county fair are drawn to desperate cries emanating from the House of Horrors, their world spins into chaos. They never enter, but suddenly, they're gone—vanished into thin air. Thus begins a baffling mystery into which rookie detective Teresa Simmonds and veteran Allan Yeats are thrown headfirst into a maze of secrets and lies. As they unravel the web of secrets and cover-ups, the question haunts them: What happened to Yasmine and Jerry, and why does no one want the truth ...

In the quiet New England town of Havenwood, an old stone well demands a price for every wish it grants. For journalist Mara Kane, it’s a place she’s avoided for twenty years, ever since a childhood wish ended in tragedy. But when a series of bizarre murders reawakens the terrifying local legend of the "Well Wraith," Mara is pulled back into the town’s dark history. Each victim is found with a silver dollar—the same coin Mara threw into the well two decades ago. To stop the killings, Mara must confront the secrets she’s spent a lifetime burying. As she digs into a string of cold ...

For 20 years Daniel Paquette's murder in New Hampshire went unsolved. It remained a secret between two high school friends until Eric Windhurst's arrest in 2005. What was revealed was a crime born of adolescent passion between Eric and Daniel's stepdaughter, Melanie - redefining the meaning of loyalty, justice, and revenge.

True Crime in Adams County Adams County, Illinois...a place where the Mississippi carves its path through the land and history runs deep in every brick and backroad. But beneath the surface of this quiet Midwestern county lies a trove of chilling secrets and unspeakable acts long whispered about and rarely confronted. In True Crime in Adams County, these unforgettable stories take readers on a haunting journey through two centuries of murder, mystery, and mayhem. These are not fictional accounts, but true events pulled from dusty courthouse records, yellowed newspaper clippings, and the ...

Beneath the quiet surface of America's heartland, Chilling secrets refuse to stay buried. The Midwest is known for its tight-knit communities, friendly faces, and peaceful landscapes. But what happens when that peace is shattered by a crime so brutal—and so baffling—that it leaves an entire town looking over its shoulder for decades? In Cold Case Midwest, step past the yellow police tape and into the chilling reality of the region's most haunting unsolved mysteries. Spanning across the rural stretches and small towns of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, Wisconsin, and ...

In the quiet town of Price, Utah, where tranquility is the norm, the summer of 1970 bore witness to a gruesome murder that forever altered the life of 4-year-old Heidi Jones. The haunting image of her mother, Loretta, lying lifeless as viewed from the keyhole of her bedroom door is an indelible memory that haunted Heidi throughout her life. It ignited an unwavering determination to ensure her mother's murder would not remain unsolved. But it would be 46 long years before Heidi's relentless pursuit of justice would find an ally in David Brewer, a high school acquaintance turned Detective Sgt...

A New York Times Bestseller 2026 Audie Award Nominee “This suspenseful YA thriller is yet another testament to Jackson’s talent.”—ELLE New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another stunning, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, following a freshman girl whose...

The mountains hold their secrets close. Within the shadowed hollers and quiet towns of Appalachia, a legacy of violence lies buried. This gripping collection unearths twenty of the region’s most disturbing true crime accounts, from baffling cold cases to the most infamous and brutal murders. Explore the darkest corners of human nature through meticulously researched stories of shocking depravity and justice long-awaited. For readers captivated by masterful storytelling and the psychology of evil, this unflinching journey into the heart of Appalachian darkness is a must-read.

Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games. Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears—the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate.

More Murder. More Secrets. More True Crime—Right Here in Adams County. In this chilling follow-up to the best-selling True Crime in Adams County, local author and historian Robert Turek returns with all-new true stories of murder, mayhem, and mystery from Adams County, Illinois. Behind the quiet streets, church steeples, and cornfields lies a darker history most would rather forget… Inside True Crime in Adams County, Volume 2, you’ll discover shocking real-life cases pulled from old newspaper headlines, courthouse records, and long-buried local lore—including: Mass Murder in Mendon ...

They called her a runaway. Twenty‑three years later, someone finally asks who changed the file. Mara Ellison has spent her adult life trying not to think about the summer her cabinmate vanished from Camp Briar. She has a safe job as a pharmacy tech in Charlotte, a tiny one‑bedroom apartment, and a scar through her eyebrow that no one ever connects to the Camp Briar dock. But when a rising true‑crime podcast starts digging into Aria Benton’s “runaway” case and three other missing girls, Mara recognises the name that connects them all – and realises the man she remembers from ...

Gripping True Crime Historical Southern Romance On a sunny afternoon in March 1922, Deputy Sheriff Morton was gunned down in cold blood, and his grandson, Sherman, wants revenge. For Sherman, only an eye-for-an-eye retribution will serve the demands of justice, but elements of the community feel differently. Soon the national media ignites a frenzy amongst boys' organizations across the country, coaxing the governor to consider a stay of execution for the two youths responsible for the crime. As Sherman's anger and frustration increase, his life begins to unravel--affecting his job and his ...

On a warm Florida evening, Karen Gregory saw a familiar face at her door. What the beautiful young woman could not know was that she was staring into the eyes of her killer - a savage monster who would rape her, stab her to death, and leave her battered body on the floor outside the bedroom. Detectives frantically sifting through the evidence were tormented by one disturbing question after another....

"Finlay’s debut is a twisty puzzle that will please fans of thrillers, suspense, and true crime. Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom capably voice a large cast of characters and keep ratcheting up the tension." -- Library Journal One of the Most Anticipated Books of the year: Newsweek CNN...