Small Towns True Crime

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 ...

During Prohibition, while Al Capone was rising to worldwide prominence as Public Enemy Number One, the townspeople of rural Templeton, Iowa - population just 418 - were busy with a bootlegging empire of their own. Led by Joe Irlbeck, the whip-smart and gregarious son of a Bavarian immigrant, the outfit of farmers, small merchants, and even the church Monsignor worked together to create a whiskey so excellent, it was ordered by name: Templeton Rye.

🔪 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...

Fall River, Massachusetts, August 1892. A city sweltering under a suffocating heatwave holds its breath, waiting for something to break. Inside the Borden home on Second Street, the air is thick with more than just heat. It’s a place of oppressive silence, resentful family dynamics, and secrets locked away like the house’s many doors. When Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, are discovered brutally murdered with a hatchet, the tight-knit community is shattered. Suspicion falls on the unlikeliest of suspects: Andrew’s younger daughter, Lizzie. A quiet, church-going spinster of thirty-two...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

Kelli Martin is a small town girl from Granbury, Texas located in Hood County about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Growing up in this quaint, picturesque town was not what people might think. Women in the 1980s were being murdered in the hood and no one was being arrested. People were scared and began locking their doors. A convicted rapist was running loose, peeping in the author’s window, and stalking her. These events in childhood and the murder of a friend and co-worker in 1990 had a profound impact on Martin and her choice to enter the field of criminal justice. All these years ...

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 ...

He thought he’d planned the perfect murder. He didn’t count on her mother. No body. No witnesses. No proof — or so Doug Stewart thought. When 32-year-old Venus Stewart vanished outside her parents’ rural Michigan home, police had little to go on. Her husband, Doug, was supposedly hundreds of miles away in Virginia. He’d built the perfect alibi — a friend impersonating him, security footage, even phone calls. But behind the lies was a brutal truth. This is the story of a woman who feared the man she once loved, and a mother who refused to give up when everyone else did. For ...

Blow is the unlikely story of George Jung's roller-coaster ride from middle-class high school football hero to the heart of Pablo Escobar's Medellín cartel - the largest importer of the United States cocaine supply in the 1980s. Jung's early business of flying marijuana into the United States from the mountains of Mexico took a dramatic turn when he met Carlos Lehder, a young Colombian car thief with connections to the then newly-born cocaine operation in his native land. Together they created a new model for selling cocaine.

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.

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...

He left home on the farm in Illinois, looking for adventure. What he found would change the course of his short life. In 1925, Ted Coggeshall was a young farmer from small-town Illinois - caring, hard-working, and restless. With the open road ahead, he set out to see the South, chasing sunshine and adventure. But what followed may have been one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice the nation has ever seen. A local drifter with mob ties—Sam “Slim” Scarborough—cut a deal to save his own neck, accusing Ted and his friend of murdering a retired schoolmaster. Circumstantial ...

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 ...

A mother's desperate search for her abducted twins leads her into the heart of a shocking family conspiracy. When twins Emily and Erica vanish from their family's farm, their mother, Susan, is shattered. Defying police skepticism, she courageously tracks their estranged aunt, Paula, uncovering a chilling plot. In a race against time, Susan's relentless pursuit leads to a dramatic rescue from an underground trap. Facing Paula's twisted revenge, Susan's strength prevails, uniting her family in healing and hope.

When the past whispers secrets, two strangers must listen to save the future. Immerse yourself in a gripping thriller where historian Angus Cunningham and Detective Jackie Moralez join forces to unravel a sinister mystery. Two teenagers disappear from the state fair, leading to a harrowing investigation into a centuries-old ritual sacrifice plot. Experience the rush as Angus’s deep historical insights and Jackie’s intense police work collide, racing against time to save the victims from a dark fate. Brace yourself for a whirlwind of suspense and unexpected twists.

“Fascinating! [A] must-read for all concerned about how humans manage to live together. Or not.” —Margaret Atwood “Superb... an instant true crime classic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A masterfully told true story, perfect for fans of Say Nothing and Furious Hours: a brutal...

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.

Dive into the story of Larry Gene Bell, one of the first killers who used phones to terrorize people. Uncover the origins of this local monster as we peel back the layers of his past. Discover the complexities of his twisted personality that led to national attention. Step by step, follow the details of Bell's heinous, cunning acts, from victim selection to killing methods. You will see why it took innovative investigative techniques to get Bell behind bars.