From its settlement in 1634 to its important proximity to the nation's capital in the present, Maryland has served as a crossroads of America, influencing critical events, not the least of which have been numerous crimes. This book begins with a general survey of lawbreaking in the state and then focuses on its landmark cases, including the terrifying killing spree of the Beltway Snipers, the mysterious Lover's Lane Murders, the attempted assassination of George Wallace, the still-unsolved disappearance of murderer Bradford Bishop, and the tragic saga of cop killer Terrence Johnson.

Al Capone. The Untouchables. The Valentine's Day massacre. You may think you know everything about the Roaring Twenties in the Windy City, but in the early twentieth century, the harsh environment of the Maxwell Street ghetto produced a proliferation of Jewish gangsters involved in everything from labor racketeering to white slavery. Their illegal activity offended their own community's value system and sparked rifts between Reform and Orthodox Jews. It also ignited tensions between city officials and Jewish leaders, indelibly marked the gentile population's perception of Chicago's Jews and...

Includes . . . Lee Shelton's murder of Billy Lyons in St. Louis, which inspired the popular song "Stagger Lee" The vigilante killing of the "town bully" of Skidmore, Ken McElroy The kidnapping of millionaire Robert Greenlease's son in Kansas City The Kirkwood City Council massacre Serial killings of 13 young women in Kansas City by Lorenzo J. Gilyard"

Includes . . . Andrew Kehoe and the Bath School Massacre The rise and fall of the Purple Gang in Detroit The Michigan victims of lonely hearts killers Beck and Fernandez Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance The criminal career of Coral Watts"

The once-thriving houseboat communities along Arkansas' White River are long gone, and few remember the sensational murder story that set local darling Helen Spence on a tragic path. In 1931, Spence shocked Arkansas when she avenged her father's murder in a DeWitt courtroom. The state soon discovered that no prison could hold her. For the first time, prison records are unveiled to provide an essential portrait. Join author Denise Parkinson for an intimate look at a Depression-era tragedy. The legend of Helen Spence refuses to be forgotten--despite her unmarked grave.

At the close of the nineteenth century in the Ozark Plateau, lawlessness ruled. Lawmakers, in bed with moonshiners and bootleggers, fueled local crime and turned a blind eye to egregious wrongdoing. In response, a vigilante force emerged from the Ozark hills: the Bald Knobbers. They formed their own laws and alliances; local ministers donned the Knobber mask and brought justice" to the hills, lynching suspected bootleggers. As community support and interest grew, reporters wrote curious articles about Knobber exploits. Join Vincent S. Anderson as he uncovers these peculiar reports including...

The DeAutremont brothers were looking for a big score. They brought dynamite, guns and a getaway car. On October 11, 1923, at the summit of the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon, the three young men held up a passenger train, with disastrous consequences. Their rash actions resulted in the tragic deaths of three Southern Pacific trainmen and one U.S. Mail clerk, unleashing a public outcry that still rings through Oregon's history. In this riveting account, rail historian Scott Mangold draws on interviews, in-depth research and previously unpublished maps and photographs to document the...