Small Towns True Crime

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.

In September of 1990, in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, sixteen-year-old Lisa Pruett was on her way to a midnight tryst with her boyfriend when she was viciously stabbed to death only thirty feet from the boy's home. The murder cast a palpable gloom over the upscale community and sparked accusations, theories, and rumors among Lisa's friends and peers. With a fresh perspective and painstaking research, James Renner reconstructs the events leading up to and following that heartbreaking night. What emerges is a portrait of a community seething with dark undercurrents.

On the outside, Mary Jane Fonder seemed like a kindly 66-year-old congregant of the Lutheran church in Springfield Township, PA. But inside, she longed for the church's handsome Pastor Gregory Shreaves, a former golf pro who sparked her most sinful thoughts. When Mary Jane let her feelings be known, the Pastor gently pushed her away. But her obsession only grew stronger when she became convinced that he was romantically involved with a younger church member, a woman named Rhonda Smith. Rhonda was doing volunteer work in the church office one day when she was shot to death.

On May 31, 1985, two days before her high school graduation, Shari Smith was abducted from the driveway of her family home in South Carolina. Based on the crime scene and the abductor’s repeated and taunting calls to the family, law enforcement quickly realized they were dealing with a sophisticated and highly dangerous criminal.

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.

Weaver and fiber artist Edith “Pen” Meyer knew her friend Sandy Merritt’s relationship with a married man was wrong. She had even urged Sandy to take out a restraining order against Kenneth Carpenter. Which was why her call to Sandy on February 23, 2005, seemed to come from out of the blue. During it, she told Sandy to drop the restraining order and get back together with Ken. Pen was never seen again. One man stood to gain from Pen’s disappearance: Ken Carpenter. But evidence was bleak: no blood, no DNA, no body. Until detectives found notes hidden....

When Phillip is abducted, his family's hidden secrets and the town's dark mysteries come to light. Josie must confront the prejudices of their small community and uncover the sinister truth to bring her son home. A tale of courage and resilience, this story dives deep into family bonds and the shadows lurking in a seemingly peaceful town.

A gripping journey of a mother's relentless pursuit through danger and deceit to reclaim her missing son. In a gripping tale of courage and desperation, Annabelle's world spirals when her son Fergus is abducted. Teaming up with her husband Benny and best friend Barb, she embarks on a relentless quest for clues. Facing uncooperative local police, they turn to the FBI, uncovering chilling ties to Annabelle's past and a kidnapper driven by vengeance. With time against them, Annabelle forms an unlikely alliance with a mob boss, both united in a single mission. This intense story captures the ...

Ax assault, kidnapping, brutal murder: how could these things happen in a small town? Although regional crimes hardly ever make it to the national circuit, they will always remain with the families and communities of the victims and a part of the area's history. After working with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for twenty-four years, Rita Shuler has a passion for remembering the victims. From an unsolved case that has haunted her for thirty years to a cold case solved after fifteen years by advanced DNA technology, Shuler blends her own memories with extensive research.

On January 7, 1994, residents of the Berkshire Hills woke up to a typical snowy winter day in the majestic woods of Western Massachusetts. The quaint New England towns, the idyllic scenery and the people who lived there could have stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

In the quiet, close-knit town of Benning, North Dakota, single mother Susan Groves is living a simple life—until her son Gus disappears from school without a trace. As rumors swirl and unsettling secrets about the townspeople come to light, Susan turns to her best friend, Ryan, a local detective, for help. Together, they uncover eerie clues pointing to a mysterious woman who has been watching Gus. In a town where everyone knows everyone, Susan must unravel the dark secrets hidden in plain sight before it's too late.

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.

Unsolved Crimes, Lost Lives, and the Search for Justice in the Shadows of Appalachia On a cold Christmas Eve in 1945, a fire consumed the Sodder family home in rural West Virginia. Five children vanished without a trace. What followed was not just a tragedy—but a mystery that refused to die. From the smoldering ruins of that night to the blood-stained back roads of the 1980s Redhead Murders, Names for the Nameless journeys through some of America’s most haunting unsolved cases. In the heart of Appalachia, victims were silenced, erased, and buried without names—but not forgotten. This ...

Heart-pounding Fear. Chilling Anguish. Heartbreak. Priceless Love. The Ultimate Sacrifice. All in less than a minute. Sometimes precious moments is all there is. Between one heartbeat and the next, Susa is plunged into a devastating nightmare, wounded and broken, yet desperate hope filled her heart and soul. Nothing in her life had ever prepared her for this. Adam Manning arrives at a crime scene and quickly sees that not everything is as it seems. Unknown to the town’s small police force, neither is he. If you enjoy clean mystery romance and inspirational women’s fiction filled with ...

When Julia Henry's daughters disappear, she uncovers a web of secrets rooted in their birth mother's past. Every mother's nightmare becomes Julia Henry's reality when her daughters, Jewel and Opal, vanish without a trace. The secret to their abduction might lie buried in a dark past, tangled in a web of secrets and deceit of their birth mother. As Julia digs deeper, she uncovers secrets that stretch to her own doorstep, challenging everything she knows about her life. In a race against time, Julia must navigate a maze of lies to rescue her daughters.

A single night, a vanished child, and a hidden truth that turns desperation into a deadly game In this riveting abduction mystery, Chloe's world shatters when her daughter vanishes, dismissed by police as a custody issue. Driven by maternal instincts, she embarks on a frantic search, uncovering a personal vendetta against her by a ruthless predator. As Chloe battles against time and a psychopathic kidnapper, she's drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse. This heart-stopping novel offers relentless suspense, a courageous heroine, and a villainous twist that will leave you breathless. ...

When Ruie Ann Park - a pillar of the Van Buren, Arkansas, community - was found beaten to death and lying in a pool of blood in her home, the police and local residents assumed her son was the murderer. But the years would uncover a more sinister story. Up till that night, the Park family seemed to have it all.

Nothing casts a more sinister shadow over our nation's history than the gruesome lynchings that happened between 1882 and 1937, claiming 4,680 victims. Often, in a show of racist violence, the lynchers tortured their victims before murdering them. Most killers were never brought to justice; some were instead celebrated as heroes, their victims' bodies displayed or even cut up and distributed as trophies.

Lydia's life spirals into chaos when her son is abducted, forcing her to confront dangerous secrets from her past and battle her manipulative ex-husband in a race against time.In this gripping psychological thriller, Lydia’s world is shattered when her son, Lance, vanishes from a crowded restaurant in a chilling kidnapping. Battling her ruthless ex-husband and his manipulative family, she’s thrust into a twisted murder mystery where every clue leads deeper into danger. As secrets from her past collide with the present, Lydia must unravel the truth before time runs out.

To solve a high-profile abduction, one former police officer must confront a dark past. A child's abduction reveals a frightening pattern within a small town where nothing is as it seems. Katy Dowry's world shatters when her son, Denny, is abducted from his school. Amidst heavy snowfall and rising tensions, Katy uncovers a web of secrets involving the disappearance of the child.