Small Towns True Crime

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 September 13, 2016, in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a terrified woman who claimed to be kidnapped. The man holding her hostage was Shawn Grate, a serial killer whom the press later dubbed “The Ladykiller.” A key to his conviction and death sentence were Grate’s extensive recorded confessions—all extracted by one woman: Detective Kim Mager.

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 ...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ...

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.

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.

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 ...

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.

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.

On a chilly January night, Dr. Eugene Turner hastened the death of a three-day-old baby boy who had been pronounced brain-dead. Six weeks later, ER physician Dr. Bruce Rowan hacked his wife to death with an axe, then tried to kill himself - claiming he snapped after witnessing Dr. Turner's euthanasia. What really happened? What drove Dr. Bruce Rowan - a man who was entrusted to heal the sick - to so savagely take the life of his own wife? Acquitted by reason of insanity, Dr. Rowan was committed to a mental institution. And thought the trial is over, some fascinating ethical and legal questions have been raised by its outcome.

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. ...

While out checking their lobster traps, two Landry cousins and skipper Dwayne Samson saw Boudreau in his boat, the Midnight Slider, about to vandalize their lobster traps. Like so many times before, the small-time criminal was about to cost them thousands of dollars out of their seasonal livelihood. Boudreau seemed invincible, a miscreant who would plague the village forever. Meanwhile, the police and local officials were frustrated, cowed, and hobbled by shrinking budgets. One of the men took out a rifle and fired four shots at Boudreau and his boat.

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.

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.

Tired of living life on the sidelines, Liv Olsen gave up everything—her job at the #1 podcast series in the country, her apartment, most of her belongings—to launch her own show, Missing or Murdered. Teaming up with her kid stepsister, Camry Lewis, the dynamic duo set out to be the next big thing in true crime. On the program for season one, the sisters focus on the case of twenty-three-year-old Amelia Clark, who vanished ten years ago after an embarrassing video of her went viral. The police found the California native's car and personal belongings, but the investigation quickly went ...