50 States of Murder - by Harold Schechter (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the true crime author of Murderabilia, a geographic telling of some of the most notorious but lesser-known murders for each US State.

Filled with hundreds of entries organized by location, 50 States of Murder is a lively and chilling work of storytelling and an authoritative survey of the homicidal history of the United States--perfect for any true-crime obsessive. Certain crimes are impossible to imagine happening anywhere but where they did: Could the Manson murders have gone down somewhere besides the 1960s sex-and-drug-fueled, occult-dabbling culture of Southern California? Would Truman Capote's In Cold Blood have been as powerful if the Clutter family massacre happened anywhere besides the tightly knit world of Holcomb, Kansas? Or would the "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski have been able to hole up in the woods evading notice for decades anywhere but in Montana?

Discover each state's most memorable and notorious crimes through expert authorship, stunning visuals, and interactive design.

Review Quotes

"Nothing seems to capture the attention of true-crime aficionados like a good murder, and this compilation brings together over 200 examples... This will be of interest to collections supporting avid armchair crime fighters."--Booklist

About the Author

Harold Schechter, a two-time Edgar nominee, has published more than 30 true crime titles, including five 100K+ copy bestsellers. His most recent work, Maniac: The Bath School Disaster and the Birth of the Modern Mass Killer, just published (March 9, 2021). He has taught literature and myth criticism for more than 40 years at Queens College/CUNY and is a murderabilia collector himself.