Murder in Rockport, Massachusetts - (True Crime) by Wayne Soini & Robert Fitzgibbon (Paperback)

About the Book

"On May 21, 1932, Arthur Oker, a mild-mannered Finnish tailor, was brutally murdered in his shop in the small seaside town of Rockport, Massachusetts. While this unsolved crime terrified local residents, their fears increased after another horrifying murder, that of Swedish immigrant and fellow churchgoer Augusta Johnson in her home on Halloween night in 1933. Following the crimes, authorities searched every house and building in Rockport, and some 2,500 households were interviewed. A reward was posted, a mystic volunteered her services, and lcoal children wearing badges provided by a breakfast cereal company joined the search. However, the crimes went unsolved. Local authors Robert Fitzgibbon and Wayne Soini reveal long-lost details about the crime, the investigation and a surprise suspect from the state police archives."--Publisher description.

Book Synopsis

Cold Case Clues

On May 21, 1932, Arthur Oker, a mild-mannered Finnish tailor, was brutally murdered in his shop in the small seaside town of Rockport, Massachusetts.

While this unsolved crime terrified local residents, their fears increased after another horrifying murder, that of Swedish immigrant and fellow churchgoer Augusta Johnson in her home on Halloween night in 1933. Following the crimes, authorities searched every house and building in Rockport, and some 2,500 households were interviewed. A reward was posted, a mystic volunteered her services and local children wearing badges provided by a breakfast cereal company joined in the search. However, the crimes went unsolved. Local authors Robert Fitzgibbon and Wayne Soini reveal long-lost details about the crime, the investigation and a surprise suspect from the state police archives.

Review Quotes

Cold Case Clues

"The book explores theories that range from personal vendettas to organized crime connections, weaving in real-life figures from Rockport's past, including local police, town officials, and journalists who covered the case. It also highlights the interesting role of early forensic science and how tech limitations (and hubris!) may have contributed to the case remaining unsolved." -- Erika Brown, The Cricket

About the Author

Wayne Soini, a Cape Ann native, always wondered about the unsolved murder of a Finnish tailor in Rockport. After a career in labor law, he retired to research and write about such things. Robert Fitzgibbon is a software professional and local historian. Great-grandson of a Rockport quarry owner, Rob delves into Cape Ann history for stories of the mysterious, the eerie and the forgotten.