One hundred years ago Villisca, Iowa made the national spotlight when eight people were butchered in their sleep. Attention quickly turned to the Reverend Lyn Kelley, ""a queer, strange, little preacher man,"" often accused of window peeping. Kelley said he was walking by the Moore house when a voice commanded him to, ""Go in. Slay utterly."" What could he do? He climbed the stairs and slaughtered the children. ""Slay utterly. Suffer the little children."" Back downstairs, he went into the parent's bedroom. ""More work yet. There must be sacrifices of blood."" Again, the ax did its work. In another downstairs bedroom, he discovered the Stillinger girls, asleep in their beds. ""More work still."" The ax resumed its work. Eight people were dead. The ax was satisfied. When Kelley recanted his confession, detectives developed dozens of other suspects, but none of them panned out. The Villisca Ax Murders remain Iowa's most famous cold-case file.

Like the mighty Mississippi River that cleaves the Quad Cities, the region's history can trap the unwary in some unexpected eddies. Peer through the fog of the past to catch a glimpse of the Tinsmith Ghost of Rock Island or the river serpent with a price on its head. Get the back story on the Banshee of Brady Street, read the 1869 report on a Bigfoot sighting near East Davenport and run the numbers on local UFO activity. From phantom footsteps in the Renwick Mansion to a mausoleum heist in Chippiannock Cemetery, Michael McCarty and John Brassard Jr. trace a path through the shadowy heritage of the Quad Cities. Show Less

Featuring new listings and new information on existing haunts, thhis book offers supernatural tourists a guide to points of interest through the eyes of the world's leading ghost hunters.

Grab your beverage of choice, we’re going back on the road! Bringing you A Haunted Road Atlas: Next Stop, from the New York Times Bestselling authors of true crime/supernatural podcast And That’s Why We Drink! From the truest crimes to the spookiest supernaturals, this guide will have even more illustrated stories, beverage pit stops, and ice cream recommendations. A Haunted Road Atlas: Next Stop will explore all the places Christine and Em didn’t get to include in the first book, focusing on 30 new cities they’ve fallen in love with on their travels … and the scariest places that left them shaking in their boots. This one's got everything: the Buffalo Butcher, arsenic bon bons from the storied Dover, aliens in Alaska, and more! Featuring: Terrifying supernatural tales and gripping true crime from thirty different cities across the US. Recommendations for bars, restaurants, hotels, and can’t-miss activities for each city. Playlists tailored to each city and story for all your road-trip listening needs. A chapter full of custom games for fans of the podcast!

On the night of December 1,1900, Iowa farmer John Hossack was attacked and killed while he slept at home beside his wife, Margaret. On April 11, 1901, after five days of testimony before an all-male jury, Margaret Hossack was found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life in prison. One year later, she was released on bail to await a retrial; jurors at this second trial could not reach a decision, and she was freed. She died August 25, 1916, leaving the mystery of her husband's death unsolved. The Hossack tragedy is a compelling one and the issues surrounding their domestic problems are still relevant today, Margaret's composure and stoicism, developed during years of spousal abuse, were seen as evidence of unfeminine behavior, while John Hossack--known to be a cruel and dangerous man--was hailed as a respectable husband and father. Midnight Assassin also introduces us to Susan Glaspell, a journalist who reported on the Hossack murder for the Des Moines Daily, who used these events as the basis for her classic short story, " A Jury of Her Peers", and the famous play Trifles. Based on almost a decade of research, Midnight Assassin is a riveting story of loneliness, fear, and suffering in the rural Midwest.

Haunted America & Other Paranormal Travels allows the reader to discover haunted venues in every state in America and even some abroad. Creepy tales from celebrities, ghost-riddled trains and highways, eerie phenomena, and unexplained anomalies. Its all here if you dare.

Spotlighting news articles, historical accounts, and firstperson interviews, this chronicle of human interactions with monsters will convince even the most hardened skeptic of the existence of the bogeyman, bigfoot, werewolves, and swamp creatures. Offering an array of wild reports—from the police officer who begrudgingly responded to a call about a longhaired woman flying over a suburban neighborhood only to find himself calling for backup when she attacked his patrol car to the motorist whose headlights illuminated a sevenfoot tall, wolflike creature that stood on its hind legs—this historical record highlights scary and unbelievable narratives. From slightly demented humans to spinetingling paranormal encounters, each outlandish occurrence is detailed with thorough research and recounted with a storyteller's crafted voice.