Historical true crime tales from this not-so-quiet New York City borough. Despite its reputation as the least bustling of New York’s five boroughs, Staten Island has seen its share of violence and murder—dating back even to its days as a sleepy farming community in the mid-eighteenth century. The 1920 discovery of a woman’s body by two young boys walking their dog remains unsolved. An inmate at Sailors’ Snug Harbor—a retirement home for seamen—shot a preacher in cold blood. Shocking and horrific stories of killers and their victims such as these plague Staten Island’s otherwise pleasant past. From the handsome soldier convicted of his Russian wife's shooting in New Dorp Beach to the New Brighton guard beaten to death while protecting seized whiskey during Prohibition, local historian Patricia Salmon uncovers Staten Island’s most chilling tales of crime—both the infamous and the long forgotten. Includes photos

New York City’s own Lizzie Borden, and eleven other true crimes “as ghastly as anything in American Horror Story” (SILive.com). Today, Polly Bodine’s name is lost to history. But on Christmas night of 1843, she was accused of murdering her sister-in-law and infant niece in ways so heinous that the great showman P.T. Barnum, proclaimed her “The Witch of Staten Island.” Even Edgar Allan Poe weighed in on the female fiend, fearing she’d escape justice. He was right. Polly was tried three times, finally acquitted, and disappeared into anonymity—and legend—until her death fifty years later. Her story is just one of a dozen horrific murders unearthed by historian Patricia M. Salmon in this fascinating peek into the gruesome history of the New York borough. Among the other headline-making cases: The Baby Farm Murders, The Jazz Age Kiss Slayer, The Body in the Barrel, and more. These turn-of-the century tabloid tales of serial killers and psychopaths, love gone wrong, cold-blooded revenge, and unsolved mysteries are still the stuff of nightmares.

On December 2, 2007, a quiet home in a quiet neighbourhood in Staten Island became immortalized as 'the Mercereau house' when it became a crime scene. A 38-year-old fire marshal widely recognized as a "rising star" in the New York Fire Department, Doug Mercereau, was curled up in the fetal position, dressed in his pajamas - shot to death. As an arson investigator, Doug carried a department handgun on the job, and his pistol was discovered next to the body. While the nearby service pistol initially suggested the death was a suicide, the autopsy revealed three gunshot wounds in the victim's head.

A horrific crime takes place: a family of five, the O’Brien’s, are murdered in a small community on Staten Island, New York. Dean Taylor, an ordinary man and detective with the N.Y.P.D is assigned to the case. He follows the clues and the evidence, which leads him to uncover the reasons behind the murder of the O’Brien’s, and an additional two murders. Follow Dean and his partner as they uncover clues and deceptions until the true murderer and the reasons behind this crime are unveiled.

Staten Island has a rich and fascinating cultural legacy that few people outside New York City's greenest borough know about. Chewing gum was invented on the island with the help of Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna. Country music legend Roy Clark got his start as a virtuoso guitar player on the Staten Island Ferry. Anna Leonowens, who worked with the king's children in the Court of Siam and was the basis for The King and I, came back to Staten Island to write about her experiences and run a school for children. Join native authors Theresa Anarumo and Maureen Seaberg as they document the hidden history of Staten Island.

My first books about Staten Island were lighthearted looks at many fond memories. Even though we tend to put the bad memories in the back of our minds, as well we should, they are still there. They are part of our history, good or bad. With all the wondrous tales of Old Staten Island come more then a few terrible tales of dark days in our history. As I researched our island's past, I was amazed at how many tragedies actually occurred through the years. Come join me and read about some of 'Staten Island's Darker Days'.