The western suburbs of Chicago were terrorized by a serial rapist and murderer in the 1970s and early 1980s. Bruce Lindahl preyed on girls and young women for almost a decade. He managed to escape detection because he did not leave his rape victims alive. But in 1980, he kidnapped and raped Debra Colliander in Aurora. She managed to escape, and Lindahl was arrested. Three months later, just before he was to go on trial on charges of kidnapping, rape and deviate sexual assault, Lindahl kidnapped and murdered Miss Colliander. Lindahl disposed of her body and no one could find her. The following year, because the victim did not show up in court, the kidnapping and rape charges had to be dropped -- and Lindahl could not be charged with murder without a body. Reporter Jim Ridings wrote dozens of stories for The Beacon-News over several months, determined to shine a light to try to stop Lindahl from getting away with another murder. Suddenly, the public knew the truth about this monster who had been able to evade justice and public attention. Aurora police said Lindahl planned to kill Ridings once the judge finally dismissed the charges. But fortunately, four days after the charges were dropped, Lindahl accidentally killed himself while murdering another person. Police believe Lindahl murdered as many as 12 people. The story took another turn nearly 40 years after Lindahl's death when DNA tests tied him to the 1976 unsolved murder of Pamela Maurer. Murder in the Fox Valley tells the story of Bruce Lindahl's crime spree and how he became a victim of his own murderous acts. The story is also a TV documentary.

When a high-profile political candidate is murdered in her upscale Wisconsin home, all of the evidence points to one man. But the crime scene is almost too perfect, and Appleton Police Detective Kurt Stinger will need to dig deep to learn the surprising truth.

Wind through the criminal history of the cities along northeast Wisconsin’s Fox River with the author of Milwaukee Mafia as your guide. The safe and sedate Fox Cities have seen their share of horrible crimes. Coldblooded murder, kidnapping, prostitution, organized crime and other misdeeds shocked and appalled not just the community but the entire state. Murderer Porter Ross tried to commit suicide by eating bedsprings. Wenzel Kabat mutilated and burned a man in order to take over his farm. The Appleton Butcher left dismembered human remains on a playground for children to find. In this volume, crime writer and leading expert on the Milwaukee Mafia Gavin Schmitt turns his magnifying glass on small-town America. Includes photos!

Ausley Wyett returns on parole to hometown Marblestone, after 16 years in prison for the rape and murder of young Tissie McAllister. He maintains he was innocent-but townfolk are scandalized he dared to come back. One man dies, and it looks like a heart attack. Another dies after eating wild mushrooms. It looks like a hunting accident for the third, and a fourth falls and breaks his neck. Could it be simple coincidence that all of these men testified at Ausley's trial? Deputy Joe Bain is elevated to acting-sheriff when Sheriff Cuchinello goes to his reward. Bain wants the full-term job, but it's an elected position and the competition is stiff, in one Lee Gervase-a modern, up-and-coming lawyer. Ausley is the natural suspect, but the circumstances are facile and Joe Bain is convinced other hands are at work. But he needs to crack the case soon-before the election, before another man dies... The Fox Valley Murders is Volume 21 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collection is based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoy up-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributed by a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of the author's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These unique features will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work for the first time. - John Vance II