A popular crime genre in the nineteenth century, urban mysteries have largely been ignored ever since. This historical and critical text examines the origins of the innovative genre, which grappled with the rise of enormous, anonymous cities, beginning in France in 1842, then spreading rapidly across the continent and to America and Australia. Writers covered include Eugene Sue, George Reynolds, Paul Feval, George Lippard, "Ned Buntline" and Donald Cameron.

A backwater prostitute strangled half to death and buried alive. Children scampering into the woods to play–and never return. Women raped and murdered, men strung up and butchered in place–all for sport. Corpses buried and corpses dug up, and bodies found...with parts missing. Welcome home, Patricia... But it's more than home that awaits Patricia when she returns to the quiet backwoods town where she grew up. Lust-driven frenzy and sultry dreams spark the most erotic obsessions, while something wanton stalks her from the darkest heart of the night. As the bodies pile up and the blood pours, the blackest secrets are revealed. Has the town she calls home really been cursed? No. It's been blessed. By a nameless evil older than sin. Welcome to... THE BACKWOODS!