Three days before Christmas in 1831, Frankie Silver killed her husband, Charles Silver, with an axe and burned his body in the fireplace. Author Perry Deane Young, whose ancestors were involved in the case, began collecting material about it as a teenager. As a college student, he was astounded to learn that most of what he had been told was actually false. Abused by her husband, Frankie killed in self defense. The laws of that time would not allow her to take the stand and explain what happened. She was unjustly hanged in July of 1833. Young proves the real crime is the way this poor woman has been misrepresented by balladeers and historians all these years. "Perry Deane Young provides important historical background to this fascinating story... Young is able to build suspense, even for a story many of his readers may already know...By personalizing both Frankie Silver's story and his own search for it, Young has given readers an interesting and well-written book about history and the way it is created." --Lynn Moss Sanders in Appalachian Journal "Most of my life I've heard stories about a pretty mountain lady who was hanged for nothing more serious than murdering her husband. Here, and I can say at last after one and a half centuries, is the true account, thoroughly researched and beautifully presented. It's a highroad journey into this Appalachian mystery." --John Ehle, author of The Land Breakers, The Road, The Journey of August King

The New York Times Bestseller Set in the Appalachian wilderness and blending legends and folklore with high suspense, this stellar novel, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, is considered one of McCrumb's crowning achievements. In 1833 Frankie Silver was an eighteen-year-old girl convicted of murder in Burke County, North Carolina. Through a detailed investigation, the local sheriff, and soon all the townsfolk, discover reason to question her guilt---but the wheels of justice were mercilessly unstoppable, and she was hanged. Now, more than a century later, another woman is convicted of murder in the lush hills of Tennessee. Her life is in the hands of Spencer Arrowood, a man who begins to discover that the convictions of these two women have deep and haunting parallels. Although Frankie's fate cannot be changed, there is still time to alter the fate of another innocent woman. In a voice that could only be Sharyn McCrumb's, the worlds of these two murders, these two women, intersect in this densely plotted and lyrical novel—and characters, generations, and history are breathlessly painted against an Appalachian canvas.

Frankie Silver was convicted and hanged in Morganton, North Carolina, for the murder of her husband in 1833. She left behind a 13-month-old daughter named Nancy, who was kidnapped by Frankie's family, the Stuarts, and taken to Franklin, North Carolina, to live. Several years later, her maternal grandmother sought custody of her and took her back to Yancy County. A LIFE FOR NANCY takes readers on a journey of Nancy's life from 1832 until her death in 1901. The murder of her father and execution of her mother would follow Nancy through a life filled with tragedy and heartache. With a husband who is caught up in the Civil War, survival is her top priority, and she will do anything to make sure her children are fed as poverty hits the Appalachian Mountains. Based on true stories handed down through the generations and actual documents found by family members, this work of historical fiction is full of mystery, romance and murder, as Nancy seeks to find some sort of peace in her life.

The Gory Stories Behind The Murder Ballads Cheerfully vulgar, revelling in gore, and always with an eye on the main chance, murder ballads are tabloid newspapers set to music, carrying word of the latest ‘orrible murders to an insatiable public. Victims are bludgeoned, stabbed or shot in every verse and killers often hanged, but the songs themselves never die. Instead, they mutate – morphing to suit local place names as they criss cross the Atlantic and continue to fascinate each generation’s biggest musical stars. Paul Slade traces this fascinating genre’s history through eight of its greatest songs. Stagger Lee’s “biographers” alone include Duke Ellington, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Dr John, The Clash and Nick Cave. No two tell his story in quite the same way. Covering eight classic murder ballads, including “Knoxville Girl”, “Tom Dooley” and “Frankie & Johnny”, Slade investigates the real-life murder which inspired each song and traces its musical development down the decades. Billy Bragg, The Bad Seeds’ Mick Harvey, Laura Cantrell, Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family and a host of other leading musicians add their own insights.

What would possess a grandmother to murder her two-year-old granddaughter? The Legend of Nance Dude presents all the known facts surrounding Roberta Putnams grizzly murder and the arrest, trial, and subsequent conviction of her grandmother, Nancy Ann Kerley, also known as Nance Dude.

Offering the real inside scoop, Whitey Bulger's #2 man in Boston's Irish mob tells where the bodies are buried.

"Anyone who loves boxing--even the sport's most die-hard supporters--must take a longer and more serious look at the issues that Tris Dixon writes about with such nuance and humanity in Damage...there's no better argument for more studies, discussion, and awareness than this book, a volume equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring with respect to the need for change."--Greg Bishop, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated The secret history brain damage in boxing has never been fully told―until now. From the story behind Muhammad Ali's deterioration, to first-hand accounts from the fighters themselves, including the beloved Micky Ward. In Damage, author Tris Dixon delivers a gripping history of "boxing's darkest secret"--CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), which was known previously as "Dementia Pugilistica" and "Punch Drunk Syndrome." This highly-anticipated book has already generated intense discussion on social media about the inner-conflict that comes with being a fan of the "sweet science, " and the difficulty involved in witnessing the devastating brain trauma suffered by the warriors who fight for the entertainment of millions. Unfortunately, the promoters, managers, and other non-participants who profit from the violence have long looked the other way. Will this book finally drive them to address the issue and help fighters get the help they deserve?