Tag: murder

New on our bookshelf today:

Death of an Altar Boy: The Unsolved Murder of Danny Croteau and the Culture of Abuse in the Catholic Church

by E.J. Fleming

The tragic death of 13-year-old Danny Croteau in 1972 faded from headlines and memories for 20 years until the Boston abuse scandal—a string of assaults taking place within the Catholic Church—exploded in the early 2000s. Despite numerous indications, including 40 claims of sexual misconduct with minors, pointing to him as Croteau’s killer, Reverend Richard R. Lavigne remains “innocent.”

Drawing on more than 10,000 pages of police and court records and interviews with Danny’s friends and family, fellow abuse victims, and church officials, the author uncovers the truth—church complicity in a cover up and masking of priests’ involvement in a ring of abusive clergy—behind Croteau’s death and those who had a hand in it.

New on our bookshelf today:

Through an Unlocked Door: In Walks Murder

by Kevin M. Sullivan

“We never lock our doors.” This is an often-heard remark expressing a commonplace American attitude or belief that, despite whatever danger might prevail in public spaces, life inside our own homes remains (or at least should remain) safe, carefree, normal. This book covers 13 high-profile cases in which evil paid an untimely visit and found the entrance open—when everything was normal, until it wasn’t.

New on our bookshelf today:

The Trunk Dripped Blood: Five Sensational Murder Cases of the Early 20th Century

by Mark Grossman

A trunk dripping blood, discovered at a railway station in Stockton in 1906, launched one of the most famous murder investigations in California history—still debated by crime historians. In 1913, the dismembered body of a young pregnant woman, found in the East River, was traced back to her killer and husband, who remains the only priest ever executed for homicide in the U.S. In 1916, a successful dentist, recently married into a prestigious family, poisoned his in-laws—first with deadly bacteria, then with arsenic—claiming the real murderer was an Egyptian incubus who took control of his body.

Drawing on court transcripts, newspaper coverage and other contemporary sources, this collection of historical American true crime stories chronicles five murder cases that became media sensations of their day, making headlines across the country in the decades before radio or television.

New on our bookshelf today:

Unsolved Child Murders: Eighteen American Cases, 1956–1998

by Emily G. Thompson

An estimated 800,000 children are reported missing each year in the United States. Only one in 10,000 are found dead. Yet unsolved child murders are almost a daily occurrence—of nearly 52,000 juvenile homicides between 1980 and 2008, more than 20 percent remain open.  Drawing on FBI reports, police and court records, and interviews with victims’ families, this book provides details and evidence for 18 unsolved cases from 1956 to 1998.

There have been two new manuscript deliveries today, and both are ready to go into editing. Kevin Sullivan delivered his manuscript about the crime of murder occurring in the homes of those who, through a matter of conscious decision or simply not paying attention, failed to secure their homes and to lock their doors, and because of this, were easily slaughtered. EJ Fleming has previously written for McFarland about Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites. Details about his new manuscript about the murder of Danny Croteau will be released soon.

Mark Grossman’s work about murder cases of the early 20th century now has an official title and final cover design:  The Trunk Dripped Blood: Five Sensational Murder Cases of the Early 20th Century.