• Newsletter Signup
  • Interested Authors
  • Blog/Content
    • Author Reports
      • On The Trail Of Ted Bundy
      • Bradley Nickell Q&A With a Sin City Cop
      • From Russia With Love
      • eZine
        • Sign Up For The WildBlue Press eZine
  • Events / Media
    • Special Events
    • Upcoming Media Appearances
    • Media Appearances Archive
  • About Us
    • Catalog
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
  • Partners
    • MacGregor Literary
    • ImaginePublicity
    • The House Of Mystery With Host Al Warren
  • Contact Us
    • For Interested Authors
    • Participate in Focus Groups
    • Employment

WildBlue Press

Great Reads from Exceptional Authors

Great Reads from
Exceptional Authors

  • Home
  • Our Books
    • By Genre
      • Business
      • History
      • Mystery
      • Sci-Fi/Fantasy
      • Thrillers
      • True Crime
    • Box Sets
    • Award Winners
    • Coming Soon
    • Featured Books
    • New Releases
  • Blog
  • Subscribe
  • Interested Authors
  • Partners
    • Imagine Publicity
    • MacGregor Literary
    • The House Of Mystery With Al Warren
  • About Us
    • Catalog
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

True Crime Author Ron Franscell

Ron Franscell, True Crime Writer

Ron Franscell, True Crime Writer

Over the years, Ron Franscell’s books have earned high praise from bestselling authors such as Ann Rule, John Lescroart, Vincent Bugliosi, C.J. Box, Howard Frank Mosher, and Warren Adler. His writing has been compared to Truman Capote, Robert Olen Butler, Norman McLean, Cormac McCarthy and Charles Frazier. Now, meet the author.

Ron grew up in Wyoming. A lifelong journalist, he worked for newspapers in Wyoming, New Mexico and California’s Bay Area before hitting the road in one of American journalism’s best beats, covering the evolution of the American West as a senior writer for the Denver Post. Shortly after 9/11, he was dispatched by the Post to cover the Middle East during the first few months of the Afghan war. In 2004, he became the managing editor for the Beaumont (TX) Enterprise, where he covered the devastation of Hurricane Rita from inside the storm. He now lives in San Antonio, Texas.

His book reviews and essays are regularly published in many of America’s biggest and best newspapers, such as the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, San Jose Mercury-News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and others. He has been a guest on CNN, Fox News, NPR, the Today Show, ABC News, and other major broadcast outlets all over America. And he appears regularly on crime documentaries at Investigation Discovery, History Channel, and A&E.

On May 17, St. Martin’s Press will release MORGUE: A LIFE IN DEATH, which Ron co-authored with renowned medical examiner Dr. Vincent Di Maio. It explores the most historic, infamous, and heartbreaking cases of Dr. Di Maio, one of the world’s lions of forensic medicine. From the exhumation of Lee Harvey Oswald and the racially charged shooting of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, to the unmasking of a serial baby-killer and the mysterious death of troubled genius Vincent van Gogh. Along the way, one of the country’s most methodical and intuitive criminal pathologists will dissect himself, maintaining a nearly continuous flow of suspenseful stories, revealing anecdotes, and enough macabre insider details to rivet the most fervent crime fans. It’s already been hailed as a “tour de force” and “crime masterpiece” by a brilliant array of people you know, from the late Vincent Bugliosi and Dr. Michael Baden to crime-writer Gregg Olsen and actor David McCallum. It’s also earned starred reviews at Booklist and Publisher’s Weekly.

And THE DARKEST NIGHT (also titled FALL in a 2007 hardcover) continues to be a bestselling true crime. This intensely personal nonfiction about a monstrous crime that touched his life as a child has been hailed by authors such as Ann Rule and Vincent Bugliosi, as well as critics, as a direct literary descendant of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.”

Ron’s debut novel, ANGEL FIRE, was published by Laughing Owl in 1998, and reprinted by Berkley (Penguin/Putnam) in 2000. Soon after, it was listed by the San Francisco Chronicle among the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century West (No. 74, in fact).

His popular mystery, THE DEADLINE, was published in 1999, followed by a sequel, THE OBITUARY. Both are now WildBlue Press titles.

While Reporting for the Denver Post, Ron Franscell was dispatched to the Middle East to write about the early days of the War on Terror

While reporting for the Denver Post, Ron Franscell was dispatched to the Middle East to write about the early days of the War on Terror

DELIVERED FROM EVIL (2011) explores the entangled lives of mass-murderers and their victims, tracing the lives of 10 ordinary people who survived some of America’s worst massacres. Auspiciously, it debuted on the day a deranged young gunman killed six and wounded 13 at a Tucson supermarket in one of the most shocking crimes of our day.

Ron’s popular CRIME BUFF’S GUIDEs are quirky travel guides taking true-crime and history travelers to significant crime-related sites all over America. The series started with THE CRIME BUFF’S GUIDE TO OUTLAW TEXAS (2010). Then came OUTLAW ROCKIES (2011),  OUTLAW WASHINGTON DC (2012) and OUTLAW PENNSYLVANIA (2013). OUTLAW NEW MEXICO and OUTLAW ARIZONA came out in the summer of 2014.

Author Ron Franscell just before he drank a cocktail containing this mummified human toe, the quest of his father-and-son road book, "The Sourtoe Cocktail Club."

Author Ron Franscell just before he drank a cocktail containing this mummified human toe, the quest of his father-and-son road book, “The Sourtoe Cocktail Club.”

THE SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is a significant departure from true crime. It’s an intimate account of Ron’s extraordinary road trip to the Yukon with his son, where they drank a cocktail containing a mummified human toe and spent the longest day of the year under an Arctic sun that never set. Magical. But it’s also an intimate exploration of what it means to be a father and a son. Praised by legendary authors such as W.P. Kinsella, Ivan Doig, William Least Heat Moon and others, SOURTOE moves road memoirs a little farther on their journey.

 

Ron Franscell’s Books

OUTLAW LOS ANGELES Takes Readers To The City Where Anything Is Possible, Even The Ghastly

A sunset cruise through a place where ordinary inhumanities are entertainment... Los Angeles is where America’s dreams and nightmares got all tangled up. In this otherworldly place of seemingly everlasting life, death could have an otherworldly … [Read More...]

Ron Franscell Takes Readers On A Rollicking Ride Through The Southwest’s Unruly Past In OUTLAW SOUTHWEST

"The ultimate guilty pleasure book!" - San Antonio Express News The line between history and mythology is razor thin—and the American Southwest often erases the line altogether. We might never disentangle crime-fact from fiction, but this book will … [Read More...]

THE OBITUARY - A Jefferson Morgan Mystery by Ron Franscell

Ron Franscell Pens Hot Mystery Sequel To THE DEADLINE With THE OBITUARY

The Adventures of Newspaperman Jefferson Morgan Continue With Another Scintillating Mystery Set In Wyoming When a world-renowned forensic anthropologist journeys to Winchester, Wyoming, to examine the long-dead remains of a woman who claimed to … [Read More...]

THE DEADLINE - Ron Franscell

Ron Franscell’s Debut Mystery Novel As Stunning As The Wyoming Landscape

A dying convict's last request thrusts small-town newspaperman Jefferson Morgan into a deadly maelstrom as he explores a fifty-year-old case of child murder -- a wound his town still isn't ready to scrape open. Under the heaviest deadline of his … [Read More...]

Ron’s Website

Ron Franscell has a fresh new website that you should check out.

Genres, Types

New Releases
Featured Books
Coming Soon
Award Winners

Business
History
Horror
Mysteries
Romance
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thrillers
True Crime

eBooks
Paperbacks
Audio Books
Box Sets

Available

Cookbook
• Frank Cullotta's Greatest (Kitchen) Hits
True Crime
• 'the Son Of Sam' And Me
• Serial Killers
• Satin Pumps
• Out Of The Mouths Of Serial Killers
• True Crime Chronicles Volume Two
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Three
• The Enigma Of Ted Bundy
• True Crime Chronicles Volume One
• Killing Women
• From The Mob To The Movies
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Two
• To Kill Or Be Killed
• No Angels
• Monster
• Under A Full Moon
• 'til Death Do Us ...'
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers
• First Degree Rage
• The 'supreme Gentleman' Killer
• Beast Of New Castle
• The Garden State Parkway Murders
• How Now, Butterfly?
• The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders
• Survival
• Missing ... And Presumed Dead
• Wrong Numbers
• Tantamount
• Playing Dead
• Mothers And Murderers
• Dead Reckoning
• Underworld
• Gabacho
• The Gangster's Cousin
• Race To Justice
• Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries
• Travesty Of Justice
• Railroaded
• You Have A Very Soft Voice, Susan
• A Family Business
• Pathological
• Wrecking Crew
• The Last Man Standing
• My Son, The Killer
• Saving Annie Book 2
• Inconvenience Gone
• Toxic Rage
• The Killing Game
• Shots In The Dark
• Saving Annie
• The Case Of The Golden State Killer
• His Garden
• The Crate
• Burned
• The Case Of The Zodiac Killer
• A Murder In My Hometown
• Bullied To Death
• The Beast I Loved
• Summary Execution
• The Shawcross Letters
• Better Off Dead
• Sidetracked
• My Brother's Keeper
• Targeted
• Held Hostage
• Room 1203
• A Special Kind Of Evil
• Brooklyn's Most Wanted
• Outlaw Los Angeles
• Unsolved No More
• She Is Evil
• The Rise And Fall Of A Casino Mobster
• Outlaw Southwest
• A Clockwork Murder
• Raw Deal
• The Bundy Secrets
• Betrayal In Blue
• The Politics Of Murder
• Murderers Row
• Rough Trade
• Daddy's Little Secret
• Murder In The Family
• Failure Of Justice
• Ice And Bone
• Smooth Talker
• The Trail Of Ted Bundy
• A Taste For Murder
• Sketchcop
• Body Of Proof
• Kentucky Bloodbath
• No Stone Unturned
• Repeat Offender
• Dixie's Last Stand
• Vampire
• Man Overboard
• Bogeyman
Thriller
• No One Will Hear Your Screams
• The Screaming Room
• Bone Thief
• Four
• Crux
• Sword Of The Caliphate
• Last Son Of The War God
• Leviathan
• Highwayman
• The Strait
• Enemy Of The People
• Cain
• Dark Visions
• Hunter
• The Reckoning
• Hard Dog To Kill
• 16 Souls
• Borderland
• Paper Wings
• Lockout
• Pitfall
Mystery
• Raven's Ridge
• Raptor's Ridge
• Napa Noir
• Melia Ridge
• Emerald Ridge
• Beacon Hill
• Northern Ex
• Created
• Crevice
• Headlock
• Identity Crisis
• The Obituary
• Naked Addiction
• The Deadline
Horror
• Acadia Event
• The Red Son
• The Equinox
• The Pure And The Hated
• Savage Highway
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• Happenstance
• Destruction Of Justice
• Blunt Force Magic
Business
• Leaderology
• The Age Of Pluralism
• Bamboo Strong
• Corporate Superpower
• Wordpress Websites For Business
• Productivity Tools For Business
History
• Legion Rising
• The Korean Crisis
• Tempest Tost
• Saving Sandoval
• Killing Rasputin
Politics
• The (Redacted) Mueller Report
Romance
• When Fall Fades

New Releases

‘THE SON OF SAM’ AND ME

In 1976, a killer who called himself ‘The Son of Sam’ shot and killed a half dozen people and wounded as many more in New York City. During his crime spree, the madman left bizarre letters mocking the police and promising more deaths. After months … [More...]

SERIAL KILLERS: 101 Questions True Crime Fans Ask

Learn the terrifying truth behind the world’s deadliest serial killers… Serial killers haunt our dreams and inspire the terrifying villains of TV shows and horror movies. But how much do you really know about the minds behind the world’s deadliest … [More...]

SATIN PUMPS Gives Inside Look Into Gripping Midcentury Murder

It was the midcentury murder that fascinated a nation and kept it glued for two years to radio, television and newspapers through three trials. Did the handsome, wealthy doctor and his beautiful young paramour plan to kill his glamorous socialite … [More...]

OUT OF THE MOUTH OF SERIAL KILLERS

Why Do Serial Killers Kill? Find Out In OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF SERIAL KILLERS

WHY DO SERIAL KILLERS KILL? OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF SERIAL KILLERS​ is as close as you will ever come to discovering the answer ... and in the killer’s own words! In this one-of-a-kind book, author Mary Brett corresponded with some of America’s … [More...]

Coming Soon

The Son Of Seven Mothers Kindle Cover

Cult Survivor Benjamin Risha Tells Readers His Story In THE SON OF SEVEN MOTHERS

As the adopted son of two cult leaders, Benjamin Risha was raised to someday assume a place of leadership in the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation with the Bible, and his parents’ interpretation of it, as his guide. He believed the prophecies … [More...]

Recent Posts

  • Abraham Lincoln, True Crime Author
  • Book Trailer for ‘THE SON OF SAM’ AND ME
  • ‘THE SON OF SAM’ AND ME
  • Author and Aviator Les Abend Comments on United 328
  • Carl Denaro: “This Book Is About My Quest To Figure Out Who Shot Me”
  • SERIAL KILLERS: 101 Questions True Crime Fans Ask
  • Joni E. Johnston, Psy.D.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

eZine SignupJoin our email list and be the first to get hot deals, new releases and...
* Author updates
* Free eBooks
* Free audio books
* Enlightening and entertaining posts
* Advance notice of book deals, special offers

Follow Us

Blog Tag Cloud

best true crime books Bogeyman Bradley Nickell Brian Whitney Burl Barer Caitlin Rother Cold Case crime Crime Fiction Crime thriller Detective Detectives Facebook True Crime John Ferak Kevin Sullivan Las Vegas Murder murder book Mysteries Mystery mystery thriller Non-Fiction Ron Franscell Serial Killer serial killer books Serial Killers Steve Jackson Suspense suspense thriller Ted Bundy Thriller Thriller Books True-crime truecrime True Crime True Crime Authors true crime book true crime books True Crime Discussions True Crime Original true crimes true crime stories True Murder WildBlue Press writing

Privacy Policy

As Seen On:

Our Authors Have Been Seen On...

Interested Authors Click Here
See Our Entire Catalog
SSL Secure Connection

Copyright © 2021 WildBlue Press. All rights reserved.
Website design by Denver Local SEO Marketing Company
True Crime Author Ron Franscell