When widow Frances Lacey was murdered in July 1960 on Mackinac Island, only a few meager clues were found by police, and the case soon turned cold. But more than sixty years later, will those same clues finally solve the mystery? On July 24, 1960, the quaint charm and serenity of Mackinac, nestled between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, was shattered by Lacey's brutal death. Despite a massive manhunt and thousands of pages of police … [Read more...]
Gallery | ABOVE THE GROUND: A True Story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland by Dan Lawton
Dan Lawton's ABOVE THE GROUND: A True Story of The Troubles in Northern Ireland delves into the gripping realm of true crime, Irish history, prison escape, and the remarkable redemption of an unjustly accused man entangled in the complexities of an IRA murder. This photo gallery complements the absorbing account. … [Read more...]
Meet Author Dan Lawton
I'm a writer and lawyer. My short fiction and columns have appeared in The Recorder, Los Angeles Daily Journal, The Pensive Quill, The Daily Transcript, and Sheepshead Review. ABOVE THE GROUND: A True Story of The Troubles in Northern Ireland is my first work of narrative nonfiction. I was born in Los Angeles and raised in Fullerton, California, along with my three younger brothers. I earned my undergraduate degree … [Read more...]
ABOVE THE GROUND: A True Story of The Troubles in Northern Ireland—a tale of courage, injustice, and redemption by Dan Lawton
In 1978, the bloody conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles, reached a boiling point. Hundreds of members of the Irish Republican Army determined to drive the hated British out of the province-killing soldiers and police, detonating bombs, while arming themselves with firearms and explosives-were arrested and incarcerated in a notorious British prison known as the Maze. Sunday, November 26, 1978, two IRA gunmen kicked in the … [Read more...]
THE TUSKEGEE STRANGLER: The “Nicest” Serial Killer They Ever Met
Jerry Marcus fooled them all. He was "a nice guy," always helped at home, did well in school, an athlete, and always employed. When things went wrong, he was the first to help clean up the mess. He was the last person anyone suspected of being a serial killer. After Marcus was caught and sentenced to life in prison in the late '70s, author Linda Lou Long spent years corresponding with him. The Tuskegee Strangler gives an inside look into the … [Read more...]
Leslie Ghiglieri’s True Crime THE DECISION TO KILL Wins Literary Titan Gold
"When a crime is committed, numerous questions are asked... When everything about who you are and who you love is torn apart, what have you got left to stand for?" January 2023 | The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. Read the full review from Literary Titan Hear the author on CRIME BEAT About the Book A 1986 … [Read more...]
Investigating a Prohibition-Era Cold Case Murder
Author James Stewart introduces his debut book. Has he finally solved the 1923 murder of dancer Fritzie Mann? Learn more about MYSTERY AT THE BLUE SEA COTTAGE. Purchase the title on Amazon. Set in Jazz Age San Diego against the backdrop of yellow journalism, notorious Hollywood scandals, Prohibition corruption and a lively culture war, Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage tells the intriguing true crime story of a beautiful dancer, a … [Read more...]
MYSTERY AT THE BLUE SEA COTTAGE
Set in Jazz Age San Diego against the backdrop of yellow journalism, notorious Hollywood scandals, Prohibition corruption and a lively culture war, Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage tells the intriguing true crime story of a beautiful dancer, a playboy actor, and a debonair doctor. In January 1923, 20-year-old Fritzie Mann left home for a remote cottage by the sea to meet a man whose identity she had revealed to no one. The next … [Read more...]
How I Came To Write About The Mysterious Death Of Fritzie Mann
Like so many others, I got hooked on crime nonfiction back in the mid-70s when Helter Skelter came out. The best-selling true crime book of all time begins with a warning: “This book will scare the hell out of you”—the best introductory teaser for a book I’ve seen and absolutely true. Over the years I developed a fondness for narrative nonfiction books in the tradition of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, particularly those about vintage crimes such … [Read more...]
Abraham Lincoln, True Crime Author
Did you know President Abraham Lincoln wrote a true crime story? Abraham Lincoln is known for many things. He was the 16th President of the United States and held the country together during the Civil War. Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, freed the slaves with his Emancipation Proclamation, and championed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which outlawed slavery once and for all. Many people know what he looked like: tall, with a … [Read more...]
