Books for the Armchair Detective in Your Life

Name: Wicked Litchfield County
Brand: Peter C. Vermilyea
SKU: 9781467119696
Price: 16.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Inside some of the mildest people we know is a penchant for reading dark stories of small-town murders, or chilling serial killers. Why not arm the armchair detective in your life with true crime books from every dark corner of the American dream? Here are fascinating stories of unsolved cases, organized crime, historical murders, detective memoirs, epic manhunts, and everyday small-town murder. For the true crime fan in your life, we offer these gripping cases served hot, cold, strange, and straight – so go ahead, throw the book at them!

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Wicked Litchfield County

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Wicked Hartford

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Connecticut State Police

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Wicked Ridgefield, Connecticut

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Connecticut Bootlegger Queen Nellie Green

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Wicked Waterbury

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Wicked Bridgeport

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Wicked Litchfield County

9781467119696

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Thieves, rumrunners and rapscallions all color the unsavory side of Litchfield County history. Townspeople accused women of witchcraft simply for not bearing enough children in the early days of the region. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Owen Sullivan and William Stuart took advantage of the county's isolated stretches and a currency shortage to build counterfeiting empires. In 1780, Barnett Davenport's brutal actions earned him infamy as the nation's first mass murderer. Small-time speakeasies slowly took hold, and the omnipresence of alcohol-fueled crime led to the birth of the nationwide prohibition movement. Local historian Peter C. Vermilyea explores these and other devilish tales from the seedier history of Litchfield County.

Wicked Hartford

9781467137348

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

One of the oldest cities in America, Hartford holds plenty of sinful stories. Famed inventor and industrialist Samuel Colt sold arms to both the North and South in the buildup to the Civil War. The notorious Seyms Street jail was the subject of national criticism and scandal for its deplorable conditions. Local journalist Daniel Birdsall fought to expose corruption in the powerful insurance industry and local government at the expense of his own printing presses. Tension between unions and "robber barons" such as Jay Gould spilled into the streets during the Gilded Age. Author Steve Thornton takes readers on an exciting journey through the seedy underbelly of Hartford's past.

Connecticut State Police

9781467120210

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

he Connecticut State Police Department was created in 1903 to preserve the peace, arrest convicting offenders, and stay alert to liquor and gambling violations, especially those on Sundays. The birth of the department came at time when temperance leagues began forming across the country. Connecticut State Police is an account of a department and its rise to battle, among other things, "demon rum." Today, troopers cover approximately half of the towns in the state of Connecticut and all of its highways. The CSP became successful and developed a reputation among the law enforcement community as one of the best in the nation. Connecticut state police grew in their responsibilities and expectations, taking on the duties of fire marshal, motor vehicle testing, and dozens of other important and influential agency tasks. This collection of photographs covers the many people, events, and tragedies that have shaped this respected department.

Wicked Ridgefield, Connecticut

9781467136822

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Ridgefield is no stranger to life's shadier characters. The history of this idyllic community includes cunning crooks, suburban embezzlers, bungling burglars and wandering scallywags. In 1894, a group of bank robbers literally blew it in a heist at the Saving Bank--the explosion attracted witnesses to see the gang miss out on a grand haul of fifty dollars. Half a decade later, in 1940, a skeleton whose origins still befuddle experts was unearthed in a tree nursery. This look at the darker side of Ridgefield's past includes sad and tragic moments as well, such as newlyweds imprisoned in the Tombs, the Satanists of the '70s and a hermit murdered for love. Local editor Jack Sanders tells fascinating tales of two centuries of Ridgefield criminals, n'er-do-wells and even wayward do-gooders in this entertaining--and occasionally humorous--glimpse into some of the town's wickedest moments.

Connecticut Bootlegger Queen Nellie Green

9781467147934

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Known as the “Queen of the Rumrunners on the East Coast,” Nellie Green led a captivating life full of bootlegging adventures. Nellie fearlessly stood up to all those who tried to stand in her way, receiving respect and financial support from many influential people. She built an underground empire in a business world dominated by men. Her rumrunners were men of intrigue who assumed aliases such as “Blackie,” “Wing” and “King Tut.” Join author Tony Renzoni as he recounts the life and times of this legendary figure, set against the historical backdrop of the Prohibition era, the women’s movement and the Roaring Twenties.

Wicked Waterbury

9781596296299

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In its early days, Waterbury was a muddy swamp, a breeding ground for pestilence and mosquitoes. Yet the town's early settlers rarely strayed from the path of Puritan righteousness. By the turn of the twentieth century, however, this rigorously policed, morally upright community had become what one politician called a "crossroads of slime and evil." Headlines boasted tales of corrupt politicians and love scandals, union strife and industrial sabotage. For sixteen years, Waterbury was the hideout for "Mad Bomber" George Metesky, and in 1974 the town witnessed the double homicide that provoked the longest-running trial in Connecticut's history. From the controversial opening of a birth control clinic to the corruption of Mayor T. Frank Hayes, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray document the major episodes that gave Waterbury the nickname "Sin City."

Wicked Bridgeport

9781609493790

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Join Bielawa as he navigates a precarious path through the unforgettably macabre and scandalous misdeeds of Bridgeport.

Beneath the smokestacks of the gritty cityscape of Bridgeport, Connecticut is the shocking criminal underbelly of this New England community. Sin and vice have long had a home on the shores of the Long Island Sound, and Bridgeport's sinister past is littered with tales of pirates, mobsters, bizarre Victorian murders, and even rumors of a doctor's attempts to reanimate the dead. Historian Michael J. Bielawa investigates such bizarre crimes as the unsolved murder of philanthropist James Beardsley, and the grisly discovery in Yellow Mill Pond during the 19th century, which helped legitimize forensic science. Join Bielawa as he navigates a precarious path through the unforgettably macabre and scandalous misdeeds of Bridgeport.