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The league of lady poisoners : illustrated true stories of dangerous women
Perrin, Lisa (Written by); Frey, Holly (Foreword by); Trimarchi, Maria (Foreword by); Perrin, Lisa
Chronicle Books LLC
, 2023
; English
; 211 Pages
A feast for the senses, this sumptuously illustrated book will introduce you to some of the most infamous women throughout world history, united by their shared taste for poison. Welcome to the League of Lady Poisoners.
This riveting and well-researched volume by Lisa Perrin weaves together the stories of more than twenty-five accused women poisoners, exploring the circumstances and skill sets that led them to lives of crime.
You might find yourself rooting for some of them—like Sally Bassett, who helped poison her granddaughter's enslavers in Bermuda, or Giulia Tofana, who sold her name-brand concoction to women wanting to be rid of their abusive (or otherwise undesirable) husbands. Other stories, though—including that of Yiya Murano, one of Argentina's most notorious swindlers and serial killers, or the terrifying Nurse Jane Toppan—may prove less palatable.
Organized into thematic chapters based on the women's motives, the book also includes an illustrated primer that delves into the origins and effects of common poisons throughout history, as well as a foreword by Holly Frey and Maria Trimarchi, creators and hosts of the podcast Criminalia. It is a treat for true crime fans, feminist history buffs, and any curious readers fascinated by the more macabre side of human nature.
TRUE CRIME GALORE: Women can do anything—even commit murder. This thoughtfully researched and insightful survey into the lives of the poisoners explores the toxic events that put these women in the spotlight, the deceptive methods and substances they used, and their legacies today. The League of Lady Poisoners is a thrilling deep dive for fans of true crime podcasts, docuseries, and books.
EYE-CATCHING GIFT: Illustrator and author Lisa Perrin's beautiful and distinctive art style blends the romantic allure of these pop culture legends with the disturbing and twisted facts of their lives. The hardcover is decorated with shining foil, and the interior contains clever Victorian-inspired lettering, borders, and diagrams that complement the text. Readers and illustrated book collectors will love all the details honoring the Golden Age of Poison.
FASCINATING, DIVERSE STORIES OF WOMEN WHO KILL: These women lived in different time periods and had varying cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds that influenced their motives. Some acted out of defiance—like the Angel Makers of Nagyrév, who taught women how to dispose of their abusive husbands in Hungary. Others schemed their way to power and money, including Empress Wu Zetian of China and Belle Gunness, who killed more than 14 people in the American Midwest. Discover all their stories in this engaging collection ... if you have the stomach for them.
Perfect for:
• Lovers of true crime podcasts like My Favorite Murder, Morbid, and Criminalia
• Readers who enjoy historical biographies, especially of women
• Readers who love a good villain, antihero, or underdog story
• Murder mystery fans
• Art lovers and illustrated book collectors
• Fans of Lisa Perrin's beautiful illustration
• Shoppers looking for a unique feminist gift book
• Fans of period dramas like The Serpent Queen and The Borgias
• Readers who enjoy books like Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History and The Trial of Lizzie Borden
Perrin, Lisa (Written by); Frey, Holly (Foreword by); Trimarchi, Maria (Foreword by); Perrin, Lisa
Chronicle Books LLC
, 2023
; English
; 211 Pages
A feast for the senses, this sumptuously illustrated book will introduce you to some of the most infamous women throughout world history, united by their shared taste for poison. Welcome to the League of Lady Poisoners.
This riveting and well-researched volume by Lisa Perrin weaves together the stories of more than twenty-five accused women poisoners, exploring the circumstances and skill sets that led them to lives of crime.
You might find yourself rooting for some of them—like Sally Bassett, who helped poison her granddaughter's enslavers in Bermuda, or Giulia Tofana, who sold her name-brand concoction to women wanting to be rid of their abusive (or otherwise undesirable) husbands. Other stories, though—including that of Yiya Murano, one of Argentina's most notorious swindlers and serial killers, or the terrifying Nurse Jane Toppan—may prove less palatable.
Organized into thematic chapters based on the women's motives, the book also includes an illustrated primer that delves into the origins and effects of common poisons throughout history, as well as a foreword by Holly Frey and Maria Trimarchi, creators and hosts of the podcast Criminalia. It is a treat for true crime fans, feminist history buffs, and any curious readers fascinated by the more macabre side of human nature.
TRUE CRIME GALORE: Women can do anything—even commit murder. This thoughtfully researched and insightful survey into the lives of the poisoners explores the toxic events that put these women in the spotlight, the deceptive methods and substances they used, and their legacies today. The League of Lady Poisoners is a thrilling deep dive for fans of true crime podcasts, docuseries, and books.
EYE-CATCHING GIFT: Illustrator and author Lisa Perrin's beautiful and distinctive art style blends the romantic allure of these pop culture legends with the disturbing and twisted facts of their lives. The hardcover is decorated with shining foil, and the interior contains clever Victorian-inspired lettering, borders, and diagrams that complement the text. Readers and illustrated book collectors will love all the details honoring the Golden Age of Poison.
FASCINATING, DIVERSE STORIES OF WOMEN WHO KILL: These women lived in different time periods and had varying cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds that influenced their motives. Some acted out of defiance—like the Angel Makers of Nagyrév, who taught women how to dispose of their abusive husbands in Hungary. Others schemed their way to power and money, including Empress Wu Zetian of China and Belle Gunness, who killed more than 14 people in the American Midwest. Discover all their stories in this engaging collection ... if you have the stomach for them.
Perfect for:
• Lovers of true crime podcasts like My Favorite Murder, Morbid, and Criminalia
• Readers who enjoy historical biographies, especially of women
• Readers who love a good villain, antihero, or underdog story
• Murder mystery fans
• Art lovers and illustrated book collectors
• Fans of Lisa Perrin's beautiful illustration
• Shoppers looking for a unique feminist gift book
• Fans of period dramas like The Serpent Queen and The Borgias
• Readers who enjoy books like Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History and The Trial of Lizzie Borden
Audiobook
Blessed Are the Bank Robbers: The True Adventures of an Evangelical Outlaw
Smith, Chas; Smith, Chas
Blackstone Publishing
, 2022
; English
A rollicking true story of Bibles and bank robberies in Southern California, from a talented and highly praised gonzo journalist.
Chas Smith grew up deeply enmeshed in the evangelical Christian world that grew out of Southern California in the late 1960s. His family included famous missionaries and megachurch pastors, but his cousin Daniel Courson was Grandma's favorite. Smith looked up to Cousin Danny. He was handsome, adventurous, and smart, earned a degree from Bible college, and settled into a family and a stable career.
Needless to say, it was a big surprise when Cousin Danny started robbing banks. Known as the "Floppy Hat Bandit," Courson robbed nineteen of them in a torrid six-week spree before being caught and sentenced to seven years. When he tried to escape, they tacked on another year. And when he finally got out, despite seeming to be back on the straight and narrow, Cousin Danny disappeared. Banks started getting robbed again. It seemed Cousin Danny might be gunning for the record.
Smith's Blessed Are the Bank Robbers is the wild, and wildly entertaining, story of an all-American anti-hero. It's a tale of bank robberies, art and jewel heists, high-speed chases, fake identities, encrypted Swiss email accounts, jilted lovers, and the dark side of an evangelical family (and it wasn't just Danny; an uncle was mixed up with the mujahideen). It's a book about what it means to live inside the church and outside the law.
Smith, Chas; Smith, Chas
Blackstone Publishing
, 2022
; English
A rollicking true story of Bibles and bank robberies in Southern California, from a talented and highly praised gonzo journalist.
Chas Smith grew up deeply enmeshed in the evangelical Christian world that grew out of Southern California in the late 1960s. His family included famous missionaries and megachurch pastors, but his cousin Daniel Courson was Grandma's favorite. Smith looked up to Cousin Danny. He was handsome, adventurous, and smart, earned a degree from Bible college, and settled into a family and a stable career.
Needless to say, it was a big surprise when Cousin Danny started robbing banks. Known as the "Floppy Hat Bandit," Courson robbed nineteen of them in a torrid six-week spree before being caught and sentenced to seven years. When he tried to escape, they tacked on another year. And when he finally got out, despite seeming to be back on the straight and narrow, Cousin Danny disappeared. Banks started getting robbed again. It seemed Cousin Danny might be gunning for the record.
Smith's Blessed Are the Bank Robbers is the wild, and wildly entertaining, story of an all-American anti-hero. It's a tale of bank robberies, art and jewel heists, high-speed chases, fake identities, encrypted Swiss email accounts, jilted lovers, and the dark side of an evangelical family (and it wasn't just Danny; an uncle was mixed up with the mujahideen). It's a book about what it means to live inside the church and outside the law.
Audiobook
Deadly Associates: A True Story of Murder, Survival, and Bringing Down the Chicago Mob
Seifert, Emma; Seifert, Nick; Seifert, Joe; Aleman, Zac
Blackstone Publishing
, 2022
; English
Step into Chicago during the 1960s and '70s, when mobsters influence everyone from strip-club owners to Teamsters, aldermen, judges, and local police. It is a world where good men are corrupted by the irresistible lure of money and power and families are shattered by lies, violence, and tragedy.
Danny Seifert, a street-smart and ambitious young man, follows his father's example in his efforts to provide a good, comfortable life for his wife and children. Soon, however, his path leads him toward the dark heart of the Mob. His career choices eventually bring him to a point where he must choose between loyalty to the Mob and probable prison time, or coming clean to the FBI, testifying against Mob leaders, and risking retaliation to himself and his family. He chooses the latter, which ultimately leads to his murder and decades of living in fear for his widow, Emma, and their children.
As they grow into men, Danny's sons, Joe and Nick, take it upon themselves to find the man responsible for their father's death and make him pay. In seeking retribution for Danny, will they also succumb to lives of crime, or will they follow the high road of law and justice all the way to the Family Secrets trial in 2007, one of the largest Mob trials in history?
Find out in Deadly Associates, a meticulously researched and poignantly personal story of one family's life inside and outside the Chicago Mob.
The book behind the Deadly Associates docuseries on REELZChannel™!
Seifert, Emma; Seifert, Nick; Seifert, Joe; Aleman, Zac
Blackstone Publishing
, 2022
; English
Step into Chicago during the 1960s and '70s, when mobsters influence everyone from strip-club owners to Teamsters, aldermen, judges, and local police. It is a world where good men are corrupted by the irresistible lure of money and power and families are shattered by lies, violence, and tragedy.
Danny Seifert, a street-smart and ambitious young man, follows his father's example in his efforts to provide a good, comfortable life for his wife and children. Soon, however, his path leads him toward the dark heart of the Mob. His career choices eventually bring him to a point where he must choose between loyalty to the Mob and probable prison time, or coming clean to the FBI, testifying against Mob leaders, and risking retaliation to himself and his family. He chooses the latter, which ultimately leads to his murder and decades of living in fear for his widow, Emma, and their children.
As they grow into men, Danny's sons, Joe and Nick, take it upon themselves to find the man responsible for their father's death and make him pay. In seeking retribution for Danny, will they also succumb to lives of crime, or will they follow the high road of law and justice all the way to the Family Secrets trial in 2007, one of the largest Mob trials in history?
Find out in Deadly Associates, a meticulously researched and poignantly personal story of one family's life inside and outside the Chicago Mob.
The book behind the Deadly Associates docuseries on REELZChannel™!
eBook
D'Orazio, Valerie
TidalWave Productions
, 2022
; English
; 94 Pages
Conspiracies. Espionage. UFOs. Hidden History. Secret Societies. The Paranormal. “Beyond” brings you stories about the secret and suppressed, the stories "They" don't want you to know! Take the Red Pill and join your fearless host Virgil Hall as he takes you far, far down the Rabbit Hole...to “Beyond"! Read the stories of Edward Snowden, The Joker Complex, Charles Manson as well as Father Yod and the Source Brotherhood in this 94-page graphic novel.
eBook
D'Orazio, Valerie
TidalWave Productions
, 2022
; English
; 94 Pages
Conspiracies. Espionage. UFOs. Hidden History. Secret Societies. The Paranormal. “Beyond” brings you stories about the secret and suppressed, the stories "They" don't want you to know! Take the Red Pill and join your fearless host Virgil Hall as he takes you far, far down the Rabbit Hole...to “Beyond"! Read the stories of Edward Snowden, The Joker Complex, Charles Manson as well as Father Yod and the Source Brotherhood in this 94-page graphic novel.
Audiobook
Flim-Flam Man: The Memoir That Inspired Flag Day
Vogel, Jennifer; White, Karen
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
The major motion picture Flag Day starring Sean Penn and his daughter Dylan Penn is based on this father-daughter story of a charming criminal—told by the daughter who loved him.
One frosty winter morning in 1995, Jennifer Vogel opened the newspaper and read that her father had gone on the run. John Vogel, fifty-two, had been arrested for single-handedly counterfeiting nearly $20 million in US currency—the fourth-largest sum ever seized by federal agents—and then had been released pending trial. Though Jennifer hadn't spoken to her father in more than four years, the police suspected he might turn up at her Minneapolis apartment. She examined the shadows outside her building, and thought she spotted him at the grocery store and the bus stop. He had simply vanished.
Framed around the six months her father eluded authorities, Jennifer's memoir documents the police chase—stakeouts, lie-detector tests, even a segment on Unsolved Mysteries—and vividly chronicles her tumultuous childhood while examining her father's legacy.
A lifelong criminal who robbed banks, burned down buildings, scammed investors, and even plotted murder, John Vogel was also a hapless dreamer who wrote a novel, baked lemon meringue pies, and took his ten-year-old daughter to see Rocky in an empty theater on Christmas Eve. When it came time to pass his counterfeit bills, he spent them at Wal-Mart for political reasons.
Culling from memories, photo albums, public documents, and interviews with the handful of people who knew the real John Vogel, this is an intimate and intensely moving psychological portrait of a charismatic, larger-than-life figure—as told by the daughter who nearly followed in his footsteps.
Vogel, Jennifer; White, Karen
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
The major motion picture Flag Day starring Sean Penn and his daughter Dylan Penn is based on this father-daughter story of a charming criminal—told by the daughter who loved him.
One frosty winter morning in 1995, Jennifer Vogel opened the newspaper and read that her father had gone on the run. John Vogel, fifty-two, had been arrested for single-handedly counterfeiting nearly $20 million in US currency—the fourth-largest sum ever seized by federal agents—and then had been released pending trial. Though Jennifer hadn't spoken to her father in more than four years, the police suspected he might turn up at her Minneapolis apartment. She examined the shadows outside her building, and thought she spotted him at the grocery store and the bus stop. He had simply vanished.
Framed around the six months her father eluded authorities, Jennifer's memoir documents the police chase—stakeouts, lie-detector tests, even a segment on Unsolved Mysteries—and vividly chronicles her tumultuous childhood while examining her father's legacy.
A lifelong criminal who robbed banks, burned down buildings, scammed investors, and even plotted murder, John Vogel was also a hapless dreamer who wrote a novel, baked lemon meringue pies, and took his ten-year-old daughter to see Rocky in an empty theater on Christmas Eve. When it came time to pass his counterfeit bills, he spent them at Wal-Mart for political reasons.
Culling from memories, photo albums, public documents, and interviews with the handful of people who knew the real John Vogel, this is an intimate and intensely moving psychological portrait of a charismatic, larger-than-life figure—as told by the daughter who nearly followed in his footsteps.
Audiobook
García Márquez, Gabriel; Grossman, Edith; Salazar, Christopher
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
Consumed these past twenty years by a "biblical holocaust," Colombia has endured leftist insurgencies, right-wing death squads, currency collapses, cholera epidemics, and, most recently and corrosively, drug trafficking. Returning to his days as a reporter for El Espectador, Gabriel García Márquez chronicles, with consummate skill, the period in late 1990 when Colombian security forces mounted a nationwide manhunt for Pablo Escobar, the ruthless and elusive head of the Medellin cartel.
Ten men and women were abducted by Escobar's henchmen and used as bargaining chips against extradition to the United States. From the testimonies and diaries of the survivors, García Márquez reconstructs their bizarre ordeal with cinematic intensity, breathtaking language, and rigor. We are drawn into a world that, like some phantasmagorical setting in a great García Márquez novel, we can scarcely believe exists but that continually shocks us with its cold, hard reality.
Audiobook
García Márquez, Gabriel; Grossman, Edith; Salazar, Christopher
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
Consumed these past twenty years by a "biblical holocaust," Colombia has endured leftist insurgencies, right-wing death squads, currency collapses, cholera epidemics, and, most recently and corrosively, drug trafficking. Returning to his days as a reporter for El Espectador, Gabriel García Márquez chronicles, with consummate skill, the period in late 1990 when Colombian security forces mounted a nationwide manhunt for Pablo Escobar, the ruthless and elusive head of the Medellin cartel.
Ten men and women were abducted by Escobar's henchmen and used as bargaining chips against extradition to the United States. From the testimonies and diaries of the survivors, García Márquez reconstructs their bizarre ordeal with cinematic intensity, breathtaking language, and rigor. We are drawn into a world that, like some phantasmagorical setting in a great García Márquez novel, we can scarcely believe exists but that continually shocks us with its cold, hard reality.
Audiobook
Sullivan, Kevin M.; Berkrot, Peter
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
If you want a view into the world that lies behind the Ted Bundy murders, this last work in a series of six books on Bundy is definitely for you. For within this audiobook you will find many questions still surrounding this fascinating and intricate case, as well as the answers that are only now being provided here. There's so much more to learn, and new information is still surfacing about Bundy, his victims, and his potential victims. As such, there is new testimony included from those who had a brush with the killer, and others who played their own roles in this multistate case.
You will also hear from Bundy case detectives Jerry Thompson of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Don Patchen of Tallahassee, Florida, as they tell of their experiences with Bundy. So does Ron Holmes, the Louisville criminologist who worked with Ted Bundy towards the end of his life. Holmes not only gives accurate details about Ted Bundy but other serial killers as well. On top of this, it contains some very important official reports that have rarely been seen outside of the archives, and there will be commentary to guide listeners through it. This audiobook also makes available Bundy's final confession to Utah detective Dennis Couch, made only hours before the killer's death, where Bundy reveals some startling facts and sparks some additional questions as well. All in all, The Enigma of Ted Bundy is an enlightening journey into this most infamous case.
Sullivan, Kevin M.; Berkrot, Peter
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
If you want a view into the world that lies behind the Ted Bundy murders, this last work in a series of six books on Bundy is definitely for you. For within this audiobook you will find many questions still surrounding this fascinating and intricate case, as well as the answers that are only now being provided here. There's so much more to learn, and new information is still surfacing about Bundy, his victims, and his potential victims. As such, there is new testimony included from those who had a brush with the killer, and others who played their own roles in this multistate case.
You will also hear from Bundy case detectives Jerry Thompson of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Don Patchen of Tallahassee, Florida, as they tell of their experiences with Bundy. So does Ron Holmes, the Louisville criminologist who worked with Ted Bundy towards the end of his life. Holmes not only gives accurate details about Ted Bundy but other serial killers as well. On top of this, it contains some very important official reports that have rarely been seen outside of the archives, and there will be commentary to guide listeners through it. This audiobook also makes available Bundy's final confession to Utah detective Dennis Couch, made only hours before the killer's death, where Bundy reveals some startling facts and sparks some additional questions as well. All in all, The Enigma of Ted Bundy is an enlightening journey into this most infamous case.
eBook
Infamous: Tiger King, the ultimate exotic edition
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2021
; English
; 74 Pages
Over 70-pages of the Tiger King! Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix's seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed "Tiger King." The flamboyant Joe Exotic, a former magician, country singer, and zookeeper with a troubled past, currently sits in jail for planning to murder his rival, Big Cat Rescue owner and animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who he accuses of killing her husband and feeding him to her tigers. Exotic's jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made also led to convictions for violating the Lacey Act. He'll spend twenty-two years in Federal prison unless the government grants his pleas for clemency. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? Where are they? How are they doing today? With PETA's assistance (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), this volume includes information not found in the Netflix documentary. Serving as a prequel and a sequel to the story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and the animals in their care, this graphic novel collects Infamous Tiger King and Infamous Tiger King 2: Sanctuary.
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2021
; English
; 74 Pages
Over 70-pages of the Tiger King! Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix's seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed "Tiger King." The flamboyant Joe Exotic, a former magician, country singer, and zookeeper with a troubled past, currently sits in jail for planning to murder his rival, Big Cat Rescue owner and animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who he accuses of killing her husband and feeding him to her tigers. Exotic's jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made also led to convictions for violating the Lacey Act. He'll spend twenty-two years in Federal prison unless the government grants his pleas for clemency. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? Where are they? How are they doing today? With PETA's assistance (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), this volume includes information not found in the Netflix documentary. Serving as a prequel and a sequel to the story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and the animals in their care, this graphic novel collects Infamous Tiger King and Infamous Tiger King 2: Sanctuary.
Audiobook
Howard, Dylan; Linski, David
Blackstone Publishing
, 2020
; English
From teenage gang member to $40 million star of the New England Patriots, from All-American college player to drug addict, murderer, dead by suicide in his jail cell at age twenty-seven…you think you know the Aaron Hernandez story? You don't.
For the first time, Aaron Hernandez's Killing Fields will reveal the real, hitherto unknown motive for the killing of Odin Lloyd—the only crime for which Hernandez was ever convicted and a revelation so shocking it will shake the foundations of the NFL itself. It will also unpick a pattern of violence and brutality stretching back to his time as a teenager at the University of Florida, revealing further shooting victims, evidence of his involvement in the double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012.
Featuring new interviews with Hernandez's cellmates, serving police investigators, prosecutors, psychologists, attorneys—as well as key witnesses including Hernandez's drug dealer, a male stripper he hired days before the killing of Lloyd—plus extensive testimony from relatives of Hernandez's victims, Aaron Hernandez's Killing Fields is the exhaustive, definitive account of the rise and fall of a man undone by his own appetite for violence, gangsterism, power, drugs, and self-destruction.
This is the real Aaron Hernandez story—and perhaps just the beginning of a whole new murder investigation.
Howard, Dylan; Linski, David
Blackstone Publishing
, 2020
; English
From teenage gang member to $40 million star of the New England Patriots, from All-American college player to drug addict, murderer, dead by suicide in his jail cell at age twenty-seven…you think you know the Aaron Hernandez story? You don't.
For the first time, Aaron Hernandez's Killing Fields will reveal the real, hitherto unknown motive for the killing of Odin Lloyd—the only crime for which Hernandez was ever convicted and a revelation so shocking it will shake the foundations of the NFL itself. It will also unpick a pattern of violence and brutality stretching back to his time as a teenager at the University of Florida, revealing further shooting victims, evidence of his involvement in the double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012.
Featuring new interviews with Hernandez's cellmates, serving police investigators, prosecutors, psychologists, attorneys—as well as key witnesses including Hernandez's drug dealer, a male stripper he hired days before the killing of Lloyd—plus extensive testimony from relatives of Hernandez's victims, Aaron Hernandez's Killing Fields is the exhaustive, definitive account of the rise and fall of a man undone by his own appetite for violence, gangsterism, power, drugs, and self-destruction.
This is the real Aaron Hernandez story—and perhaps just the beginning of a whole new murder investigation.
eBook
The port of missing men: billy gohl, labor, and brutal times in the Pacific Northwest
Goings, Aaron
University of Washington Press
, 2020
; English
; 295 Pages
In the early twentieth century so many dead bodies surfaced in the rivers around Aberdeen, Washington, that they were nicknamed the “floater fleet.” When Billy Gohl (1873–1927), a powerful union official, was arrested for murder, local newspapers were quick to suggest that he was responsible for many of those deaths, perhaps even dozens—thus launching the legend of the Ghoul of Grays Harbor.
More than a true-crime tale, The Port of Missing Men sheds light on the lives of workers who died tragically, illuminating the dehumanizing treatment of sailors and lumber workers and the heated clashes between pro- and anti-union forces. Goings investigates the creation of the myth, exploring how so many people were willing to believe such extraordinary stories about Gohl. He shares the story of a charismatic labor leader—the one man who could shut down the highly profitable Grays Harbor lumber trade—and provides an equally intriguing analysis of the human costs of the Pacific Northwest’s early extraction economy.
Goings, Aaron
University of Washington Press
, 2020
; English
; 295 Pages
In the early twentieth century so many dead bodies surfaced in the rivers around Aberdeen, Washington, that they were nicknamed the “floater fleet.” When Billy Gohl (1873–1927), a powerful union official, was arrested for murder, local newspapers were quick to suggest that he was responsible for many of those deaths, perhaps even dozens—thus launching the legend of the Ghoul of Grays Harbor.
More than a true-crime tale, The Port of Missing Men sheds light on the lives of workers who died tragically, illuminating the dehumanizing treatment of sailors and lumber workers and the heated clashes between pro- and anti-union forces. Goings investigates the creation of the myth, exploring how so many people were willing to believe such extraordinary stories about Gohl. He shares the story of a charismatic labor leader—the one man who could shut down the highly profitable Grays Harbor lumber trade—and provides an equally intriguing analysis of the human costs of the Pacific Northwest’s early extraction economy.
