Historical True Crime

In early 1870s Kansas, the Bender family lured travelers in with the promise of a warm meal and a place to lay their head for the night. What they actually got was death. It is estimated that the Benders robbed and murdered at least a dozen travelers before they were found out. They killed the wrong man, a man with family in high places. After it was decided by the township that they would search each and every homestead, the "Bloody Benders" fled. Whether members of the family were brought to justice has become the stuff of legend. Stories have been told of a vigilante group killing one or more of the Benders, but nothing has ever been substantiated. Two women, thought to be Bender women, were arrested for the crimes, but the charges were later dismissed.(1)

This story is one amongst countless horrors committed throughout history. If true crime and history fascinates you as much as it does me, click on the book covers or titles to take you to our catalog, where you can place on hold or check its availability at your local branch.

 

Book descriptions provided by publisher.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

by
Erik Larson

The parallel stories of Daniel Hudson Burnham, the man who designed the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and H.H. Holmes, con man and serial killer. While Burnham was basking in praise and accolades over his achievements, Holmes was killing in what would be called his "Murder Castle," a few miles from the fair. 

Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men

by
Harold Schechter

Hell's Princess explores the crimes of Belle Gunness. In Chicago at the turn of the century, and into the early 1900s, Gunness lured many men to their deaths by placing marriage ads in the paper.

Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History

by
Tori Telfer

In this book, Telfer explores fourteen largely forgotten female serial killers through a feminist lens. If you are a fan of the Investigation Discovery show, Deadly Women, this is a must read.

The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century

by
Simon Baatz

Years after being drugged and raped by a famous architect, turn of the century chorus girl, Evelyn Nesbit, confided in Harry Thaw, her future husband. Enraged, Thaw murdered Nesbit’s attacker. Like the OJ Simpson trial decades later, the ensuing trial was all anyone could talk about.

American Sherlock : Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI

by
Kate Winkler Dawson

In 1933, Edward Oscar Heinrich was at the forefront of cutting edge forensic science, pioneering methods that are still used to this day. This is the story of his life.

Killers of the Flower Moon : The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

by
David Grann

This book recounts one of the first major investigations of the FBI, and how badly it was botched, a conspiracy that led to the deaths of dozens of members of the Osage Indian nation, the wealthiest tribe in the nation due to the oil their land sat on, and those people investigating these deaths.

By MelissaJ on February 22, 2022