In 1929, Chicago gangster Al Capone arranged a special St. Valentine's Day delivery for his favorite arch enemies: a massacre. Seven North Side mobsters were left dead. Yet random killings and bizarre murders were not unfamiliar in Chicago. Tales of the city's most violent and puzzling murders make this gripping work truly hair-raising: a deranged stalker kills his love object and then himself; a sausage maker uses the tools of his trade to rid himself of his wife; and a meticulous serial killer cleans his dead victims' wounds before taping them closed. Through accounts dripping with mystery, gory details and suspense, Troy Taylor brilliantly tells the twisted history of the worst of Chicago's North Side.

Blazing from the West Side, the Great Chicago Fire left nothing but ashy remnants of the developing city leveling its landscape but certainly not its spirit. While the West Side was home to the infamous O'Leary Barn, it was also where the news of some of the city's most gruesome and horrific crime reverberated throughout the state and across the country. Read about the bloody end of Robert 'the Terrible' Toughy, who undoubtedly lived up to his name, met an ill-deserved fate. Troy Taylor also delves into the life of John Wayne Gacy the depraved man masked by the clown costume and yet again proves to be a master storyteller and historian of Chicago's criminal underworld.

From the very beginning, Chicago thrived on its reputation as a wide-open town. After the Great Fire, no part of the city was rebuilt more quickly than the vice districts, where bribed cops and brutal force emboldened professional wickedness to celebrate itself with gala events like the First Ward Ball, begun in honor of a madam's pianist and often so crowded that passed-out drunks couldn't even fall to the floor. Randolph Street was nicknamed Gambler's Row because men gambled with their lives by visiting it. In Little Hell, guns and knives could be rented by the hour. In these seedy areas only put to sleep by Mickey Finn's knockout drinks or Gentle Annie's knockout punches, it is no wonder that Detective Woolridge kept seventy-five disguises, made twenty thousand arrests and was shot at forty-four times.

Lurking below the Loop, behind the industry-driven energy of Chicago, lies the mysterious criminal underworld of the South Side. Recounting criminal exploits of legends like Alphonse Capone, as well as lesser-known stories like the Car Barn Bandits, Troy Taylor captures the intricacies of the most infamous stories of Chicago's South Side. From the gruesome murders committed by the unassuming H.H. Holmes to the mysterious death of Marshall Field Jr., join Taylor as he revisits the South Side's prosperous middle-class days and vividly depicts the strange and horrific crimes that have cast new light on the character of these too often overlooked neighborhoods.

An addictive and fascinating read that traces the criminal history of our nation's capital, from the bloody site of the city's most famous murder to dark deeds involving politicians from both sides of the aisle. Includes a look at the mysteries surrounding the Lincoln assassination, death by duels and the infamous "Washington Vampire,"

New Orleans--the Big Easy, the birthplace of jazz, home of Cafe du Monde and what some call the most haunted city in America. Beneath the indulgence and revelry of the Crescent City lies a long history of the dark and mysterious. From the famous "Queen of Voodoo," Marie Laveau, who is said to haunt the site of her grave, to the wicked LaLauries, whose true natures were hidden behind elegance and the trappings of high society, New Orleans is filled with spirits of all kinds. Some of the ghosts in these stories have sordid and scandalous histories, while others are friendly specters who simply can't leave their beloved city behind. Join supernatural historian Troy Taylor as he takes readers beyond the French Quarter and shows a side of New Orleans never seen.

"Since as early as the 1700s, New Orleans has been a city filled with sin and vice. Those first pioneering citizens of the Big Easy were thieves, vagabonds and criminals of all kinds. By the time Louisiana fell under American control, New Orleans had become a city of debauchery and corruption camouflaged by decadence. It was also considered one of the country's most dangerious cities, with a reputation of crime and loose morals. Rampant gambling and prostitution were the norm in nineteenth-century New Orleans, and over one-third of today's French Quarter was considered a hotbed of sin. Tales in this volume of streets of the Crescent City in the early 1900s and Kate Townsend, a prositute who was murdered by her own lover, a man who later wass awarde her inheritance. Troy Taylor takes a look back at New Orleans's early wicked days and historic crimes" --Back cover.

Hauntings lurk and spirits linger in the Show Me State Reader, beware! Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Author Troy Taylor shines a light in the dark corners of Missouri and scares those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection. From a headless ghost who stalks the aptly named "Murder Rocks", to a large hairy monster that roams the banks of the Missouri River, there's no shortage of bone-chilling tales to keep you up at night. It's even rumored that the devil himself came to St. Louis in 1949, but nobody knows for sure if he ever left. Around the campfire or tucked away on a dark and stormy night, this big book of ghost stories is a hauntingly good read.

On Halloween 1926, the Curtain Closed for the Final Time of the One of the Greatest Magicians in History... Or Did it? Harry Houdini was a man obsessed with death... In his spectacular shows, he committed feats of daring that cheated death time and time again. He desperately searched for a way to contact his dead mother and some believe that Houdini actually reached out from beyond the grave to make contact from the other side - cheating death once again In this long-awaited book from Houdini and Spiritualism buff Troy Taylor, he examines the life, death and mysterious afterlife of the famed illusionist and escape artist. Not merely a biography of Houdini, this is a revealing look at Houdini's fascination with the spirit world, starting with his own days as a fraudulent medium with a traveling circus and continuing on to his exposures of fake Spiritualists, his psychical investigations, his "death pact" with fellow magicians and the legendary Houdini Sances, which are still being held today. This is a unique book in the long list of Houdini books that have been written and a worthy addition to the library of anyone with an interest in Houdini, magic or the spirit world

Join author Troy Taylor as his "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" Series continues with a terrifying and blood-soaked look at Illinois crime, mystery and tales of hauntings from all over the state - many of which have never appeared in any book before In this volume, Taylor unlocks files of rare, seldom-told and favorite stories from both the cities and rural areas of the Prairie State, revealing true accounts of violence, murder, bloodshed and ghosts. Journey back into Illinois' past and discover tales of bandits, thieves, pirates and killers from the early days of the state; haunted prisons, jails and police stations; bloody vendettas; Illinois hangings; unsolved murders; ruthless murderesses; Charlie Birger, the Shelton Gang and War in Illinois; Pat Quinlan, the Devil's Apprentice; the Herrin Massacre; the Hundley Murders; the famous Coliseum Ballroom; the Battle of Barrington; Hell Hollow; the Lake Club; Fred Vannuci's "One-way Ride"; the Starved Rock Murders; Ghosts of the old Cook County Jail & the Joliet Penitentiary; and dozens more You don't want to miss this collection of uncut and uncensored tales from the pen of Troy Taylor. It's a chilling book that is not for the faint of heart