Books for the Armchair Detective in Your Life

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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15 products
Murder in Roanoke County
Murder in Roanoke County
$21.99
Murder and Mountain Justice in the Moonshine Capital of the World
Murder and Mountain Justice in the Moonshine Capital of the World
$23.99
Condemned for Love in Old Virginia
Condemned for Love in Old Virginia
$23.99
Arlington County Police Department
Arlington County Police Department
$24.99
Virginia State Penitentiary
Virginia State Penitentiary
$24.99
Richmond Murder & Mayhem
Richmond Murder & Mayhem
$23.99
Shotgun Justice:
Shotgun Justice:
$21.99
Cover image for True Crime Northern Virginia in the '50s & '60s, isbn: 9781467156660
True Crime Northern Virginia in the '50s & '60s
$24.99
Alexandria Police Department
Alexandria Police Department
$24.99
Richmond in Ragtime
Richmond in Ragtime
$24.99
Hampton Roads Murder & Mayhem
Hampton Roads Murder & Mayhem
$23.99
Lorton Prisons
Lorton Prisons
$23.99
The Last Lynching in Northern Virginia
The Last Lynching in Northern Virginia
$21.99
Murder in Lexington:
Murder in Lexington:
$24.99
The Tri-State Gang in Richmond: Murder and Robbery in the Great Depression
The Tri-State Gang in Richmond: Murder and Robbery in the Great Depression
$23.99

Murder in Roanoke County

9781467144100

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Did her rival for a man's love get away with murder? It was a story of violence, bigamy, race and a quest for justice. The strange but true story of James and Susan Watkins.


A drama played out in the mountains of southwestern Virginia in 1891 that attracted nationwide attention and held the citizens of the Roanoke Valley spellbound. The tale of the trial of Charles Watkins for the murder of his wife was marked by threats of lynching, a fugitive manhunt, a disappearing witness, mistaken identities, claims of insanity and finally a secret letter to break the case wide open. In its day, the story was as closely followed as a modern televised murder trial. Despite the rapt attention of the public then, it has entirely faded from the history books - until now. Historian John Long resurrects the truth of who killed Susan Watkins.

Murder in Roanoke County

Murder and Mountain Justice in the Moonshine Capital of the World

9781467153386

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A Story of Hard Spirits and Defiant Souls Franklin County, Virginia has long been known as the Moonshine Capital of the World. That history can seem romantic, but the county has a dark and violent past. The descendants of the Scots-Irish who settled its rugged mountains openly defied the law and employed their own notions of justice to defend their traditions and livelihood. During Prohibition, the production of moonshine skyrocketed, but the liquor didn't stop flowing from the mountains when the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed. County and state officials struggled to maintain order in a region where unsolved murders, strange disappearances, and senseless killings were a way of life. The peak came in 1978, with nine murders linked to moonshine and drugs in the county. Historian and Virginia native Phillip Andrew Gibbs tells story of that horrific year and the history behind it.
Murder and Mountain Justice in the Moonshine Capital of the World

Condemned for Love in Old Virginia

9781467154598

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When romance was met with murder… Arthur Jordan and Elvira Corder were young and unafraid, but their love was doomed. He was black, she was white, and this was Virginia in 1880. When Elvira became pregnant, the couple fled Fauquier County to live in Maryland. But her father found them and recruited neighbors to help kidnap them. Four nights later, a mob dragged Arthur from the county jail in Warrenton and lynched him. Elvira, taken to a hotel in Williamsport, Maryland, was never heard from again. Stories of lynching are all too common in the postbellum South, but this one tells a unique tale of a couple who were willing to sacrifice everything to be together—and did./Author Jim Hall tells a classic tale of forbidden love, one of hope crushed by hate.

Condemned for Love in Old Virginia

Arlington County Police Department

9781467122832

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Arlington County was carved from a section of the District of Columbia and formally named by the Virginia General Assembly in 1920. The rural farming community across the Potomac River was home to vacationing District of Columbia elite as well as rumrunners and brothels. Law enforcement fell to the commonwealth attorneys, sheriffs, special officers, and citizen leagues. The county board adopted a proposal, and the Arlington County Police Department was founded on February 1, 1940. This photographic history covers law enforcement from the early days of rumrunners to the present day, showing the changes in uniforms, equipment, methods of policing, and the department's response to the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Officers are shown training for the line of duty, investigating crimes, serving in specialized units, and promoting public safety. The officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the community are honored here.
Arlington County Police Department

Virginia State Penitentiary

9781467137638

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Thomas Jefferson developed the idea for the Virginia State Penitentiary and set the standard for the future of the American prison system. The prison endured severe overcrowding, three fires, an earthquake and numerous riots.


Vice President Aaron Burr was incarcerated there in 1807 as he awaited trial for treason. More than 240 prisoners were executed there by electric chair. At one time, the ACLU called it the "most shameful prison in America." The institution was plagued by racial injustice, eugenics experiments and the presence of children imprisoned among adults. Join author Dale Brumfield as he charts the 190-year history of the iconic prison.

Virginia State Penitentiary

Richmond Murder & Mayhem

9781467151634

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Explore the dark side of the history of the River City… Richmond has a curious share of horrific accidents, coolly calculated slaughter, and incidents of implacable deceit in its history. Here, the wronged, the devious, and the heartbroken enact their lives on the stage set of the River City's ostensibly genteel neighborhoods, where a tree-shaded city street may have been the site of a crime of passion and an innocuous path in the woods recalls a grisly unsolved murder. Discover these and other lesser-known stories, from a young bride poisoned by her husband to the horrific fate of an entire airliner. Local historian Selden Richardson explores tales from a time when murder and mayhem stalked the streets of Richmond.
Richmond Murder & Mayhem

Shotgun Justice:

9781609497477

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When Crandal Mackey was elected commonwealth's attorney in 1903, he set his sights on the illegal bars, bordellos and casinos of Alexandria County. The Virginia county--now Arlington County and parts of Alexandria--was plagued by crime in the streets and corruption at City Hall. Armed with a shotgun and accompanied by an axe-wielding posse, Mackey embarked on a crusade, busting up saloons and conducting raids throughout the county. When the dust settled, Mackey had shut down an infamous racetrack in Del Ray and politicians on the take in Alexandria County's political machine. Yet, in 1915 he mysteriously withdrew his bid for another term. Author Michael Lee Pope uncovers the little-known story of one man's battle to rid Alexandria and Arlington of sinister vice and violent crime.
Shotgun Justice:

True Crime Northern Virginia in the '50s & '60s

9781467156660

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Discover crimes that made headlines across northern Virginia in the 1950s and 60s.

As the suburbs of Washington, D.C. expanded in the mid-twentieth century, growth inevitably led to increasing crime, and grisly murders began to shock local communities. Learn the story of the killer and his victim who are buried only a few yards apart. The truth behind the tale of the murderous toddler and the sad story of the death of an agent at National Airport belie the picture perfect image of those decades. Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and Prince William witnessed atrocities that grabbed headlines in their day but have since faded from collective memory. Local author Zachary Ford uses detailed research drawn from contemporary accounts to bring these stories to life.

Cover image for True Crime Northern Virginia in the '50s & '60s, isbn: 9781467156660

Alexandria Police Department

9780738543406

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After constables and night watchmen had protected Alexandria, Virginia, for nearly 100 years, the Alexandria Police Department was officially organized on July 15, 1870. When the city authorized a formal police department, the board of police elected a captain, a lieutenant, and 19 patrolmen. All officers were issued star-shaped tin badges, but they had to supply their own uniforms and guns. This first published history of the Alexandria Police Department follows the growth of the force from the days of foot patrols, when drunks and thieves menaced the seaport town, to 20th-century law enforcement pioneers who once used watches to catch speeders and trained a canine to respond to radio commands. Images recall Alexandria's downtown before it became Old Town and capture the city's expansion to Del Ray and the West End. The officers themselves are highlighted as they caught criminals, investigated traffic accidents, reached out to children in the community, and, in some cases, sacrificed their own lives while protecting the people of Alexandria.
Alexandria Police Department

Richmond in Ragtime

9781596294431

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The three years from 1909 to 1911 were busy ones in Richmond, what with the misadventures of Adon A. Yoder, a muckraking
pamphleteer who gets beaten up, sued and thrown in jail; the organizing of women like Lila Meade Valentine to fight for their right to vote; the art of sculptor Ferruccio Legnaioli; the novels of Ellen Glasgow, Mary Johnston and James Branch Cabell; increased restrictions against African Americans; a public spectacle surrounding the murder trial of Henry Clay Beattie Jr.; exotic flying machines and automobile endurance contests; and the recording of Polk Miller and his Old South Quartette. Join local author Harry Kollatz Jr. (True Richmond Stories) as he revives the city of a century ago for a tour of Richmond in ragtime.
Richmond in Ragtime

Hampton Roads Murder & Mayhem

9781467140423

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Hampton Roads is an iconic destination, but the "birthplace of America" has a nefarious past.


Dive into the story of cannibalism in the Jamestown colony and learn the gory details of the tale of the Witch of Pungo. Blackbeard and his men wreaked havoc in Hampton Roads before Virginians brought them to justice. Explore rarely told stories of lynchings, riots and a hoax involving none other than famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. Join author and historian Nancy E. Sheppard as she explores some of the darkest moments in Hampton Roads' vibrant history.

Hampton Roads Murder & Mayhem

Lorton Prisons

9781467109345

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The workhouse, reformatory, and penitentiary buildings of the Lorton Correctional Complex were built on land purchased by the federal government in 1910 and leased to the District of Columbia Department of Corrections to establish prisons. The men's workhouse was built in 1910, and a women's annex was added in 1912. A reformatory to rehabilitate prisoners convicted of more serious crimes was built in 1916. All three were constructed dormitory style with no cells or walls. A brick wall enclosed the penitentiary built to house serious felons in the 1930s. When the Lorton prisons closed in 2001, the complex had grown to 3,200 acres. Its story reflects the history of the 20th century as it was impacted by and reacted to the ideas, events, and people outside its walls.
Lorton Prisons

The Last Lynching in Northern Virginia

9781467135658

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In 1932, a black man was found hanging on Rattlesnake Mountain in Fauquier County. A mob set fire to his body. Officials identified the remains as Shedrick Thompson, wanted for the abduction and rape of a local white woman. Some claimed Thompson killed himself--the final act of a desperate fugitive. But residents knew better, calling the tragedy a lynching--the last one known in Virginia. Author Jim Hall takes an in-depth look at the events to expose a complex and disturbing chapter in Virginia history.
The Last Lynching in Northern Virginia

Murder in Lexington:

9781609498962

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In 1853 Lexington, Virginia, Mary Evelyn Anderson, one of the most beautiful women in the Commonwealth, spurned the advances of a young law student named Charles Burks Christian. Humiliated and heartbroken, Christian confronted, stabbed and killed the man he believed responsible for Anderson's decision. The man was her cousin, Thomas Blackburn, a VMI cadet and student of Stonewall Jackson. What followed was a circus of inept and brilliant lawyers dragging members of the most prominent families in antebellum Virginia through and all-too-public discussion of seduction, courtship, honor and self-defense. Author and historian Daniel S. Morrow chronicles the history of the events that led to Blackburn's death, the trials that followed and the impact on Lexington, its two colleges and the men and women who would soon find themselves engaged in a great Civil War.
Murder in Lexington:

The Tri-State Gang in Richmond: Murder and Robbery in the Great Depression

9781609495237

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The 1930s was a tough decade, one made even tougher by Prohibition. During this lawless time in American history, a group of criminals called the Tri-State Gang emerged from Philadelphia and spread their operations south, through Baltimore to Richmond, wreaking bloody havoc and brutally eliminating those who knew too much about their heists. Once termed the "Dillingers of the East," Robert Mais and Walter Legenza led their men and molls on a violent journey of robberies, murders, and escapes up and down the East Coast. Join historian Selden Richardson as he recounts the story of this whirlwind of crime and how it finally reached its climax in Richmond.
The Tri-State Gang in Richmond: Murder and Robbery in the Great Depression