House Of Mystery True Crime History

In a world powered by steam and ruled by corporations, one young woman’s discovery will ignite a revolution.Alice is a gifted but underappreciated tinkerer working the rail lines of Terra. During an unexpected train malfunction, she uncovers a long-lost ancient artifact buried in a forgotten cave—a fire cog capable of creating heat and light—seemingly from nothing.Could it be tied to one of the seven primordial Cogs of Legend?Worse, once the Steele Company learns of the cog's abilities, they stop at nothing to take it from Alice.Forced to flee, Alice teams up with her rough-edged mentor Rueger and quick-witted best friend Henry as they race to unravel the mystery of the fire cog. Along the way, Alice must master deadly new lore, survive on a mysterious island, and face truths about her long-lost family and the shadowy history of Terra itself.But with a host of steam-powered walkers closing in, time is running out. Can Alice unlock the cog’s power before it falls into the wrong hands?Awakening Fire is Boo

Allegra Tarot has an uncanny knack for becoming anyone she wants.Depending on the job, she can transform the carriage of her body or the cadence of her speech. With the pop of a collar or the tousle of her hair, she can dupe your perceptions.As a former T.V. actress, she’s got chameleon abilities, no doubt, and they come in handy now that she straps a Diamondback 9mm and prowls the gritty backstreets of working-class Hollywood, running the grind as a skip tracer.If you want to follow along on her investigations, you better lock in. It’s bound to get your blood thumping, your adrenaline spiking.Partial in Blood is a propulsive, character-driven crime thriller rife with twisty turns and piquant humor. Tag along with Allegra as she leverages her performance chops to investigate the disappearance of a troubled young woman, in the process uncovering a brutal shadow world of corruption and deception.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf

Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream? The twenty-two authors in this collection explore the possibilities, with predictably unpredictable results.Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The vast majority of Hondurans would have never dared to set foot in Nueva Suyapa, a mountainside barrio that was under the thumb of a gang whose bravado and cruelty were the stuff of legend. But that is precisely where Kurt Ver Beek, an American sociologist, and Carlos Hernández, a Honduran schoolteacher, chose to raise their families. Kurt and Carlos were best friends who had committed their lives to helping the poor, and when they accepted that nobody else—not the police, not the prosecutors, not the NGOs—was ever going to protect their neighbors from the incessant violence they suffered, they decided to take matters into their own hands.In magnetic prose, journalist Ross Halperin chronicles how these two do-gooders became quasi-vigilantes and charged into a series of life-and-death battles, not just with this one gang, but also with forces far more dangerous, including a notorious tycoon who commanded about a thousand armed men and a police force whose wickedness defied credulity. Kurt and Carlos would ev

"Expertly plotted and exquisitely twisted… Julie Clark masterfully weaves together a daughter's long-held suspicions and her father's deadly secrets with the tragic events from the past. The Ghostwriter kept me turning pages in this suspenseful search for the truth." — Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Lie WinsFrom the instant New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell comes a dazzling new thriller.June, 1975.  The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets. Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offer

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Turnout comes a simmering, atmospheric novel of friendship and betrayal, following a women-led pyramid scheme in suburban Detroit."Abbott is a superstar of the suspense genre." —NPRAll I want is to be innocent again. But that's not how it works. Especially not after the Wheel.The three Bishop sisters grew up in privilege in the moneyed suburbs of Detroit. But as the auto industry declined, so did their fortunes. Harper, the youngest, is barely making ends meet when her beloved, charismatic sister Pam—currently in the middle of a contentious battle with her ex-husband—and her eldest sister, Debra, approach her about joining an exciting new club.The Wheel offers women like themselves—middle-aged and of declining means—a way to make their own money, independent of husbands or families. Quickly, however, the Wheel’s success, and their own addiction to it, leads to greater and greater risks—and a crime so shocking it threatens to bring ever

Poignant, Hilarious, and Beautifully HumanStep into the glow of lavender twilight with Alfred P. Doblin’s unforgettable collection, Tales of the Lavender Twilight. In this debut, Doblin opens doors to the rich, poignant, and often hilarious lives of late-middle-aged gay men—and one very sophisticated Cocker Spaniel—as they seek love, redefine family, and gracefully navigate the complexities of life’s next chapters.From a bittersweet gathering in a West Village gay dive bar to the quirks of a Catskill town brimming with out-of-work actors, Doblin’s eleven tales journey coast-to-coast, capturing moments of humor, heartbreak, and unexpected resilience. Follow a hopeful dog in search of a new home, a sharp-tongued theater critic who stirs up old wounds, LGBTQ youths rediscovering a legacy, and an unforgettable Thanksgiving celebration where gratitude and community collide.With warmth, wit, and compassion, Tales of the Lavender Twilight celebrates lives lived boldly, refusing to be defined by a worl

Detective Mike O'Shea is spiraling—consumed by painkiller addiction, alcohol, and the crushing weight of unresolved grief. As his personal demons threaten to take control, he’s pulled into a chilling case: a woman is found dead, her son rotting beside her, discovered only when neighbors are alerted by the unbearable stench of decay.Meanwhile, O'Shea’s obsession with the killer of his former partner, Sal, continues to haunt him. The elusive murderer has evaded justice for years, but O'Shea has always suspected something more—an untold truth buried beneath the surface. As he digs further, he uncovers a terrifying reality: the killer’s freedom isn’t just a coincidence—it’s the result of high-level corruption that runs far deeper than he ever imagined.As the conspiracy begins to unravel, the threat intensifies, drawing in those closest to O'Shea. Detective Sergeant Amanda Black, one of the few who knows the whole story, becomes the target of an assassination attempt. With her pending promotion and O'Shea’s growin

A hall of mirrors with no exits, The Poet's Game is a sophisticated portrait of a spy working to uncover layers of deceit behind a Russian plot on the American president.Alex Matthews thought he had left it all behind: his CIA career, the viper's den of bureaucracy at headquarters, the deceits of the cat-and-mouse game of double agents, and the sudden trips to Russia, which poisoned his marriage and made him an absentee husband and father, with tragic results.But then the Director came asking for a favor. Something that only Alex could do because it involved the asset Byron—a Russian agent whom Alex had recruited. Byron had something of great interest to the CIA; the Director said it was a matter of grave national security that implicated the White House, and that Byron would hand over the kompromat once he was extricated from Russia.But Alex is a different man than when he had run Moscow station: he has pieced his life back together after a tragic accident killed his wife and daughter—but

Two cousins. Two paths. One unforgettable era. This award-winning historical fiction novel follows the transformative journey of Cate and Albie. Cousins and best friends, they are raised in 1960s New Jersey under the watchful eyes of their family and strict Catholic school nuns. Their bond seems unbreakable. Then the Vietnam War erupts, tearing them apart.Albie, driven by faith and patriotism, enlists in the military and is stationed at a base along the South China Sea nicknamed Paradise.Cate protests the war, challenges her upbringing, and seeks purpose by immersing herself in the bohemian counterculture of New York’s Greenwich Village while enduring life in a low-rent tenement in the gritty Hell’s Kitchen district.Tragedy strikes, and her world unravels. With the support of her family and an eclectic group of friends—artists, activists, and veterans—Cate embarks on a journey of resilience and personal transformation. Travel back to a pivotal era when men marched off to war and women burned their b

In the tumultuous world of high school, Emma grapples with a devastating breakup, a damning social media scandal that threatens her reputation, and an overwhelming sense of isolation. Her parents are distant, she has no true friends, and her despair deepens with each passing day.One fateful night during a sudden snowstorm, Emma forges a connection with Sarah, a girl who navigates the treacherous high school terrain of 2001. In this improbable friendship, they bond through the digital ether, supporting each other's struggles at the same school, in the same town, while separated by two decades.The friendship becomes a lifeline for both girls. Their lives bear striking similarities, yet the differences are equally profound. While Sarah is spared from the perils of social media, she gains self-assurance and begins to discover herself. In contrast, Emma’s struggles intensify as she faces dire consequences for her actions online and misguided romantic entanglements.Sarah watches helplessly as Emma's life unravels,

The people in Frankie Morgan’s life say she’s angry. Emotionally stunted. Combative. But really, who can blame her? It’s hard being nice when your clients are insufferable, your next-door neighbor is a miserable woman and the cowardly driver who killed your mother is still out living it up somewhere.Somehow, though, she finds herself at her very first anger-management group session—drinking terrible coffee and learning all about how “forgiveness is a process.”One that starts with a list.Frankie is skeptical. A list of everyone who’s wronged her in some way over the years? More paper, please. Still, she makes the pointless list—with her own name in a prominent spot—and promptly forgets about it…until it goes missing. And one by one, the people she’s named start getting hurt in freak accidents, each deadlier than the last.Could it be coincidence giving her the revenge she never dared to seek…or something more sinister?If Frankie doesn’t find out who’s behind it all, she might be next.Support this show

A twisting, deeply engrossing investigation into the many lingering questions surrounding the sudden disappearance of the McStays, a family of four who vanished from their suburban San Diego home without a trace—until their skeletal remains were found in the Mojave Desert nearly four years later—from New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother.On February 15, 2010, Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons were reported missing from their new home in San Diego County. They left eggs and fruit rotting on the counter. Their Dodge truck sat in the driveway. Their dogs were abandoned outside without food. But investigators found no blood, signs of a struggle, or clues to their whereabouts. Did the family take an unannounced vacation? Were they running away from personal problems? Or were they victims of foul play? Nearly four years later, a motorcyclist found the McStays’ remains in and around two shallow graves, one hundred miles away in the Mojave Desert. Their skulls showed s

In 1878 a teenage Jew, the Hessex Kid, kills an Irish thug in a Five Point’s bar fight in front of hundreds of drugged and drunken killers, all members of the Whyo Gang, which controls all crime in Manhattan under the aegis of the corrupt Irish politicians at Tammany Hall.The boy is then grabbed by the rabble and murdered.By 1900, the Irish mob has gained control of the police departments, the gangs, and crime in every major American city, and from 1900 to 1910, a political operative named James Monaghan has risen to the pinnacle of power at Tammany, which is the icon of the nationwide Irishsnake.In 1910, a gambler from Chicago named Billy McGuinness, haunted by the legend of the Hessex Kid and the murder of a low-level gambler and his family, arrives in New York. He is connected to mid-west political powers and to gangsters Max and Moses Annenberg, Big Jim Colisimo, and Johnny Torrio, his sole objective: to destroy Monaghan and the Irish political and criminal machine,Arriving in New York, McGuinness begins

What drove the inconspicuous sociopath to become a ruthless killer?During his nearly fifteen-year reign of terror, Ronald Lloyd Bailey’s depraved obsession with sexual sadism held communities across southeast Michigan in a shroud of fear. From the early 1970’s to the mid-1980’s, the former patient at one of Michigan’s foremost psychiatric hospitals, abducted as many as fifteen teens and over time became a sadistic serial killer.In this shocking, fast-paced account, retired police officer and true crime author Rod Sadler examines law enforcement's dedicated efforts in connecting the dots to stop an unknown killer, and he poignantly chronicles the determination of the victims' families to triumph over tragedy.Sadler also examines Bailey’s insanity defense that centered on the alleged abuse he endured at the hands of his psychiatrist. In doing so, the bestselling author of KILLING WOMEN asks and answers the question: What drove the inconspicuous sociopath to become a ruthless killer?Support this show http:/

The Dokkrsdottir is not your ordinary Norse woman of the Viking age. One of the great warriors of her time, she soon learns that the hardest battles are not always those fought with a sword and shield. Through countless trials and tests, she is led by visions and omens on numerous adventures with the help of steadfast friends and family to discover her mysterious supernatural destiny, one more extraordinary than anyone could ever have imagined.Myrgjol the Dokkesdottir’s path may be fraught with physical dangers and battle, but some wars are fought with whispered words and deceitful lies. While in Saxon lands, she must learn to maneuver the battlefield as well as her position on the board in the game of Saxon politics. Will she be successful?And though she is blind to all the pieces in The Game, a Saxon gamemaster plays on her behalf as well as his own against many others, and the enormity of the risk spirals out of control for everyone.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. Hosted

Don Sawyer's THE TUNNELS OF BUDA, the second romantic fantasy thriller in the Soul Catcher series, in which a magical gem maker and an empath struggle against a hideous conspiracy of evil headquartered in a maze of fantastic tunnels deep below Hungary's Buda Castle.The Mester is dead or maimed and the black stone used to control his network of gem makers is in Barbara and Zoltan’s hands. But as Zoltan discovered in the ruin bars of Budapest from a former associate, who turned up beheaded and his hands cut off, the Mester was just a small part of a much larger cabal, an ancient Order dating back to Aristotle and beyond. The Order has one goal: to convince the populace that there are masters divinely intended to rule and slaves meant only to obey.Using magic and sorcery, both ancient and modern, they will stop at nothing to protect the rule of the aristoi.But this time the “slaves” are fighting back, drawing on the knowledge and skills from many traditions and backgrounds, including magic of their own, to battl

Prepare to be thrilled and chilled with this compilation of tales compiled from historical documents, first-person accounts, and the files of the paranormal group Haunted Hamilton, which has been investigating and celebrating Hamilton's historic haunted past since 1999.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danger, deception, and betrayal lurk at every turn in this compelling international crime thriller from the award-winning author of Chasing Money.Marty and Bo are back and flush with money thanks to their alluring new business partner, Natalya, and her powerful Russian oligarch backer. The two friends are in Italy to buy an art foundry and close a multi-million dollar licensing deal with the Vatican. But when they arrive, they discover the stakes are far higher than they imagined.Threatened and attacked, Marty and Bo find themselves in a trap. The Naples Mafia is after the foundry for nefarious purposes. The head of the Vatican Bank has a hidden agenda. The Russian oligarch wants more than he is saying. Everyone is keeping secrets and telling lies. The two friends are ready to call it quits when a dangerous figure from their past appears in Rome. And then Natalya is kidnapped, the stakes go from business to personal, and all bets are off.Caught in the crossfire between the Naples Mafia and the Russian Vory, c

In this fourth installment of the Shepherds Series, good and evil collide in a battle that has raged for thousands of years, and Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson and his team are at the tip of the spear—fighting for humanity’s future and the ones they love.Victor is dead. But out of the chaos, a new dark power rises …Only weeks ago, former Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson, head of Joshua Bravo team at the Shepherds, helped to defeat Victor, the leader of the devil’s Dark Ones. Now, his boss, Ben Morvant, has tasked him with an even harder mission: Take a vacation.But before Jed has even managed to hit the beach in the Dominican Republic, he comes face-to-face with a new evil: Orphans are being abducted right off the streets of Santo Domingo. Are these disappearances just an unfortunate crime in an unfamiliar country, or do they hint at something bigger—a new threat emerging out of the power vacuum Victor left behind?When Jed needs help after a violent encounter, he finds himself with an unexpected new ally: CIA liaison G