A treasury of thrillers that I cherished in my youth was one of the Alfred Hitchcock collections called Stories to Be Read with the Lights On.
A few of the authors who have signed on for Murder 203 write the kind of fiction and non-fiction that bring these stories to mind ... reminding me all of the times, having accidentally overheard about such terrible things, I feared my younger brother would be kidnapped, my little girlfriend next door would go missing or my older sister would never come home from a night out with one of her girlfriends. All of the nights I really did sleep with the lights on!
Jennifer McMahon’s novel Promise Not to Tell is not just another scary story—it is an impressive blend of suspense, the supernatural and self-discovery.
On the night Kate Cypher returns home to rural Vermont to care for her ailing mother, a young girl is murdered in the same way Kate's childhood friend, Del, nicknamed the "Potato Girl" by her mean-spirited classmates, was killed 30 years ago—a horrific crime.
Del's killer was never found, and the victim had since achieved immortality in local legends and ghost stories. Kate, beset by guilt for her own part in the girl’s persecution, reconnects with her childhood sweetheart, who is utterly convinced that Del's ghost is seeking its revenge.
In another of McMahon’s novels, Island of Lost Girls, Rhonda Farr is the only witness to the abduction of a six-year-old girl—by a person wearing a rabbit suit and driving a VW bug. Needless to say, everyone is skeptical of her story, but the kidnapping forces Rhonda to relive an earlier disappearance: that of her best friend from childhood.
Mary-Ann Tirone Smith’s poignant memoir Girls of Tender Age intertwines her own vivid childhood memories with a dim memory now fully examined: the brutal murder of a fifth-grade playmate killed by a serial pedophile in Hartford in 1953. After the crime the neighborhood children were told to never mention it again.
It wasn’t until the adult Smith was writing an essay for a literary journal when, after making a brief mention of the story, she decided to investigate whether justice was served in her friend’s case and “build a memorial” of sorts to her. The resulting chronicle was called “Larger than the sum of its parts” by Publishers Weekly.
Kate Flora co-authored the enthralling true crime narrative Finding Amy with Joseph K. Loughlin, the police detective who had been in charge of the case. Twenty-five year-old Amy St. Laurent disappeared after hitting some of the hot nightspots in Portland, Maine with a friend from out-of-town. Amy was missing for eight weeks before she was found in a shallow grave brutally beaten and murdered, the victim of a probable sexual assault.
Instinct, experience and good police work eventually bring the killer, a chillingly remorseless psychopath, to justice even though for weeks there was no body, no crime scene, and no witnesses.
Jennifer McMahon will be at the Murder 203 Easton events on Saturday. Both Mary-Anne Tirone Smith and Kate Flora will speak together with true crime writer M. William Phelps here in Westport on Sunday afternoon on a panel called “We Didn’t Make It Up!”
Check the Murder 203 website for registration details.
Comments (8)
Hello,
Excellent post, I really enjoy reading this article, thank you so much for sharing it.
Custom Term Paper
Posted by Anonymous | January 13, 2010 6:43 AM
Posted on January 13, 2010 06:43
Hi,
It was a very nice article! Just want to say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. Thanks.
Custom Essays
Posted by Buy Essay | January 13, 2010 3:31 AM
Posted on January 13, 2010 03:31
Hi,
This is really a nice post, you share good piece of information.
Dissertation Writer
Posted by Anonymous | January 13, 2010 2:45 AM
Posted on January 13, 2010 02:45
Hi,
It must've taken you a bit of time, so thanks for taking the time to do so, I appreciate it, and this post is just great.
Coursework Writing
Posted by A level coursework | January 13, 2010 2:24 AM
Posted on January 13, 2010 02:24
Hi,
Nice post! You have worked hard on jotting down the essential information. Keep sharing the good work in future too.
Assignment Help
Posted by dissertation online | January 13, 2010 1:30 AM
Posted on January 13, 2010 01:30
Hi,
Your comment (blog) is well-thought-out and very much appreciated. I'm so glad you found your way here. I would encourage you to post it on your blog site.
Custom Essays
Posted by Anonymous | January 6, 2010 3:34 AM
Posted on January 6, 2010 03:34
It's always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! I'm sure you had fun writing this article. Excellent entry! I'm been looking for topics as interesting as this. Looking forward to your next post.
Posted by essay writing | August 10, 2009 4:49 AM
Posted on August 10, 2009 04:49
It's always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! I'm sure you had fun writing this article. Excellent entry! I'm been looking for topics as interesting as this. Looking forward to your next post.
Posted by essay writing | August 10, 2009 4:48 AM
Posted on August 10, 2009 04:48