Mischief and Mayhem in the Midlands. A thrilling account of dramatic and menacing crimes that shaped the central region of the state. Crimes that captured the attention of residents in the area and statewide over the years from gamblers with too much debt to insurance fraud and a famous cat burglar. A well-known televangelist had a run in with arson, and a murderer made his presence felt all the way in California. This collection of headlining stories features notorious serial killers, fam...

A thrilling account of a hundred years of sensational and sinister deeds that marked and shaped one southern town.Crimes that captivated attention in the Charlotte area over the years run the gamut from missing people to the wrongly accused. This collection of headline stories features violent motorcycle gangs, crusading mothers, a fraudster who claimed a president was poisoned by his wife, a serial killer who broke all the rules and even a man who made Bigfoot. Wi...

Crime writer Cathy Pickens brings a novelist's eye to the stories that define the sinister--and quirky--side of the Triad. The Triad region ranks high in national murder statistics, but crime stories are always more interesting than numbers. Crimes in North Carolina's Piedmont happen in small towns, rural farmhouses and elegant mansions, carried out by criminals who were just visiting, some who were born in the Triad but moved elsewhere, and plenty who stayed close to home. Delve into the ...

Eastern North Carolina is a land of contrasts, and its crime stories bear this out. A lovelorn war hero or a stalker? Conniving wife or consummate homemaker? Murder or suicide? The answers can be as puzzling as the questions. Mystery author Cathy Pickens details an assortment of quirky cases, including a duo of poisoning cases more than one hundred years apart, a band of folk hero swamp outlaws, sex swingers and a couple of mummies. Each story has, in its way, helped define Eastern North C...

North Carolina's Triangle region is known for universities, research facilities and politics, but even in such a prosperous, diverse, modern environment, crime helps define the edges. These cases cover several decades of murder, fraud and betrayal. Read about the nation's largest prison escape and a couple of North Carolina's poisoners. From a civil rights-era clash of Old South and New and a suspected Cold War spy to new-tech sleuths and tales of diligent as well as discredited investigat...

Upstate South Carolina is a scenic region of business centers, farms and textile towns. But it has a dark side. In 1924, a local resident was convicted for poisoning a neighbor in a case that went to the state supreme court. One resident aided a prisoner in a daring outbreak in the name of love. Fairfield County had its own version of witch trials. Crime writer Cathy Pickens brings a novelist's eye to the Upstate's real crime stories and the international headlines and the little-known tal...

Explore the international headlines and the little-known crimes, the solved and the wrongly solved, in these tales of the North Carolina mountains.Western North Carolina is known for mountain vistas and wild, rocky rivers, but remote wilderness and quaint small towns can have a dark side. Learn the truth behind the famous murder ballad Tom Dooley. Delve into the criminal history of moonshine, and the tales of two unexpected bombers in idyllic Mayberry.Crime...

WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA, WHERE THE HOSPITALITY IS WARM AND THE MURDER IS STONE-COLD.Since attorney Avery Andrews left her high-flying law firm to return to her hometown of Dacus, there has been no end to the run-of-the-mill problems walking through her door.But Avery likes the perplexing cases. And it's been a while since she's dug into one.So she's intrigued to hear of a young woman who was found dead on a tombstone twenty years ago, her packed s...

WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA, WHERE THE HOSPITALITY IS WARM AND THE MURDER IS STONE-COLD.Attorney sleuth Avery Andrews has quickly built up a reputation for being the go-to girl when a mystery arises.So when she is called to historic Charleston to get to the bottom of a fresh and perplexing case, she is more than ready for the challenge.A local man goes on a shooting rampage. He was known to have a short temper and wasn't the most popular guy in town. ...

WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA, WHERE THE HOSPITALITY IS WARM AND THE MURDER IS STONE-COLD.Attorney Avery Andrews has returned to her humdrum hometown of Dacus, South Carolina, leaving her job at a powerful law firm in the rearview mirror. But with her Donna Karan suits she's struggling to fit back in. Is it still a place she's able to call home now that she's swapped her prestigious clients for high school bullies and formidable aunts?She finds sanctuary in her...

WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA, WHERE THE HOSPITALITY IS WARM AND THE MURDER IS STONE-COLD.It's summer and the Fourth of July carnival has come to Dacus. The only problem is that the fright house isn't impressing attorney Avery Andrews.Until a leg falls off a blood-spattered, chainsaw-wielding mannequin. A very real—and very dead—leathery body is revealed. This has quickly become the most realistic fright house she's ever experienced.For the fir...

WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA, WHERE THE HOSPITALITY IS WARM AND THE MURDER IS STONE-COLD.Attorney sleuth Avery Andrews is back in her humdrum hometown of Dacus, South Carolina. The only problem is she's swapped illustrious city cases for a town where the biggest news is a pig on the loose.And while there's no end to the people queuing outside her door for help, paying clients are scarce. Or so she thinks.A woman enters Avery's office claiming ...