A newlywed nurse is murdered.Police blame a burglar.But the real killer has been hiding in plain sight—inside the police department.In 1986, Sherri Rasmussen was found brutally murdered in her home in Van Nuys, California. Investigators quickly concluded it was a robbery gone wrong.But the crime scene told a different story.The struggle had been violent.The scene appeared staged.And Sherri had fought back.Then the case went silent...

She left for work. She never arrived.On January 24, 2006, 24-year-old financial analyst Jennifer Kesse vanished from her Orlando condominium complex while heading to work. Known for her reliability and close relationship with her family, Jennifer’s sudden disappearance immediately raised alarm.Two days later, her car was found abandoned less than a mile away.Security footage captured a single disturbing clue: an unidentified person ...

She stepped off the trail for a moment.She never found it again.In July 2013, experienced hiker Geraldine “Inchworm” Largay disappeared while hiking the legendary Appalachian Trail in Maine. Her husband waited at their planned meeting point. Search teams mobilized within hours.But Geraldine was gone.Hundreds of rescuers searched the forest. Helicopters scanned the wilderness. Dogs tracked sc...

The Oslo Plaza Woman: The Mystery of Jennifer FergateIn May 1995, a young woman checked into one of Oslo’s most exclusive hotels under the name Jennifer Fergate.Three days later, she was found dead in Room 2805—behind a locked door, a 9mm pistol nearby, and almost every trace of her identity erased.No passport.No confirmed address.No one looking for her.Even the labels had been cut from her clothing.The name ...

She had no name.No one claimed her.But the world would never forget her face.In 19th-century Paris, a young woman was pulled from the Seine—unidentified, unclaimed, her lips set in a faint, unsettling smile.A plaster mask was made.It spread across Europe.Artists, writers, and strangers became obsessed.She was given a name, but never an identity:L’Inconnue de la Seine — The Unknown Woman.Then, decades l...

She overslept.She rushed out the door.She never made it to work.On June 27, 1995, television news anchor Jodi Huisentruit left her apartment in Mason City, Iowa, expecting to arrive late for the morning broadcast.Minutes later, she vanished.Her red Mazda Miata remained in the parking lot.Her shoes lay scattered on the pavement.A bent car key hinted at a violent strugg...

Dracula was fiction. Vlad the Impaler was real.In 15th-century Wallachia, a prince ruled through terror, impaling thousands and leaving forests of bodies as warnings to his enemies.His name was Vlad Dracula.Centuries later, his reputation for cruelty would inspire Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire.But the truth behind the legend is far more disturbing than the myth.Impaler: The True Crime H...

For decades, she had no name.Discovered in the windswept dunes of Provincetown, the woman known only as The Lady of the Dunes became one of America’s most haunting unidentified cases. No clear identity. No confirmed story. Only fragments—carefully left behind and endlessly debated.Who was she?Why was she there?And who wanted her forgotten?This gripping true crime investigation follows the long, frustrating search for answers—through early mi...

The road across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in the northwest was one of the three major Christian pilgrimage routes during the Middle Ages, leading pilgrims to the resting place of the Apostle St. James. Today, the system of trails and roads that made up the old pilgrimage route is the most popular long-distance trail in Europe, winding from the heights of the Pyrenees to the gently rolling fields and woods of Galicia. Hundreds of thousands of modern-day pilgrims, art lovers, ...

PREFACEWe did not intend to write a book.In the fall of 2017 we were a disparate bunch who shared a desire to tell our stories and to tell them well. By the time our month- long weekly workshops with facilitator Linda Bond ended, we had become a co-operative group—writers helpingwriters—and friends as well. Six of the group wanted to continue, agreeing to meet monthly at the Belleville library.Around the boardroom table we read our stories aloud, praising and encour...

After being told she may only have months to live, the author decides to share her amazing life story. From her grandfather’s solo journey to America circa 1895 to her current day health struggles, Growing Through Life is written with candor, humor, and raw emotion. Linda reveals the extraordinary obstacles and opportunities she faced as she rose from a country girl to become a nationally recognized healthcare finance executive. Her story will inspire you to treasure each new day. You will...

The story, set in both rural Georgia and New York City, spans from the late 1930's to the late 1970's. It parallels the family roots of Nati and Miyune and takes a generational journey into each of the y oung women's lives, before they met at Barnett College, a small liberal arts school in rurual Georgia. The story brings to light the power of family behavioral patterns and how family members either make choices that are in accordance with those patterns or break them. Through an explorati...