Book of the Week (5/18/2026)

Pretty Evil New England: True Stories of Violent Vixens and Murderous Matriarchs by Sue Coletta (Globe Pequot Publishing, 2020)

For four centuries, New England has been a cradle of crime and murder—from the Salem witch trials to the modern-day mafia. Nineteenth century New England was the hunting ground of five female serial killers: Jane Toppan, Lydia Sherman, Nellie Webb, Harriet E. Nason, and Sarah Jane Robinson.

Female killers are often portrayed as caricatures: Black Widows, Angels of Death, or Femme Fatales. But the real stories of these women are much more complex. In Pretty Evil New England, true crime author Sue Coletta tells the story of these five women, from broken childhoods, to first brushes with death, and she examines the overwhelming urges that propelled these women to take the lives of a combined total of more than one-hundred innocent victims. The murders, investigations, trials, and ultimate verdicts will stun and surprise readers as they live vicariously through the killers and the would-be victims that lived to tell their stories. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series books, psychological thriller/mysteries, Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction, Pretty Evil New England. Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

Book of the Week (12/15/2025)

Whispers in the Pines: A Teenage Killer and the Silence of New Hampshire by Jacobson P. Stewart (Independently published, 2025)

In the still woods of small-town New Hampshire, a single gunshot shattered the quiet and the belief that everyone knew everyone.

In 1985, local mechanic Daniel Paquette was found dead in his driveway, one bullet through the chest. For twenty years, the case sat cold. No suspects. No closure. Only silence thick as pine sap and just as suffocating.

But truth doesn’t die. It hides behind loyalty, fear, and the fragile code of a town that prefers to forget. When the past finally cracked open, it revealed more than a killer: it exposed teenage secrets, buried guilt, and a community forced to reckon with what its silence had cost.

Whispers in the Pines: A Teenage Killer and the Silence of New Hampshire blends deep reporting with a restrained, haunting narrative to follow the investigation, confession, trial, and the long echo that reshaped an entire town. It asks the question no verdict can settle:

When everyone shares the secret, who carries the blame? --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (12/1/2025)

Scary Stories from New Hampshire: Terrifying Tales & Folklore by Rex Eldritch (Wildfire Fiction, 2025)

What lurks in the dark woods of New Hampshire? Whose footsteps echo on the covered bridge at night when no one’s there?

Scary Stories from New Hampshire is a collection of supernatural horror drawn from the Granite State’s ghost stories, legends, and chilling local lore. Inside you’ll encounter cursed towns abandoned to the wilderness, haunted orchards where old rules are broken at your peril, and cold, dead hands that clutch at swimmers from below. Each tale pulls from real places and unsettling folklore, blending the strange with the terrifying in ways you won’t forget.

Grim, nightmarish illustrations bring these stories to life, making every page an eerie journey into New England’s haunted heart. Perfect for sharing aloud at night or reading alone with the lights low, this book offers an unforgettable descent into shadows.

Dare to read it—if you’re brave enough. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Rex Eldritch is an author and visual artist inspired by the eerie folklore and haunted landscapes of New England. His work combines supernatural storytelling with a folkloric sense of place, drawing on ghost stories, legends, and the darker side of local history. A resident of New Hampshire, he creates fiction that is both unsettling and accessible, written for readers who enjoy tales of mystery, horror, and the uncanny. Beyond writing, he is also an illustrator and game designer, with a lifelong passion for storytelling in many forms.

Book of the Week (8/11/2025)

Consuming the Soul by Ellen H. Reed (Independently published, 2019)

What Killed the Children of the Parsons Corners?

"Aug 17, 1855. I am weaker today and so scared. As I rested in my room, I looked out the window and saw my brother, Hiram, standing outside watching me with his cold, dead eyes. Perhaps it was another dream, yet it seemed so real. Every time I dream of my late brother, I seem to fail further. Could my uncles have been right? Could Hiram somehow be draining me of life? What would I find if I could dig up his grave?"

These chilling words send a thrill of terror through fourteen-year-old Sophia Whelan. Discovering the diary of a girl long dead in the attic of a New Hampshire lake house, Sophia is shocked by the tragic tale of a family plagued by a series of mysterious deaths. One by one the children of the Parsons family fall ill and die shortly after their seventeenth birthday. Heart-breaking coincidence? Or is there something far more sinister at work? When Sophia’s own sister turns seventeen and abruptly falls ill, and Sophia herself is stalked by a menacing presence, Sophia knows she must discover the horrifying secret of Parsons Corners before it’s too late. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Ellen Reed lives in New Hampshire with her husband, daughter, and pug, Winnie. She has lived in such varied places as Alaska, Texas, Norway, and Indonesia but loves living in beautiful New England. Ellen spent many years involved with community theater, both as an actress and costumer. She is an avid quilter, and enjoys traveling, genealogy, and history. 

3 on a Theme: Historical Fiction 2

• Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime That Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England by Avree Kelly Clark
• BETTY: A Life Interrupted: The Untold Story of Betty Hill's Extraterrestrial Life by Dave O. Dodge
• The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore

Book of the Week (9/30/2024)

Monsters of the Northeast: True Tales of Bigfoot, Vampires, and Other Legendary Creatures by Jessica Freeburg & Natalie Fowler (Adventure Publications, 2024)

Read 24 chilling stories, from two paranormal investigators, about reportedly true encounters with monsters in New England and the Northeast.

Vampires prey upon family members from beyond the grave. A monstrous dog with glowing eyes seems to vanish into thin air. A giant, red-eyed beast terrorizes homeowners while helping itself to beloved pets—for dinner. The Northeast’s history includes several unimaginable encounters with legendary creatures. This collection of “ghost stories” presents the creepiest, most surprising tales of monsters in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Authors Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler are active paranormal investigators with a shared fascination for things that go bump in the night. The professional writers spent countless hours combing the region for the strangest and scariest run-ins with the unexplained.

Horror fans and history buffs will delight in these 24 terrifying tales. They’re based on reportedly true accounts, proving that the Northeast is the setting for some of the most unsettling monster tales ever told. The short stories are ideal for quick reading, and they are sure to captivate even the most reluctant of readers. Share them with friends around a campfire, or try them alone at home—if you dare. --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (9/23/2024)

New England Fairies: A History of the Little People of the Hills and Forests by Andrew Warburton (The History Press, 2024)

Tales of fairies and bewitching Little People have amazed and horrified New Englanders for over four hundred years.

In the nineteenth century, residents of Marblehead, Massachusetts, reported malicious pixies leading them in circles at dusk. In Aroostook County, Maine, elves called lutins exasperated farmers with their mischievous tricks and games. In Uncasville, Connecticut, beguiling creatures emerged for centuries at twilight to collect corn-filled baskets from members of the Mohegan Tribe. And in Harrisville, Rhode Island, a vision of fearful banshees augured death to an Irish seer.

From the ancient tales of Algonquian elders to the fireside stories of European immigrants, Andrew Warburton scours New England folklore to uncover the secrets of the region's Fair Folk and the storytellers who've encountered them through the years. --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (8/26/2024)

BETTY: A Life Interrupted: The Untold Story of Betty Hill's Extraterrestrial Life by Dave O. Dodge (Glue Pot Press, 2024)

This is a historical novel of Betty Hill and her extraterrestrial life set during the turbulent 1960's. Betty and her husband Barney, were a well-established interracial married couple living in white New Hampshire. They were the very first documented case of an alien abduction by extraterrestrials while driving through the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.

Their story begins with a late-night drive and continues through multiple investigations from government agencies, months of forensic hypnosis, critical response from the public, and multiple strange occurrences throughout their lives. The couple went on to be the reluctant face of the UFO phenomenon that was sweeping the nation, and now she is considered the 1st lady of alien abductions during that sensational time and continues today.

Betty was a well-respected social worker and admired by her colleagues. Barney was a postman, who become an esteemed volunteer with the State of New Hampshire and its efforts for economic growth, as well as a member of the NAACP. Both Hills were very active with the Democratic Party and even garnered an invitation to the inauguration for Lyndon B. Johnson.

Betty and Barney were catapulted into the media limelight, with countless appearances on national radio, and national TV and features in periodicals, including, Look Magazine. Appearing at the first UFO Conference, they told the story of that night, never wavering from the experience that interrupted that drive so late at night. Their story has been told in a non-fiction account of the occurrence, which went to be a movie-of-the-week on network television in 1975.

Betty; A Life Interrupted is the story of a loving wife, well educated, self-determined, and professional woman; who had her life that was turned upside down, and how she handled it. It is a fascinating read, steeped in detail, based on truth and salted with emotion. --Publisher's blurb

About the author: 

Dave O. Dodge was born and raised in northern New Hampshire. He is an experienced travel writer, marketer, international tour guide and natural story-teller. His first novel, "The Seasons of Grace" is based on the life of influential NH author Grace Metalious and her desire to tell stories such as “Peyton Place”, those that no one dared to tell before that time.

Join Dave at Gibson's Bookstore on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 6:30 pm where he'll be discussing his latest book!

Book of the Week (8/5/2024)

Murder and Mayhem: True Crime in New Hampshire from 1883-1915 by Milli Knudsen (Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2024)

In Murder and Mayhem, veteran author and genealogist Milli Knudsen looks at true crime in New Hampshire. In the rapidly changing world of 1883-1915, criminals and good citizens learned to cope with new ways to commit crimes and how to protect themselves. Emerging forensic science became a valuable tool. In those pre-internet days, newspapers widely covered the crimes and trials and created an audience of true crime readers, much like what we have today. Murders, robberies, the rise of insurance coverage and therefore arson, the reaction to the 1915 influenza outbreak (including resistance to mask wearing), sex crimes and the advent of financial crimes are all included in case studies averaging 300 to 800 words.

Sometimes the lives of the investigators—the judges, doctors, and journalists who covered crime stories—are every bit as fascinating as the crimes themselves. Murder and Mayhem tells the stories behind the headlines and gives you a glimpse into life in New England in the years leading up to World War I. Illustrated with historical images of victims and criminals alike, and fully indexed, this volume is perfect for true crime buffs, and historians. Based on primary sources, including the second prison registry of the New Hampshire State Prison, at the New Hampshire State Archives, and NH court records of the time period, this volume is important for genealogists and a good choice for library acquisition.

The world changed in dramatic ways between 1883 to 1915. The ways to commit crimes and the ways to investigate crime changed as well. Knudsen has captured these fascinating stories, among many others, from those years in her newest volume. Two immigrant lumberman have a fiddling contest. What could go wrong? Fifty years after a brutal knife attack, what Christmas miracle happened to a woman in North Adams, MA? How should a $1,000 reward be split between those who help apprehend a murderer who fled to Canada? If you had an old alarm clock, wire and an explosive, could you rig up a device which could burn your house down when you were hundreds of miles away? --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Milli Knudsen was born and brought up in Maine. She has an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Social Sciences from the University of Southern Maine and a masters degree as a Reading Specialist, which supported her career in teaching in Londonderry, NH. Milli began volunteering with the NH Cold Case Unit in 2019, which led to becoming the paralegal/data analyst in 2022, and in 2024 to also working with NH’s Major Crimes Unit.

3 on a Theme: The Book in Fiction

  

Summer Hours at the Robbers Library: A Novel by Sue Halpern

Uncatalogued: A Booklovers Mystery by Julie Kaewert 

Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett 

Book of the Week (10/16/2023)

Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime That Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England by Avree Kelly Clark (Novanglian Press, 2023)

In the summer of 1874, a beloved schoolteacher mysteriously goes missing upon closing up school. After a frantic search, the young woman is discovered horribly mutilated in the woods, and authorities question everyone in the small railroad village of St. Albans, Vermont. With the case turning cold, news arrives of an eerily similar crime committed in peaceful Pembroke, New Hampshire, in the autumn of 1875. This one, even more gruesome. Everyone questions whether the two beauties were intended victims or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Amid mounting fear, dedicated detectives and a persistent populace will stop at nothing to ensure the murderous fiend is brought to justice.For the first time, the true crime story that has inspired dozens of podcasts and blogposts is now a gripping novel called Malice Aforethought, and the author shares an exciting theory never before explored.--Publisher's blurb

About the Author: 

"Malice Aforethought" is Avree Kelly Clark's debut novel. Avree's love of history, forensics, and research came together in writing this historical crime fiction she describes as Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" meets Margaret Atwood's "Alias Grace". Avree is a New Hampshire native who graduated from Pembroke Academy in 2005. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband of fifteen years and their cat, Aloysius.

3 on a Theme: Mysterious New England

Ghost Hunters of New England by Alan Brown 

Mysteries of Monadnock by Eric Stanway 

Founding of a Coven and Other Stories of New England's Dark Side by T.G. Roettiger

Book of the Week (7/18/2022)

Deep Water: Murder, Scandal, and Intrigue in a New England Town by Kenneth M. Sheldon (Down East Books, 2022)

"In the waning days of World War I, William K. Dean was brutally murdered, his body hog-tied and dumped in a rainwater cistern on his farm in the quiet town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Suspicion quickly fell on Dean's wife, an invalid in the early stages of dementia. Her friends, outraged at the accusations, pointed instead to a former tenant of Dean’s, whom many suspected of being a German spy. Others believed that Dean's best friend, a politically powerful banker and judge, was involved.

Deep Water is based on extensive research into the Dean murder, including thousands of pages of FBI documents, grand jury testimonies, newspaper accounts, private correspondence, and the archives of the Jaffrey Historical Society." --Publisher's blurb

Join NH author Kenneth Sheldon at Gibson's Bookstore's first brown-bag lunch author event on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 at 12pm. 

Book of the Week (9/30/2019)

Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire by Marianne O'Connor (Portsmouth, N.H. : Peter E. Randall, 2019).

With the Fall season in full swing, and Halloween right around the corner, this book of spooky NH stories is perfect for this time of year! 

"Take only memories, leave only... screams?
The rich history of New Hampshire includes its fair share of tragedy and violence – essential ingredients behind any good haunting. For those who enjoy a good story (or fright!) to go with their nature treks, field reporter Marianne O’Connor has released a second edition of her best-selling book to guide your way through haunt and hollow. An avid hiker and reporter for outlets in Maine and New Hampshire, O’Connor has meticulously researched this hiking guide to the true-life stories behind the tales of ghosts and demons, murders and massacres, lost loves and buried treasure among New Hampshire’s storied byways. History buffs and ghost hunters alike will thrill to O’Conner’s delightful prose, which brings new perspectives and viewpoints to both familiar and lesser-known episodes."-- Publisher's blurb

Join author Marianne O'Connor at Gibson's Bookstore on Thursday, October 17th, 2019 at 6 p.m.

Book of the Week (6/24/2019)

Hidden History of the New Hampshire Seacoast by Terry Nelson (Charleston, S.C. : The History Press, 2019).

Now that summer is officially here, most people are dreaming of some upcoming beach days. Dover, NH author, Terry Nelson presents some strange and interesting tidbits about the Granite State's own seacoast in "Hidden History of the New Hampshire Seacoast".

"The New Hampshire Seacoast has a wealth of overlooked history. Some remnants are hidden in plain sight, and others are just plain hidden. Meet the minister and early religious founder who was involved in an armed confrontation in Dover with another preacher in 1640. Find out how a onetime high school assistant principal in Rochester became a world-famous business leader and ended up meeting President Grover Cleveland. Discover the story of “ghost” racetracks in Somersworth before they disappear, as well as the “pile of rocks” that stopped a multimillion-dollar building project in Windham. Author Terry Nelson reveals some of New England’s most fascinating history, from Durham and Madbury to North Hampton and Portsmouth." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (10/29/2018)

Mysteries of Monadnock by Eric Stanway (Fitzwilliam, N.H. : Emu Books, 2012).

With Halloween only days away, it only seemed appropriate to feature a book focusing on the macabre in the Granite State, and even better....it's authored by NH native Eric Stanway who is well versed in such subjects! 

"The small towns and villages that cluster around the base of Mount Monadnock in Southwestern New Hampshire are a treasure trove of legends, including murders, ghosts, and strange phenomena that defy explanation. Contained herein is a collection of true stories of villains and victims, curious and fantastic events that echo from the past and resonate into the present day. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and archival material, “Mysteries of Monadnock” is sure to fascinate anyone with a taste for uncanny stories and the history of New England." -- Back cover

Here are a few of the NH locations and stories contained within "Mysteries of Monadnock":

Fitzwilliam – Tour the rooms of the Blake House, where numerous ghosts are said to roam the halls.
Francestown – Walk the shores of Haunted Lake, where a murdered man is said to howl at night, seeking release from his earthly bonds.
Jaffrey – Take a seat in the Ghost Chair of the Ross Family, and then stroll around the Dean Farm, where the owner was beaten, garrotted, and thrown into his own well.
Rindge – Relive the night in 1833, when the Reverend Avery, accused of strangling a young girl, was run to ground. Then visit the ghosts that haunt the Freeborn Stearns House.
Troy – Discover the facts behind the bones that were found in Levi Haskell’s farm, and the still-unsolved murder to which they gave testimony.
Winchester – Explore Shipman’s Tavern, where over 150 ghosts are said to be still in residence.

Book of the Week (7/23/2018)

Weird Tales of Keene by Eric Stanway (Fitzwilliam, N.H. : Emu Books, 2018).

Eric Stanway, local writer of the strange and mysterious, brings us a new book focusing on Keene, NH! I can't wait to discover the strange history of Keene that Eric has so diligently researched!

"Visit the darker side of Keene… Since the settlement in 1733, many strange events have transpired in the seemingly quiet City of Keene. Join us as we explore a few of the more bizarre anecdotes from its history, including the persecuted Tory who hid in a cave; the man who was found dead by chloroform in the middle of a busy street; a tragedy at a bowling alley that ended in violence and suicide; and a young man who discovered he could tame lions at his whim. All this lies within, along with many more tales that make up the tapestry of this ancient city." --Author's website

Meet Eric Stanway at Toadstool Books in Keene, NH on Saturday, August 4, 2018 at 2:00 pm where he will be discussing his most recent book!

Book of the Week (10/30/2017)

Ghost Stories From the Elm City by Kitty Mervine (N.H.? : K. Mervine, 2017).

With Halloween only a day away, it seemed fitting to post about a collection of local ghost stories by one of our talented Granite State authors. Kitty Mervine, author of both children's and adult books, offers a glimpse into the supernatural world of Keene, NH with her new book! The stories within "Ghost Stories From the Elm City" are accompanied by amazing illustrations by NH artist Noah Whippie that only add to the spookiness.

["Ghost Stories From the Elm City"] offers a peek at Keene, New Hampshire's paranormal history, featuring a ghostly cat, a zombie in search of a heart, and a skeleton driving way too fast! --Amazon.com

Book of the Week (10/31/2016)

Twisted Tales of New Hampshire by Eric Stanway (Fitzwilliam, NH : Emu Books, 2016.)

Ghosts, murderers, haunted houses....in small-town New Hampshire?! Local author Eric Stanway once again brings to us, a mixture of spooky stories from years gone by in his latest book, Twisted Tales of New Hampshire. There are plenty of creepy tales from the Granite State within Stanway's book to shock and unnerve this Halloween!

Join us as we once again delve into the darkest aspects of the Granite State. This time, we have a haunted house in Dublin with an extremely unfriendly ghost; the bizarre tale of Frederick Small of Ossipee, who might have gotten away with murder, had he not been so cheap; the murderous rampage of Thomas Samon of Laconia, whose axe-murdering spree left three dead and one woman critically injured; and the homicidal career of Samuel Green, which ended with the noose in 1822. As these tales will readily attest, there is no shortage of twisted anecdotes in New Hampshire. -Back cover.

Book of the Week (10/24/2016)

 

New Hampshire Book of the Dead: Graveyard Legends and Lore by Roxie J. Zwicker (Charleston, SC: History Press, 2012).

I am absolutely fascinated with old cemeteries and gravestones. So when I saw this book on the shelf while searching for spooky books, I knew I had to read it! Author Roxie Zwicker provides a glimpse of the history and spooky tales surrounding the oldest burial grounds in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire's historic graveyards, from Portsmouth to North Conway, have bizarre and eerie stories to offer their visitors. Graveyards often invoke fear and superstition among the living, but the dead who rest within them may have more to communicate to the world they left behind. The sands of Pine Grove Cemetery in Hampton once concealed the tombstone of Susanna Smith, but now its message--which reads simply "Slaine with thunder"--and her story have risen from beneath the soil. The Point of Graves Cemetery in Portsmouth is home to the spirit of Elizabeth Pierce, who beckons departing guests back to her grave. Along the state's southern border in Jaffrey, tombstones at Philips-Heil Cemetery caution the living to cherish life. Author Roxie Zwicker tours the Granite State's oldest burial grounds, exploring the stones, stories and folklore of these hallowed places. -- Back cover