Fear the Reaper: America's Rural Mysteries, Hauntings and Horrors

by Troy Taylor, Rene' Kruse

FEAR THE REAPER AMERICA'S RURAL MYSTERIES, HAUNTINGS & HORRORS BY TROY TAYLOR & RENE KRUSE The “Dead Men Do Tell Tales” series returns with a nightmarish journey into America's heartland in search of terrifying, gruesome and heartbreaking takes of murder, mayhem and ghosts! Far away from the bright lights of the big cities, such tales of depravity, violence and murder seem far removed from what appeared to be the peaceful countryside of the “good ol’ days.” But those days were often far from good, as killers, psychopaths and rapists often roamed the regions far removed from the reach of the law. The isolation, loneliness and despair of rural life often led to horrific acts that can hardly be imagined outside of our worst nightmares. From seemingly normal farmers who one day snap and slaughter their entire family to murderous hired hands, dangerous drifters, depraved lunatics and worse, this is a collection of dark tales that will have you turning the pages long into the night -- and making sure you lock the doors after dark! You’ll be chilled by… * “Inhuman Butcher” Robert McConaghy * “Monster in the Shape of a Man” Anton Probst * “The Bloody Benders” * The “Northwood Murderer” * Joseph Lapage, the “Demon from the Bottomless Pit” * The Meeks Murders * Pearl Bryan, the “Headless Wonder” * Belle Gunness * The “Bluebeard of Quiet Dell” * The Clutter Murders of “In Cold Blood” * The Keddie Murders & many, many more! For those who believe that the most horrendous crimes in American history were confined to major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, you’ll be both frightened and shocked by events that occurred in the bucolic countryside, along peaceful back roads, in the dark woods and in the small farming communities of America – and by the ghosts they left behind!

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Paranormal

529 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2014

Reviews

[Debbi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy books like these, but I couldn't finish this one. Disappointing

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories and cases covered here are fascinating - I'm a True Crime and paranormal buff and many were new to me. An improvement on "Ghosts of the Prairie" but still tedious in places, with unnecessary repetition, irrelevant detail and some pretty glaring typos/spelling mistakes.

[Tom Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a quick review ...

Great true crime collection! Could have used a little editing here and there, but that's the worst I can say. Taylor is a good writer and I will be reading more of his work. Several of the stories in this volume were new to me. The ones I was familiar with all had additional information. Well worth your time.

[Douglas Reedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very scary.

The authors have done quite well at researching the details for this book. They wrote in an entertaining and informative style. A good read for all true crime enthusiasts.

[Terri Oconnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Troy Taylor knocked it out of the woods with this book. There were so many stories to read in different areas, mysteries, horror and just plain haunting. You will get your fill in this book that takes part in Rural America.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book.
I couldn't put it down.
Very informative with lots of cases that I had never heard of before.

[Michele Findley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Detailed Stories

I can’t put down Troy’s books. Very well written; the history in the tragedies is based on solid research. Highly recommend!

[MKF]

DNF

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read about deaths in America.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting stuff

This book defies any brief description because it contains such a variety of topics. I found it all extremely interesting and informative.

Many mass murders were covered that I had not heard of and that I want to know more about. Some are still unsolved.

Most of the cases took place in the 19th and early 20th centuries, so given the little information available, one can only speculate as to motive.

There are many errors that would not be detected with SpellCheck, such as "ether" for "either." Includes photos.