3 Days In 63: The Unsolved Murder of Frances Bullock

by Gregg Clark, Monica Collier (Cover Design)

On July 26, 1963, in the small Southern Appalachian town of Franklin, North Carolina, life was calm and peaceful. The succeeding three days to come, and the decades that chased them like a runaway train, would not only disturb that calm and shatter that peace, they would cast a shadow over the small town that has yet to dissipate with the light of day. Frances Bullock, a lovely forty-year-old widow who had been missing for three days, was found stabbed to death in her home-an immediate and irreversible collective innocence was lost. Many residents of the mountain town locked their doors for the very first time. Rumors of the wicked murder flew with the rapidity of a flock of birds through the telephone lines, over café counters and into ears leaning in close to take in the whispered words. Fifty years later, on a late-night paranormal radio show broadcast out of Little Rock, Arkansas, the mysterious cold case of Frances Bullock is unearthed revealing the horrors, the hauntings, the secrets, and the sins-with suspects and suspicions ranging from cast-off lovers all the way to the John F. Kennedy Administration.

312 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2019

Reviews

[Kelly]

Ugh. I’m giving this a generous 2 1/2 stars, because there were parts of it that I did enjoy at the beginning of the book, and it made me want to visit the small town of Franklin. But I grew increasingly annoyed as I realized that this book has VERY LITTLE to do with the murder, and is instead filled with dozens of different tangents and side stories about any and everything other than that. Halfway through, I just decided to skim the rest of the pages for more info about what happened to Frances, but there was little to be found. I’m left with the equivalent of maybe two pages worth of knowledge about it, and I find that frustrating. The author should have marketed it in some different way, maybe just a collection of short stories for locals to enjoy. Instead, the front cover and the summary on the back make it seem like this is a true crime book. It is not.

[Madi Nally]

Clark begins the book in a foreword stating he has crafted this book in a genre of its own, and I think that was my largest issue with the book. I came to it hoping for all the details surrounding Frances Bullock and was left hoping for more. It could have been marketed better as one man’s interactions over a lifetime with the murder. The other many tangents did not always add to the story in my opinion. Being from Franklin, though, I did enjoy hearing its stories from previous years and asking my mom about various landmarks and events.

[Kim]

After reading and enjoying another book about this murder (Frankie - A Life Cut Short: Her Life and Unsolved Mystery by Ronnie Evans), I eagerly ordered this one.

I really wanted to like this book but I struggled to follow the author's discourse. He writes in third person and the first four chapters are mostly focused on him and his ghost tours (aside from a barbershop scene). I had to start skimming to bear with it.

I found the intersecting chapters about the radio show interview to be more of a distraction than a creative story telling method.

I respect that he changed names of those involved but it wasn't clear to me if the other historical stories in the book also have changed names. For example, there is a long story about a Gretchen Ravens. I have no idea if it's true or a tale. (I was also unclear of how this story was relevant to the overall book.) The ghost stories seemed so far-fetched that I questioned the accuracy of his conclusions about the murder.

I do admire Mr. Clark's historical knowledge and writing commitment. He has some clever descriptions to illustrate scenes but sorely needed an editor to prioritize the relevance of the information. I would recommend reading the Evans book to get a better sense of the victim and the people in her life.

[Leslie Gilli]

I just finished reading Three Days in 63 by Gregg Clark for the second time.
I am relatively new to Franklin (4 years) and I fell in love with our beautiful town all over again while reading the book and learning more about its history. Plus the book is about MURDER! I love whodunits! AND a whodunit in a place where I live and recognize that landmarks / businesses mentioned……doesn’t get any better than that. Seriously, I was in reader’s heaven.

Gregg’s knowledge of local history along with his incredible descriptive writing really set the tone for this mystery and kept me on the edge of my chair.

I highly recommend this book to everyone in Western North Carolina and all those that love mysteries.

[Joseph Griffith]

Gregg Clark writes with excitement and suspense in this real-life mystery story. The story takes many turns and is crafted in such a way that makes the book hard to put down. This book is suspenseful and exciting to read. The true story brings the reader into the real life Western North Carolina in 1963 detailing the events leading up to actually murder. This is a must Read!!