No Place Like Murder

              

No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest by Janis Thornton

Summary: A modern retelling of 20 sensational true crimes, No Place Like Murder reveals the inside details behind nefarious acts that shocked the Midwest between 1869 and 1950. The stories chronicle the misdeeds, examining the perpetrators' mindsets, motives, lives, apprehensions, and trials, as well as what became of them long after. 

True crime author Janis Thornton profiles notorious murderers such as Frankie Miller, who was fed up when her fiancé stood her up for another woman. As fans of the song "Frankie and Johnny" already know, Frankie met her former lover at the door with a shotgun. Thornton's tales reveal the darker side of life in the Midwest, including the account of Isabelle Messmer, a plucky young woman who dreamed of escaping her quiet farm-town life. After she nearly took down two tough Pittsburgh policemen in 1933, she was dubbed "Gun Girl" and went on to make headlines from coast to coast. In 1942, however, after a murder conviction in Texas, she vowed to do her time and go straight. Full of intrigue and revelations, No Place Like Murder also features such folks as Chirka and Rasico, the first two Hoosier men to die in the electric chair after they brutally murdered their wives in 1913. The two didn't meet until their fateful last night. 

An enthralling and chilling collection, No Place Like Murder is sure to thrill true crime lovers. 

Angie’s comments: Local author Janis Thornton is back with another true crime book. Tipton County locations and residents are featured in some of the tales. Most of the crimes I had not heard of, so it was a really interesting look into crimes of the past.

 

Recommended for readers who like true crime and local history. 

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History and Genealogy Resources

Interested in researching local history or your genealogy? Here are some resources that the Tipton County Public Library offers, and for more information, go to http://tiptongenealogy.blogspot.com/. HeritageQuest  Like Ancestry.com, you can search census records, city directories, Revolutionary War records, and other resources.  Access HeritageQuest from home with your library card. Indiana Memory A collection of digitized items from around Indiana, including newspapers from the 1800s to 1922.  Available freely online at https://digital.library.in.gov/. Tipton High School yearbooks The Tipton High School yearbooks from 1898 to 1979 are available online in pdf. Go to http://tiptongenealogy.blogspot.com/ and on the right hand side, select the drop-down menu and choose what year you want.  If you want any more suggestions or ideas, please call or come in the library today!

Local History

Check out these local history books and dvds! Janet Thornton Images of America: Tipton County Request this item Nancy A. Massey Images of America: Noblesville Request this item Tipton: This is Your City DVD from 1960 Recently shown at the Diana Theatre Available for check out at the Tipton County Public Library Request this item If you want any more suggestions or ideas, please call or come in the library today!

Tipton County History Display: Festivals and Fairs

Check out the display on the festivals and fairs of Tipton County!  Did you know that Tipton County's William H. Curry was three times named the "Corn King" at an international corn show in Chicago? That was the inspriation behind the Corn Festival that was held from 1939 to 1941. Drop by and see the display during this month. Share your memories of Tipton County's fairs.

Tipton County History Display: Tipton County Beginnings

Check out the display on the beginnings of Tipton County! Drop by and see the display during this month. The library especially thanks Mary Ann Scharff for loaning the two books on display.

Tipton County History Display: Hoosier Homesteads and Century Farms

Check out the display on Hoosier Homesteads and Century Farms in Tipton County! Drop by and see the display during this month. Share your history with others at the display.