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Jack Smith
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By Person or Persons...UNKNOWN: Shedding New Light on True Unsolved Murder Mysteries Lost in Time But Never Forgotten (True Crime Murder Case Compilations Book 5) Kindle Edition

by Jack Smith (Author), Marjorie Kramer (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 80 ratings
See all formats and editions

By Person or Persons… UNKNOWN
Chilling stories of unsolved murders lost in time but never Forgotten



What if the criminal or criminals are never punished? Or even conclusively identified?

When this happens, there is a vacuum that continually demands to be filled, even decades after the crime was committed. This is why unsolved crimes – in this instance, murders – are rarely forgotten entirely. Finding new solutions is something that fascinates us. What did really happened? Who did it? We need answers.

This book examines three cases of unsolved murders that continue to fascinate and horrify us:

• The Murder of Margaret Blake: On April 23, 1816, Margaret Blake was found in her decrepit cellar apartment, dead from a stab wound. Three people – her husband and two boarders – were present when it happened, but none of them were declared guilty.

Modern forensic investigative techniques have been applied to this 200-year-old murder and have resulted in what may be the final solution.



• The Mad Axeman of New Orleans: From 1918-1919, a series of mysterious and gruesome axe murders terrified the Crescent City. The majority of the victims were Italians, but citizens of all backgrounds worried that their skulls would be caved in while they slept.

The killer or killers were never caught, but recent research suggests a seminal form of organized crime directed the assaults.



• The Grimes Murders of 1956: A few days before New Year’s Eve, 1957, 15-year-old Barbara Grimes and her 13-year-old sister Patricia left their Chicago home to see their idol, Elvis Presley’s newest film. Weeks later, their naked bodies were found southwest of the city. Doctors could not pinpoint a primary cause of death and the murders remain unsolved.

These crimes are only a mere sample of the world’s best-known unsolved murders. Despite advancements in forensic science and investigative techniques, more cases are added to this list every year. Detectives today have better training and more resources than their predecessors who investigated the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888, yet some killer or killers still remain free.

When a murder defies immediate solution, the only thing that can be done is keep the case – and the cause – alive until more evidence comes to light. This is what this book is all about, trying to shed a new light on solving these horrific murders.

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  1. Print length
    104 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 10, 2015
  5. File size
    9611 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Nothing quite piques the imagination more than a name like the Mad Axeman of New Orleans
By Sam Anthony
Well-written book detailing three rather murderous stories that continue to raise questions even today. The Blake murder case twist was interesting. We are so used to all the high-tech investigative techniques available today, that it is interesting to read how these cases were handled so many years ago. Anything about New Orleans is interesting but especially murder. This second case even invokes a saint. Nothing quite piques the imagination more than a name like the Mad Axeman of New Orleans. Finally, the author moves us through time to 1956 and the Grimmes murders of three young boys. Such a sad tale.

I really like the organization and way these three cases were presented. You get a real feel for what happened. Thoroughly enjoyed my read.

CSI eat your heart out
By CLBrown
This was a really well written and investigative interrogation of 3 cases of unsolved crimes in history. I particularly liked the original drawings, paintings, photos and press clippings for each story that have been included, it really brought the stories to life - gave me goosebumps to actually see faces of those involved, pictures of doorways and maps - great detective work!

Great stories - just don't read at night by yourself!
By B.L. Asselin
Wow - such an interesting book. Each of the stories is fascinating. hard to believe that there are unsolved murders like these. I really hope there is a sequel - I couldn't put this one down...thanks!

Not bad
By Amazon Customer
Brief and not super thorough, the book is still a competent and even-handed retelling of three interesting murder cases. The first chapter in particular is well-reasoned.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00VYWHM8G
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 10, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 9611 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 104 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 80 ratings

About the author

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Jack Smith

Jack Smith

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Jack Smith is fascinated with true crime, specifically serial killers. After finishing his university degree in medicine, Jack continued to become a pathologist. He has traveled far and wide and has seen many cases in the thirty years. Jack started documenting some of the peculiarities in these cases to observe trends among crimes. From this early fascination with murderers, he decided to pursue this by writing about cases that he found most interesting both from a psychological point of view as well as the story behind the murders. He is from Maine and has since retired, allowing him to focus on his true crime research, which he documents in his books.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
80 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Interested Party
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2015
Verified Purchase
I am a fan of True Crime and this book goes far in satisfying my curiosity. I have read other Jack Smith books and this one doesn't disappoint. It is sad that families sometimes can't get the closure they so much desire. The unfortunate part of unsolved crimes is that we read about so many, yet they are just a fraction of the total.

The book covers three crimes from as early as 1816 and as recent as 1956. All of these unsolved murders were horrific, brutal and unfortunately unsolved. The first murder took place in 1816 and her name was Margaret Blake. Even with only four people living in very small quarters there was not a logical conclusion to the crime. That didn't include the other suspects as well. An interesting trial took place that had differences from today's trials (it may be a spoiler so you will have to read it). Unsolved and unfortunate.

Next up is The Mad Axeman of New Orleans. The title of this section kind of says it all. These brutal murders took place between 1918-1919 when men were being called to service for WWI, which added to the tension and concern of the people of New Orleans. One of the most interesting things about the Axeman was his ability to get a whole town to do something on one night which prevented any murders from happening that night. This crime also remains unsolved.

The last crime story was about the Grimmes sisters in 1956. Even a town the size of Chicago was on alert to help in finding the girls and solving the case. This was a very famous case, and for some people that are old enough they will remember it. There were many stories and sightings of the girls and maybe this made it more difficult to know where to focus. Again no killer was found or convicted.

If you are a true crime fan this book will not disappoint.. I think the cases were well investigated and well written.
3 people found this helpful
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Muhammad Nizam Bin Mohtar
3.0 out of 5 stars An average written book by Jack Smith. ⭐⭐⭐
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
An average written book by Jack Smith. ⭐⭐⭐
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C. Powell
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, if you like this type of story
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2017
The first story is especially intriguing, having attributes of the locked room mystery. Each story is sad, but the ones involving children are heartbreaking. Fascinating book.
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Terry
2.0 out of 5 stars Shedding New Light Is False
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
I love true crime stories - if they're true. These three stories are seemingly true - annotations and end notes - but no light on any of them. Just sad stories of cold murder cases never solved.

If the title had just stopped at UNKNOWN, or changing the shedding new light, I would have given three stars.
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Sam Anthony
5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing quite piques the imagination more than a name like the Mad Axeman of New Orleans
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2015
Verified Purchase
Well-written book detailing three rather murderous stories that continue to raise questions even today. The Blake murder case twist was interesting. We are so used to all the high-tech investigative techniques available today, that it is interesting to read how these cases were handled so many years ago. Anything about New Orleans is interesting but especially murder. This second case even invokes a saint. Nothing quite piques the imagination more than a name like the Mad Axeman of New Orleans. Finally, the author moves us through time to 1956 and the Grimmes murders of three young boys. Such a sad tale.

I really like the organization and way these three cases were presented. You get a real feel for what happened. Thoroughly enjoyed my read.
2 people found this helpful
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K.
3.0 out of 5 stars In need of a good editor.
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2015
Verified Purchase
A moderately interesting examination of some old, unsolved murders, but the book has obvious editing, proofreading, and formatting problems.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
I thought this book was well written and well researched. It shows how many killers are never caught which a lot of people never realize or think about.
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CLBrown
5.0 out of 5 stars CSI eat your heart out
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2015
Verified Purchase
This was a really well written and investigative interrogation of 3 cases of unsolved crimes in history. I particularly liked the original drawings, paintings, photos and press clippings for each story that have been included, it really brought the stories to life - gave me goosebumps to actually see faces of those involved, pictures of doorways and maps - great detective work!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Anee
5.0 out of 5 stars The good old days weren't so good!
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
In the era that most of these crimes were committed there of course were no forensics and police took eye witness statements as fact. It is shocking how many people were put in jail that didn't do the crime and for the same crime.
Glad we don't solve crimes like that now.
Great book, good stories.
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