A gruesome murder has occured in Rural Indiana. A seasoned cop with his own personal issues has to figure out who commited the crime, bring him or her to justice, and at the same time, deal with his own personal demons.

A supplemental textbook for middle and high school students, Hoosiers and the American Story provides intimate views of individuals and places in Indiana set within themes from American history. During the frontier days when Americans battled with and exiled native peoples from the East, Indiana was on the leading edge of America’s westward expansion. As waves of immigrants swept across the Appalachians and eastern waterways, Indiana became established as both a crossroads and as a vital part of Middle America. Indiana’s stories illuminate the history of American agriculture, wars, industrialization, ethnic conflicts, technological improvements, political battles, transportation networks, economic shifts, social welfare initiatives, and more. In so doing, they elucidate large national issues so that students can relate personally to the ideas and events that comprise American history. At the same time, the stories shed light on what it means to be a Hoosier, today and in the past.

The story of this Midwestern state and its people, past and present: “An entertaining and fast read.” ―Indianapolis Star Who are the people called Hoosiers? What are their stories? Two centuries ago, on the Indiana frontier, they were settlers who created a way of life they passed to later generations. They came to value individual freedom and distrusted government, even as they demanded that government remove Indians, sell them land, and bring democracy. Down to the present, Hoosiers have remained wary of government power and have taken care to guard their tax dollars and their personal independence. Yet the people of Indiana have always accommodated change, exchanging log cabins and spinning wheels for railroads, cities, and factories in the nineteenth century, automobiles, suburbs, and foreign investment in the twentieth. The present has brought new issues and challenges, as Indiana’s citizens respond to a rapidly changing world. James H. Madison’s sparkling new history tells the stories of these Hoosiers, offering an invigorating view of one of America’s distinctive states and the long and fascinating journey of its people.

“Highly original . . . Ample dry humor leavens a plotline that thoughtfully explores the heart of human darkness . . . Michael Koryta admirers will be enthralled.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “What appears to be a humorous story set in Indiana farm country becomes a thriller with multiple shocking twists. Fans of TV's Dexter might want to try this disquieting book from Scott.” —Library Journal In the early 1980s, a tight-knit Indiana community is struck by a series of violent murders. Father Solomon Lancaster—the town’s dry-witted sheriff and priest at the community Catholic church—finds himself on the forefront of the investigation. Soon, he’s fighting to match wits with the serial killer terrorizing his town while trying to justify his law enforcement credentials to the FBI as their analysts and profilers take Crooked Creek, Indiana, by storm. But Father Solomon is hiding secrets of his own. Ones that threaten to rise to the surface as the murders continue and the investigation draws nearer to the truth. As the killer begins to escalate, Father Solomon finds that even the innocent have dark sides, and trust might be the deadliest weapon of all.

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Read this chilling collection of 78 ghost stories from throughout Indiana. When settlers first came to Indiana before 1800, the Miami, Delaware, and Potawatomi tribes who already inhabited the region had a long tradition of stories about tragic death and haunting spirits. Pioneers, the builders of Indiana canals, villagers, and city dwellers added their own tales of mansions where sad deaths occurred and where spirits walked, and of murderers and kidnappers whose foul crimes seemed to be punished from beyond the grave. These traditions have been passed on to us today, joined by modern folk tales that raise the hair on the head and startle the imagination. Journey to Hazelcot, the deserted dream mansion in Whitley County; to the forsaken and frightening tomb of riverboat captain Francis McHarry along the Ohio, where ships to this day toot out their homage to avoid the ghost’s curse; and to the bridges near Avon, Indiana, where who-knows-what will occur during Halloween. These carefully researched and truly frightening tales by Wanda Lou Wilis, one of Indiana’s most popular folklorists, will provoke and amuse even the most skeptical reader. Inside you’ll find: 78 ghostly tales about folklore and spooky sites Stories arranged by county Maps and directions to the haunted locations Historical information about the counties Do ghosts still walk the roads and trails of the Hoosier heartland? Find out for yourself with Haunted Hoosier Trails.

This book is the result of wandering the highways and byways of Indiana and exploring the history and mystery of the state. It is a collection of stories about Hoosiers that may be amusing, surprising, filled with intrigue, educational, and revelations of little-known facts about people. It is about Hoosier lives cut from many bolts of fabric that have been pieced into the quilt called the state of Indiana. You will read how a chance encounter on a train caused one man to write one of the most popular and memorable books of all time along with the fascinating story about an African-American slave lady in Vincennes who sued and won her freedom when Indiana became a state. You will read and learn about a family of neer-do-wells who introduced the world to the art of robbing trains; a runner named Danny who never lost a race; how the stars announced the birth of a great leader; a Reuben who is not a sandwich but pushed his weight around; a doctor whose great interests lay in inventing things; a woman from New Palestine who is the CEO of a major company; two of the greatest coaches ever; a boy named Wonga who became a giant in the entertainment world and how another boy selling newspapers became a huge Hollywood star.