“A fascinating trip back to a pastoral New Jersey where malls, gangsters and toxic waste did not exist, and violence still shocked the public.”—Robert Schneck, author of The Bye Bye Man: And Other Strange-but-True Tales On January 9, 1850, Judge John Van Winkle and his wife, Jane, were brutally stabbed to death by their former farm hand, John Jonston, in their home on Goffle Road in Hawthorne, NJ (which is still standing). Their murder would go down in history as the first in Passaic County, and Jonston’s subsequent hanging would become the first execution in the county. The events surrounding the murder would go on to inspire the work of New Jersey’s greatest poet, Pulitzer-Prize winner William Carlos Williams. Since the Van Winkle home was described in The New York Times in 1882 as “the abode of unearthly visitants,” there have been documented occurrences of the unexplained occurring. The current owner, Henry Tuttman, is working to bring the house into the 21st century while retaining its heritage. “Those who love their history with a side dish of horror and a dash of macabre will not want to miss the offerings of Don Smith.”—Linda Godfrey, author of I Know What I Saw “Reads like your favorite thriller only it’s more frightening because it’s fact.”—Margie Gelbwasser, author of Inconvenient “Don Everett Smith Jr. uncovers the true story behind the Goffle Road murders and the unusual connections with United States Vice President Garrett Hobart.”—Cosmic Book News

On January 9, 1850, Judge John Van Winkle and his wife, Jane, were brutally stabbed to death by their former farm hand, John Jonston. The murder happened in their home on Goffle Road in Hawthorne, NJ (which is still standing). This story would go down in history as the first in Passaic County. Since the murder in 1850, it inspired the work of New Jersey's greatest poet William Carlos Williams. Williams would go on to inspire the works of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. In 1850, with the execution of Jonston, it became the first execution in Passaic County. The newspaper accounts of the day go into great depths to describe the day. As recorded in The New York Times in 1882 the abode of unearthly visitants, there have been documented occurrences of the unexplained occurring, and the current owner, Henry Tuttman is working to bring the house in the 21st Century while retaining the heritage of the house.

Was journalist Dorothy Kilgallen murdered for writing a tell-all book about the JFK assassination? Or was her death from an overdose of barbiturates combined with alcohol, as reported? Shaw believes Kilgallen's death has always been suspect, and unfolds a list of suspects ranging from Frank Sinatra to a Mafia don, while speculating on the possibilities of reopening the case.

A young boy is astonished when his new puppy begins to change into a human girl who says to him, "I love you, brother!".

Howard Street, originally published in 1968, is the searingly powerful novel written by inside of Trenton State Prison, where Heard had been serving time for armed robbery. Howard Street is based on authentic first-hand Newark street experiences of one of the most accomplished Black American writers, Nathan C. Heard, who later went on to teach creative writing at California State University-Fresno and Rutgers University.

The popular "HVZA: Hudson Valley Zombie Apocalypse" novel has now become a graphic novel, exploring the stories of the adventures of some of the other characters as they struggle to survive, or meet their demise and become zombies! Eight talented teams of artists and writers created eight separate stories. There is also a special illustrated short story, and as a bonus, the first chapter of the novel is included.

The idea of a criminal record originated in the early seventeenth century when the magistrates of the Massachusetts Bay Colony began recording dates, places, victims and criminals. Despite, or perhaps because of, the strict code of the Puritans, some early settlers earned quite the rap sheet that landed them either in the stocks or at the end of a noose. With biting wit and an eye for the macabre, local author Robert Wilhelm traces the first documented cases of murder and mayhem in Essex County, Massachusetts. Discover the story of Hannah Duston's revenge on her Abenaki Indian captors, why the witchcraft hysteria hung over Salem and Andover and how Rachel Wall made her living as a pirate. Decide for yourself whether the accused are guilty or if history lends itself to something else entirely.

Paranormal and supernatural events have been reported for millennia. They have fostered history’s most important cultural transformations (e.g., via the miracles of Moses, Jesus, Mohammed). Paranormal phenomena are frequently portrayed in the world’s greatest art and literature, as well as in popular TV shows and movies. Most adults in the U.S. believe in them. Yet they have a marginal place in modern culture. No university departments are devoted to studying psychic phenomena. In fact, a panoply of scientists now aggressively denounces them. These facts present a deeply puzzling situation. But they become coherent after pondering the trickster figure, an archaic being found worldwide in mythology and folklore. The trickster governs paradox and the irrational, but his messages are concealed. This book draws upon theories of the trickster from anthropology, folklore, sociology, semiotics, and literary criticism. It examines psychic phenomena and UFOs and explains why they are so problematical for science.

Provides advice for women on how to avoid and protect themselves from rape and how to survive if an assault occurs.