Indiana’s Mayhem & Murder: Historical True Crime in the Hoosier State
Author Keven McQueen has written books for decades now, and has taken an interest in what he calls “historical true crime.” In this interview we discuss his book on crimes in the Hoosier state before 1940. In addition, some of Keven’s musings on history, society, and the particular sources he has found most helpful in finding these unique stories.
Show Highlights:
- Keven’s journey in becoming a non-fiction author.
- His moral and ethical concerns writing about criminal cases. The reason for his cutoff of 1940 as the last year he will draw stories from.
- Thoughts on the popularity of true crime. An explanation of “historical” true crime.
- Hazel Triumphant! A young mother is accused of the murder of her infant twins. She was the sole caretaker of the two children, until it was discovered they were not real.
- Hypothetical Questions in Abundance. An outspoken, pro-German, minister shares his views in the World War I period. Did this result in his murder? Or was there something more to the story, like espionage?
- The Boy Bandit. A young man goes on a crime spree. Was he influenced by “dime-store novels,” or was he just bad? Many twists and turns in this story.
- Three Ways to Escape Punishment. What appears to be a simple murder-for-hire scheme certainly has an elaborate defense strategy. First the wife didn’t have anything to do with it. Then it was she had to do it because her husband was insane. No, she had to do it because of her own insanity!
- Grave robbery as a common crime in Indiana. Behavioral economics and the reduced frequency of some crimes over time.
- The best ways to research crime stories. Why local papers, and ancestry.com, can be great resources. The conversations Keven has had with descendants of some of individuals in his books.
- Future books Keven is working on.
Murder & Mayhem in Indiana (2014):
https://www.hamiltonbook.com/murder-mayhem-in-indiana-paperbound
Keven Mcqueen’s Website / Written Works:
http://www.kevenmcqueenstories.com/published_works
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