“Charles Manson Meets Mayberry”: How I Discovered the Story That Wouldn’t Let Me Go
I didn’t plan to write a true crime book. But this one found me. I never set out to become a true crime author.In fact, I wasn’t even looking for a story. I was living in Crystal Beach, Florida — a sleepy, sun-warmed place with scallop beds and bike paths, retirees and dock fishing, where […]
Crystal Beach, 1949: Paradise Lost
Before the horror, it was the safest place in Florida to leave your doors unlocked. Imagine living in a town so peaceful, nobody locked their doors.Where kids caught scallops barefoot in the bay.Where you could leave your windows open at night and fall asleep to the sound of the Gulf breeze. That was Crystal Beach […]