60 Solved and Unsolved Tales From Around The World

Macabre True Crimes & Mysteries: 60 Shocking Tales That Defy Belief

Enter the World of the Macabre

True crime has always fascinated people. From late-night ghost stories to forensic TV dramas, we’re drawn to mysteries that challenge our understanding of humanity. But some stories are far darker—and stranger—than anything fiction could invent.

That’s exactly what Guy Hadleigh’s 3-volume collection, Macabre: True Crimes & Mysteries delivers. With 60 real cases from around the world, the series dives deep into the chilling, bizarre, and often unsolved crimes that have left scars on history.

This post will take you inside the book, highlighting some of its most haunting stories—from Thailand’s first serial killer to Australia’s greatest colonial mystery—while exploring why we’re so captivated by tales of murder, betrayal, and the unknown.

The Iron Box Killer: Thailand’s First Serial Murderer

The killer? Boonpeng Buaklee, a self-styled holy man who posed as a monk. Instead of offering blessings, he lured wealthy women, drugged them, and strangled them before sealing their remains in iron boxes.

The case horrified a deeply religious society, forcing Thailand to reform how monks were ordained. Boonpeng was eventually executed by beheading—the last man in Thai history to face that method of death.

Even today, children in Bangkok whisper his name as a ghost story: Heep Lek—the man of the iron box.

The Gatton Murders: Australia’s Colonial Mystery

On Boxing Day, 1898, three siblings—Michael, Ellen, and Norah Murphy—were brutally murdered on their way home from a canceled dance in Gatton, Queensland. Their bodies were discovered arranged in a deliberate,...Read More