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Murder & Mayhem in Boston: Historic Crimes in the Hub
Boston's history is checkered with violence and heinous crimes. In 1845, a woman lured into prostitution was murdered at the hands of her jealous lover who used sleepwalking as his defense at trial. A leg was found floating along the Boston Harbor, wrapped in a burlap bag that would later be connected to a woman who was brutally murdered and dismembered by her handyman. In the 1970s, a string of seemingly unconnected murders led to a killer who became known as the Giggler. Christopher Daley explores the tragic events that turned peaceful Boston neighborhoods into disturbing crime scenes.
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 3, 2016
A set of nine true life crimes set in Boston and it's environs. Tightly written, with great detail. I knew about one of the 9 stories, and was absolutely fascinated to read the other 8. I Love history, even if it is a history of crime and unpleasantness.
December 17, 2023
I had no idea that I even had this book in the house! What a wonderful find-full of local history and mostly forgotten crimes in Boston and the surrounding areas. Great historical detail and an interesting look at jurisprudence throughout history. Glad I found this.
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June 13, 2016Well written..Factual..not very interesting due to the content ..not what I expected
March 23, 2016
I went to a talk at my library were the author, who is a school teacher, was plugging this book. He had me into it at "Murder & Mayhem" so I checked the book out. It covers 9 stories of interesting murders that took place in Boston and aren't as well known. It is organized and writttem well. The stories are laid out in a way to make you think one way and then another way. It's a shorter book and easy to read, but can get spooky to read alone at night since some of the stories are gruesome. I'm giving it 5 stars since it does what it was set out to do in a fine way, although this isn't some remarkable piece of work. I liked that he went the extra mile and unearthed some new information and also went out and got pics of the places now.
August 22, 2016
This book was very interesting.This book is perfect for people who like murder mysteries and history books.It is well researched and fun to see pictures of Old Boston.
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September 4, 2025I'm not the ideal reader for this book. My experience with true crime is limited and the fictional crime I consume is either of the fantastical, magical realism variety in novel form or through the eyes of a comedic sleuth on TV with a neatly wrapped up end of episode confession that rarely goes to trial. This book is nine carefully selected cases spanning 1835-1966 that have unsatisfying, mysterious resolutions as well as grisly violent details. It was a mix of fun and creepy to read about the sorts of things that have happened in my home town I wasn't aware of.
My biggest takeaway is how large a role public opinion and general sentiment of the time can play in the outcome of a trial. From frustration over the price of a murder victim's bonnet to a defendant being a recent immigrant to the city recovering from other tragedies like the Boston Fire and the Boston Strangler...all of these opinions seemed to impact jury decisions or court appeals in this retelling. #read4bookclub
My biggest takeaway is how large a role public opinion and general sentiment of the time can play in the outcome of a trial. From frustration over the price of a murder victim's bonnet to a defendant being a recent immigrant to the city recovering from other tragedies like the Boston Fire and the Boston Strangler...all of these opinions seemed to impact jury decisions or court appeals in this retelling. #read4bookclub
August 9, 2025
Wild
This book was wild. I had never heard of any of these before and I'm FROM Boston. Daley did a great job recounting each case and giving as much facts as possible. I also was pleased that he included photographs.
This book was wild. I had never heard of any of these before and I'm FROM Boston. Daley did a great job recounting each case and giving as much facts as possible. I also was pleased that he included photographs.
December 25, 2018
It's not bad. It's not great, either.
February 23, 2020
It was very well written and interesting.
June 10, 2023
Some things never change as the first story proves with the murder of a prostitute in 1845. Maria Bickford worked in a parlor house in Boston and hooked up with a wealthy married man who eventually killed her with a razor. Her husband followed her like a sick puppy and her paramour's family hired the best lawyer money could buy. A sleepwalking defense was used and read it for the outcome.
Isabella and John Joyce were hacked up in Bussey Woods in 1865 and the case remains a cold one.
A barrel floating on the Charles River was discovered containing a dissected man. Abijah Ellis was the unfortunate victim and he held the mortgage of the suspect, Leavitt Alley. The trial came down to human blood versus horse blood and nineteenth century chemistry was not exactly up to our awesome CSI standards.
Another winner named Thomas Piper murdered Irish immigrant Bridget Landregan but was not caught until another girl was killed in a church belfry. Tom Cahill was a convenient suspect but the poor schmuck was held in jail for several months and eventually sailed back to his native Ireland.
The name Jesse Pomeroy was familiar to me from a previous book by Harold Schecter, Fiend, which was source material for this one. The "boy torturer" was one sick puppy. At the age of twelve he abducted smaller boys and mutilated them with a knife. By thirteen he was convicted of murder and spent the rest of his fifty-three years in prison.
Mae Price was strangled at a hotel in 1925 and one cop relentlessly pursued her killer and brought the man to trial. The outcome was an unusual one.
Joseph Fantasia was shot down in the street and it was the case of a love triangle. Philomina Romano was a dark haired beauty and the center of the attention of a Mafia boss. Joe was caught in the middle and the resulting trials are nothing short of amazing.
A burlap sack with a woman's leg was found floating on Boston Harbor. It was linked to Grayce Asquith. Her head "surfaced" at a later date. Oscar Bartolini was tried and this is another good story.
Daley skips the Boston Strangler and instead finishes with The Giggler. Kenneth Harrison taunted the police by calling himself the Giggler. He confessed and was sent away to a nut house. It is the shortest chapter.
Overall, Murder& Mayhem in Boston is decent read.
Isabella and John Joyce were hacked up in Bussey Woods in 1865 and the case remains a cold one.
A barrel floating on the Charles River was discovered containing a dissected man. Abijah Ellis was the unfortunate victim and he held the mortgage of the suspect, Leavitt Alley. The trial came down to human blood versus horse blood and nineteenth century chemistry was not exactly up to our awesome CSI standards.
Another winner named Thomas Piper murdered Irish immigrant Bridget Landregan but was not caught until another girl was killed in a church belfry. Tom Cahill was a convenient suspect but the poor schmuck was held in jail for several months and eventually sailed back to his native Ireland.
The name Jesse Pomeroy was familiar to me from a previous book by Harold Schecter, Fiend, which was source material for this one. The "boy torturer" was one sick puppy. At the age of twelve he abducted smaller boys and mutilated them with a knife. By thirteen he was convicted of murder and spent the rest of his fifty-three years in prison.
Mae Price was strangled at a hotel in 1925 and one cop relentlessly pursued her killer and brought the man to trial. The outcome was an unusual one.
Joseph Fantasia was shot down in the street and it was the case of a love triangle. Philomina Romano was a dark haired beauty and the center of the attention of a Mafia boss. Joe was caught in the middle and the resulting trials are nothing short of amazing.
A burlap sack with a woman's leg was found floating on Boston Harbor. It was linked to Grayce Asquith. Her head "surfaced" at a later date. Oscar Bartolini was tried and this is another good story.
Daley skips the Boston Strangler and instead finishes with The Giggler. Kenneth Harrison taunted the police by calling himself the Giggler. He confessed and was sent away to a nut house. It is the shortest chapter.
Overall, Murder& Mayhem in Boston is decent read.
June 13, 2023
Fascinating and easy-to-read book about murders that took place in the city of Boston during the 1800s and 1900s. Nine murder cases presented each in their own chapter. Each case is described according to news articles and books that were written at the time, including the murders committed, how the cases were investigated and the killers determined, court proceedings and what ultimately happened to the murderers. I read another similar book about a year ago entitled Murder and Mayhem in Metrowest Boston written by a different author, but by the same publisher, The History Press. They do a nice job I think presenting the stories along with related illustrations and photos.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews