Blood on the Mitten: Infamous Michigan Murders 1700s to Present

“In this hugely effective debut, Tom Carr sheds keen illumination upon a regional inventory of killers, kooks, cutthroats and the aggressively unhinged. The tales are horrific and humorous by turns — grisly, goofy, poignant dispatches expertly summated by a skilled veteran reporter who’s no stranger to the back stairs habituated by a true sleuth. Story telling at its fully imagined best.”

— Ben Hamper, bestselling author of Rivethead

Enhanced with the inclusion of a profusion of illustrations, "Blood on the Mitten: Infamous Michigan Murders 1700s to Present" is a consistently compelling read from beginning to end. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Blood on the Mitten" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library American History collections in general, and Michigan History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.—Small Press Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review

Before Michigan became a state, there were witch trials, scalp collectors, dirty sports, and a massacre of epic proportions. The lumber era that followed made Michigan as much of a wild, wild west as Deadwood. And Prohibition allowed a group of Detroit thugs to run roughshod over even the likes of Al Capone.

There’s more:

• A father who shoots his daughter and friends for being hippies, just as an eerily similar tale hits the silver screen

• A widow whose love of dressing up leaves a trail of poisoned relatives across the Lower Peninsula

• A lawless Upper Peninsula town that not only hangs two criminals without trial, but forces women to lie with the corpses

• A murder that spread its victim’s body parts along I-75 from Detroit to Pellston

In Blood on the Mitten, crimes of passion, crimes of necessity and cold, calculated evil take on flesh, bones and blood. These 57 illustrated, read-out loud tales from across time also look at the historical context of murder, in Michigan and beyond.

Michigan’s blood-red past includes crooked sheriffs, ruthless gangsters, serial killers, mass murderers, Wild West-style bandits, and pirates. These miscreants, and more, do their dastardly deeds in Blood on the Mitten, an aptly-titled case book documenting the more infamous scenes in Michigan history. Each chapter contains a “Murder Map”—a unique guide for the stout-of-heart who would like to follow in the footsteps of the characters who doused the Mitten with blood-spatter. True crime aficionados as well as those new to the genre will be spellbound by this well-written and informative book.

— Tobin T. Buhk, author of True Crime: Michigan, Skeletons in the Closet: Stories from the County Morgue and other historical books “with a dark twist”

Author Tom Carr shows his reportorial chops with crisp, concise prose enhanced by a multitude of historical photographs, including miscellaneous graphics. Carr blends interesting content with some visually gruesome graphics. This collection is one that Michigan history bibliophiles will want on their shelves.

— Joseph Heywood author of the Woods Cop mysteries, based on conservation officers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, The Snowily, nonfiction and poetry

“In this hugely effective debut, Tom Carr sheds keen illumination upon a regional inventory of killers, kooks, cutthroats and the aggressively unhinged. The tales are horrific and humorous by turns — grisly, goofy, poignant dispatches expertly summated by a skilled veteran reporter who’s no stranger to the back stairs habituated by a true sleuth. Story telling at its fully imagined best.”

— Ben Hamper, bestselling author of Rivethead

Enhanced with the inclusion of a profusion of illustrations, "Blood on the Mitten: Infamous Michigan Murders 1700s to Present" is a consistently compelling read from beginning to end. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Blood on the Mitten" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library American History collections in general, and Michigan History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.—Small Press Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review

Before Michigan became a state, there were witch trials, scalp collectors, dirty sports, and a massacre of epic proportions. The lumber era that followed made Michigan as much of a wild, wild west as Deadwood. And Prohibition allowed a group of Detroit thugs to run roughshod over even the likes of Al Capone.

There’s more:

· A father who shoots his daughter and friends for being hippies, just as an eerily similar tale hits the silver screen

· A widow whose love of dressing up leaves a trail of poisoned relatives across the Lower Peninsula

· A lawless Upper Peninsula town that not only hangs two criminals without trial, but forces women to lie with the corpses

· A murder that spread its victim’s body parts along I-75 from Detroit to Pellston

In Blood on the Mitten, crimes of passion, crimes of necessity and cold, calculated evil take on flesh, bones and blood. These 57 illustrated, read-out loud tales from across time also look at the historical context of murder, in Michigan and beyond.

Michigan’s blood-red past includes crooked sheriffs, ruthless gangsters, serial killers, mass murderers, Wild West-style bandits, and pirates. These miscreants, and more, do their dastardly deeds in Blood on the Mitten, an aptly-titled case book documenting the more infamous scenes in Michigan history. Each chapter contains a “Murder Map”—a unique guide for the stout-of-heart who would like to follow in the footsteps of the characters who doused the Mitten with blood-spatter. True crime aficionados as well as those new to the genre will be spellbound by this well-written and informative book.

— Tobin T. Buhk, author of True Crime: Michigan, Skeletons in the Closet: Stories from the County Morgue and other historical books “with a dark twist”

Author Tom Carr shows his reportorial chops with crisp, concise prose enhanced by a multitude of historical photographs, including miscellaneous graphics. Carr blends interesting content with some visually gruesome graphics. This collection is one that Michigan history bibliophiles will want on their shelves.

— Joseph Heywood author of the Woods Cop mysteries, based on conservation officers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, The Snowily, nonfiction and poetry