Mystery on the Isles of Shoals: Closing the Case on the Smuttynose Ax Murders of 1873

The shocking but true story behind the film and bestselling novel, The Weight of Water

The cold-blooded ax murder of two innocent Norwegian women at their island home off the Maine and New Hampshire coast has gripped the region since 1873, beguiling tourists, inspiring artists, and fueling conspiracy theorists.

The killer, a handsome Prussian fisherman down on his luck, was quickly captured, convicted in a widely publicized trial, and hanged in an unforgettable gallows spectacle. But he nev...