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

For the first time, the full story of a crime that has haunted New England since 1873.

The cold-blooded ax murder of two innocent Norwegian women at their island home off the coast of New Hampshire 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 never confes...