9780593553152
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Hell’s Half Acre audiobook

  • By: Susan Jonusas
  • Narrator: Lee Osorio
  • Category: Murder, Serial Killers, True Crime
  • Length: 9 hours 15 minutes
  • Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
  • Publish date: January 01, 2022
  • Language: English
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Hell’s Half Acre Audiobook Summary

One of NPR’s “Books We Love”
New York Times Book Review’s
“The Best True Crime of 2022”

“Rich in historical perspective and graced by novelistic touches, grips the reader from first to last.”—Wall Street Journal

A suspense filled tale of murder on the American frontier—shedding new light on a family of serial killers in Kansas, whose horrifying crimes gripped the attention of a nation still reeling from war.

In 1873 the people of Labette County, Kansas made a grisly discovery. Buried by a trailside cabin beneath an orchard of young apple trees were the remains of countless bodies. Below the cabin itself was a cellar stained with blood. The Benders, the family of four who once resided on the property were nowhere to be found. The discovery sent the local community and national newspapers into a frenzy that continued for decades, sparking an epic manhunt for the Benders.
 
The idea that a family of seemingly respectable homesteaders—one among the thousands relocating farther west in search of land and opportunity after the Civil War—were capable of operating “a human slaughter pen” appalled and fascinated the nation. But who the Benders really were, why they committed such a vicious killing spree and whether justice ever caught up to them is a mystery that remains unsolved to this day. Set against the backdrop of postbellum America, Hell’s Half-Acre explores the environment capable of allowing such horrors to take place. Drawing on extensive original archival material, Susan Jonusas introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, many of whom have been previously missing from the story. Among them are the families of the victims, the hapless detectives who lost the trail, and the fugitives that helped the murderers escape.
 
Hell’s Half-Acre is a journey into the turbulent heart of nineteenth century America, a place where modernity stalks across the landscape, violently displacing existing populations and building new ones. It is a world where folklore can quickly become fact and an entire family of criminals can slip through a community’s fingers, only to reappear in the most unexpected of places.

Other Top Audiobooks

Hell’s Half Acre Audiobook Narrator

Lee Osorio is the narrator of Hell’s Half Acre audiobook that was written by Susan Jonusas

About the Author(s) of Hell’s Half Acre

Susan Jonusas is the author of Hell’s Half Acre

More From the Same

Subjects

The publisher of the Hell’s Half Acre is Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group. includes the following subjects: best true crime books 2022, best true crime books, unsolved murders, american west, the frontier, fugitives, outlaws, homestead, wild west, kansas history, bender family, bloody benders, true stories, serial killer gifts, serial killer books, crime books, serial killers, serial killer, crime, true crime gifts, murder, true crime books, true crime, history books, true crime book, history, history books for adults, nonfiction best sellers, books for dad, war books for men, history books best sellers, books about serial killers, True Crime, Murder, Serial Killers, History, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), History, Modern, 19th Century The BISAC Subject Code is Murder, Serial Killers, True Crime

Additional info

The publisher of the Hell’s Half Acre is Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group. The imprint is Penguin Audio. It is supplied by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group. The ISBN-13 is 9780593553152.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

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