Murder in the Garden: Famous Crimes of Early Fresno County (Paperback)

~ (Author) "PERIODICALLY CRIMES OCCUR which leave the public shaking their heads and asking, "What's this world coming to?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Fresno County, San Quentin, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Enough drama runs through the pages to keep a soap opera running at full speed for years. Deceit, romatic revenge, vendettas, greed, and some good old fashioned creeps keep things exciting."  —Fresno Bee

Product Description

Presenting 15 famous cases from Fresno, California, set in the first part of the 20th century, a long-time detective in the sheriff's office introduces key figures such as a bootlegger, an unfortunate local dubbed Alligator Jack, and a perpetrator known as the Fig Garden Fiend. Featuring local landmarks such as Mussel Slough—the setting for Frank Norris's The Octopus—and offering additional commentary that compares these sensational past cases to current high-profile criminal cases. A consideration of the changing face of crime, this history reveals a modern upswing in child abuse, multiple murders, and kidnapping cases and highlights the extended nature of the current legal process as compared to the open-and-shut character of the early 1900s.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Linden Publishing (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941936996
• ISBN-13: 978-0941936996
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #826,388 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gasp! I cannot believe it! I was so close!, May 20, 2006

By	Judith L. Justus "jljustus" (Chandler, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I cannot begin to describe how much I enjoyed Scott Morrison's new book, "Murder in the Garden." Who would have guessed, when walking to school as a child near the corner of Cedar and Dakota Avenues, that a grizzly murder had occurred there. Or, riding down Gettysburg Avenue on a family outing passed the site of another murder. Living far away now so many years later, what fun it is to read of events that once shocked Fresno County citizens. Great reading! I hope more stories will follow.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars !!!!!FIVE STARS FOR MORRISON!!!!!, January 10, 2007

By	Judith K. Sweatt (CORCORAN, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is of interest to me because I live in the Corcoran, CA area and am impressed with the attention to detail given to these historical crimes. The pictures were superb for being as old as they are and the author worked very hard collecting all this data. I am a fan of mystery/crime novels and was enthralled all the more since it is a true account of actual happenings. Hats off to all who made this publication possible!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed..., October 29, 2007

By	RMM in Fresno - See all my reviews

..that it wasn't 500 pages longer! What a fun read about often tragic stories. I haven't lived in Fresno all that long, so ALL of these stories were new to me. I am a history and a crime buff, so this well written book was right up my alley. Now I need to take a Saturday and go on a self guided "ghoul tour" using this book as a sort of road map.