Winston and Salem Tales of Murder, Mystery and Mayhem


Non-Fiction - Historical
118 Pages
Reviewed on 12/14/2011
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Jennifer Bean Bower is a native Tar Heel and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Bower is the author of Animal Adventures in North Carolina; Winston & Salem: Tales of Murder, Mystery and Mayhem and Moravians in North Carolina. She lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with her husband Larry and their pet rabbit Isabelle.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Lynette Fowlston for Readers' Favorite

"Winston and Salem Tales of Murder, Mystery and Mayhem" by Jennifer Bean Bower is quite a fascinating book. The author who is an associate curator of the photographic collections at the Old Salem Museums and Gardens, has provided some excellent photographs throughout the book dealing with twenty two people who had their lives come to a tragic end back in the 1700’s and 1800’s. The stories presented here are true and are obtained by the author from primary documents. These historic events include ghost stories, a mysterious explosion, executions by hanging, murder, and drowning. Every picture throughout the book either relates to a person connected to the crime or unusual death or a map which was a place of interest at the time.

This is a small book and can be read in an evening. It is very interesting and informative to read about the court trials and the length of time it took to hold them. Really it was no different from today’s court sessions. With each turn of the page the reader is pulled into the lives of the individuals, whether it is the account of their death, the lynch mob that hung a man before he even went to court, or the one who claimed innocence right to the end. The book is very well-written and was awarded by the North Carolina Society of Historians. For those who like to read non-fiction books of a historical nature that include murder and mysteries along with a touch a mayhem thrown in, then I feel this is the right choice.