No Place Like Murder

"True crime fans will be well satisfied."

~Publishers Weekly

"No Place Like Murder is a manifestation of Thornton's love for local history and fascination with mysteries and true crime."

~Amy Oberlin, The Herald Republican

"With no marker in sight, writer Janis Thornton a week ago stood in the shade of an old white oak tree she believed covered the grave of Andrew Jackson "A.J." Baker at Beech Grove Cemetery in Muncie to take a picture featured in her blog. She'd been to the site in June 2017 to look for the grave of the late butcher from Elwood who on Sept. 3, 1903, fatally shot Fred Kaiser, the husband of his alleged paramour, at the corner of Anderson and Main streets. "Some might call it a shady grave for a shady character, and I couldn't disagree," she wrote. The cemetery visit was part of a monthlong "Road Trip with the Dead," to visit the final resting places of victims and murderers. The visits coincided with the release of Thornton's latest book, "No Place Like Murder," a look at infamous historical murders throughout central Indiana."

~Rebecca R. Bibbs, The Herald Bulletin

"Janis Thornton, one of the Frankfort Community Public Library's 2019 Women's Expo speakers, has released her second true crime book titled No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest. This book will hit a little close to home because four of the crimes took place in Frankfort."

~Ken Hartman, Clinton County Daily News

"A Kokomo woman shot in the face twice by her boyfriend after rebuffing his advances. A Civil War veteran who shoots and kills a man in a downtown Kokomo hotel bar and gets away with it. A man sentenced to life for the poisoning deaths of his wife and her 8-year-old child. Those stories and more are the featured in "No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest," written by Tipton's own Janis Thornton. The book chronicles 20 true crime stories that "shocked the Midwest between 1869 and 1950," including crimes committed in Howard and Tipton counties."

~Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune

"No Place Like Murder by Janis Thornton is a collection of chronicles about 20 celebrated criminal cases from 1869 to 1950. The chapters explore the criminal acts themselves, the murderers' mindsets and motives, and the ultimate disposition of the cases. The author draws heavily from contemporary newspaper reports, and the entries are written in a straightforward journalistic style, which makes for easy reading. A smattering of photographs — no crime scene photos, thankfully — which add to the accounts."

~Rich Gotshall, Daily Journal, Franklin, IN

"Local author Janis Thornton is back with another true crime book. Tipton County locations and residents are featured in some of the tales. Most of the crimes I had not heard of, so it was a really interesting look into crimes of the past. Recommended for readers who like true crime and local history."

~Tipton County Public Library

"Janis Thornton has combed the police blotters of the cities and towns of Indiana and turned up several dozen tales of 19th- and early 20th-century crime and punishment, sensational tales. These she tells in a fast-moving style full of the sort of grisly detail that satisfies the ghoul within each of us, and full also of the historical context and scene-setting that satisfies the would-be time traveler within each of us."

~Will Higgins, journalist and conceptual artist

"Today's world guarantees no shortage of true crime. But it would be a real crime if you missed Janis Thornton's latest book. It's just that good. Highly recommended."

~Wes Gehring, author of Hitchcock and Humor

"With thorough research and succinct summaries, author Janis Thornton shares fascinating murder cases from Indiana history. You've probably never heard of them before now, but you won't quit thinking about them later."

~Donna Cronk, writer , New Castle Courier-Times

"Janis Thornton wittily describes heretofore unheralded true crime stories from Indiana's small towns. She includes the details readers want and provides insight into why killers did what they did."

~Keven McQueen, author of New England Nightmares, Horror in the Heartland, and Weird Wild West

"A fascinating journey through the history of the Midwest's most heinous murders. Beautifully written, well researched, and not to be missed. This engrossing collection of historical Midwest murders reads like a thriller. True crime at its best. I couldn't put it down. A blow-by-blow account of the Midwest's most horrific murders, some shocking, some strange, all of them truly fascinating. A powerful true crime memoir. Thornton has penned a non-stop read."

~Susan Furlong, bestselling author

"Janis Thornton really knows how to bring life to true crime events. Her No Place Like Murder not only accurately captures the time and the place of the murders but also gives us real insight into the dastardly motives of the killers. Well done!"

~Tony Perona, author of the Nick Bertetto mystery series and co-author of the Bucket List mystery series

"No Place Like Murder is a true crime junkie's dream come true. Through her pictorial descriptions of time and place, Janis breathes life into every victim and every felon as though they are your contemporary friends, neighbors, and foes. Impeccably researched, this book is a bewitching historic glimpse of some of the lesser known, but equally ghastly Indiana murders that will leave you questioning your position on crime and punishment. "

~Nicole Kobrowski, owner of Unseenpress.com

"Janis Thornton's latest book, No Place Like Murder, eschews the charming myths of Hoosier life in the mid-1800s to -1900s. Instead she introduces us to delightfully wicked true crimes of our state covering a hundred year or so period—a wonderful recounting of murders that made headline back in their day. Through Thornton we meet murdering mothers-in-law, watch family quarrels go very bad indeed, and get to know such unforgettable characters as Isabelle Messmer, the spitfire blonde from Elwood, Indiana, known nationwide as the 'Gun Girl.' Thornton's tales are a slice of history, life as it was lived back then, and also, the most compelling, an examination of human emotions and the dark paths they can lead us down."

~Jane Ammeson, author of How to Murder Your Wealthy Lovers and Get Away with It

"When it comes to murder, nothing has changed over the centuries. The killers of today are the same as they were long ago. As proof of this theory, consider the true crime cases in Thornton's book, No Place Like Murder. This provocative, intriguing, and compelling collection is a great read for those who are fascinated with the drama of real life and local history. Some of the stories will disturb and anger you—he murders of children!—but make no mistake, you will want to keep reading!"

~Jama Kehoe Bigger, Executive Director, Midwest Writers Workshop