The Michigan Murders
The Michigan Murders by Edward Keyes, published by University of Michigan Press in 2010, presents a detailed account of a series of brutal murders that shocked Southeastern Michigan in the late 1960s. This edition, comprising 340 pages, delves into the chilling story of young women whose bodies were discovered in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, highlighting the investigative challenges faced by multiple police agencies. The narrative follows the eventual capture and trial of John Norman Collins, a seemingly ordinary young man who was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Readers will find a thorough exploration of the case, as Keyes meticulously documents each murder and the subsequent legal proceedings. The book offers insights into the societal impact of these crimes, which instilled fear in the community and marked one of the region’s first encounters with a serial killer. With contributions from Mardi Link and Laura James in the form of a new prologue and epilogue, this edition revitalizes Keyes’s original work, ensuring that the harrowing details of the Michigan murders are presented with clarity and depth.
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“True crime devotees won’t want to miss this one!”
—Publishers Weekly
“Very engrossing . . . in the finest you can’t put it down tradition.”
—Hartford Courant
“This factual account of each murder, through the conviction of the killer, has all the excitement of a first-rate work of fiction, and is told straight, without the usual sociological jargon. Keyes collaborated with Robin Moore on The French Connection; The Michigan Murders is his first solo effort, and it is a good one.”
—-Miami Herald
“The Michigan Murders is the ultimate True Crime classic, unfolding like great mystery fiction while still delivering the powerful charge of real life.”
—Jamie Agnew, Aunt Agatha’s Mystery Bookshop
With a new prologue by Mardi Link and a new epilogue by Laura James
The true story of the savage coed killings—by the boy who could have lived next door!
Southeastern Michigan was rocked in the late 1960s by the terrifying serial murders of young women, whose bodies were dumped in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. In each case, few clues were left at the scene, and six separate police agencies were unable to end the horror. Then, almost by accident, a break came. The suspect: John Norman Collins, a young, quiet, all-American boy.
Collins was caught, went to trial, and, on August 19, 1970, was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. He is now in his sixties and is serving his sentence in Marquette, Michigan.
Collins was one of the first serial killers exposed in the region, and his crimes had many in the area locking their doors for the first time. Edward Keyes’s harrowing The Michigan Murders covers every step of the case. It fell out of print for more than a decade before being revived for this special edition.
Mardi Link, author of the new prologue, is the author of two regionally best-selling true crime books based in northern Michigan, When Evil Came to Good Hart and Isadore’s Secret.
Laura James, author of the new epilogue, is a trial lawyer, crime historian, and true crime author who blogs about the true crime genre at her Web site CLEWS (www.laurajames.com).
Edward Keyes, now deceased, spent several years in the early 1970s investigating the Michigan murders. He also authored the works Double Dare and Cocoanut Grove. The Michigan Murders was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Fact Crime in 1977.
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