This image is the cover for the book 'Peyton Place' Murder

'Peyton Place' Murder

This true crime history examines the surprising connection between an infamous small-town murder and the bestselling novel it inspired.

Born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, Grace Metalious shocked the nation in 1956 with Peyton Place, her sexually charged debut novel about murder in a small town. It spawned a series of novels, two Hollywood movies, and a long-running television series on ABC. It also made Metalious a pariah in her hometown, where she became tabloid fodder until her untimely death at the age of thirty-nine.

Unknown to most readers, the fictional story was inspired by a real crime known as “The Sheep Pen Murder,” which took place in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, in the late 1940s. Now historian Renee Mallett skillfully weaves together the lives of Metalious and Barbara Roberts, the confessed killer behind The Sheep Pen Murder. In The “Peyton Place” Murder, Mallett explores what happens when true crime and literature meet.

Renee Mallett

Renee Mallett is the author of several books and numerous pieces of short fiction and poetry. She has been a book critic for several online and print literary journals. Mallett has published articles on a variety of topics ranging from celebrity interviews and travel essays, to fashion reporting.Mia Gaskin, originally from Southern California, earned a degree in theater from UC San Diego, and has performed professionally both on stage as well as in independent film. She now lives in Oregon with her husband and very handsome Golden Retriever and has narrated over one hundred titles from her state-of-the-art home studio.

WildBlue Press