The 'Peyton Place' Murder: The True Crime Story Behind The Novel That Shocked The Nation

by Renee Mallett

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952225611
Publisher:	WildBlue Press
Publication date:	01/19/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
Sales rank:	424,151
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

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.