In this episode, we're joined by author Lane Dyer to discuss his novel, The Tragic Tale of Crick Davis: Ashe County Axe Murder. Set in the remote mountains of North Carolina in 1903, the book is based on the true story of Christopher Columbus Davis, a farmer who committed a brutal, seemingly senseless axe murder that shocked the nation.

Lane shares the incredible journey of researching a 120-year-old cold case, from finding obscure historical records and navigating conflicting newspaper accounts to connecting with the victims' descendants and the perpetrator.

We explore the challenges of balancing historical fact with creative fiction, the surprising turns of Crick Davis's life, and the motives behind this tragic event that still captures the imagination today.

Lane Dyer is a retired public servant and the author of 13 books, including novels and regional histories. He grew up in the Wilkes and Ashe County area of North Carolina, where most of his writing is set.

The Tragic Tale of Crick Davis: Ashe County Axe Murder on Amazon

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In this episode of the Blue Ridge True Crime podcast, we unravel the disturbing mystery of the Chestoa View Overlook deaths: a case that has haunted North Carolina for decades. On October 17, 1988, tourists discovered abandoned camera equipment and heard a woman's terrified scream echoing from the gorge below.

Early the next morning, rescuers found the bodies of Susan Haire and Helen Gibbs on the steep, tangled slope below. Helen's husband, James Gibbs, claimed it was a tragic accident that the women had slipped while posing for sunset photos.

But investigators quickly realized the story didn't add up. The overlook faces east. You can't photograph a sunset there. And the deeper the authorities dug, the darker the story became.

An insurance agent told investigators that a $100,000 life insurance policy was taken out on Helen Gibbs just months before the incident. James Gibbs had allegedly burned her with a stun gun in a "torture session" to get her to confess to an affair that summer.

He had ordered books on how to beat lie detector tests and how crime scenes are investigated. And his story about what happened kept shifting.

Was this an accident, a double suicide, or a calculated murder on a dark mountainside?

Plus a brief profile of Paladin Press, "the most dangerous publisher in the world," and the book that cost them millions, Hit Man.

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Jesse James is one of the most famous outlaws in American history—but the real story is more complicated than the movies. In this episode, we map the James-Younger Gang's robberies across the Midwest, discuss how Jesse James used newspapers to forge his legend, and trace his rise to folk hero. Plus: a simulated death match between Jesse James and Al Capone. Yes, really.

Companion Substack Article with images, map, and sources.

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