So Far from Home

Robert Wilhelm writes about historical true crime with a particular interest in nineteenth-century American murders. His blog Murder by Gaslight (murderbygaslight.com), “A compendium of information, resources, and discussion on notable nineteenth century American murders,” has been running continuously since 2009. In his weekly posts, Robert has written the stories of more than 500 American murders. He also maintains a smaller blog, The National Night Stick (night-stick.com), presents illustrations and articles on crime, eccentricity, and the sporting life in 19th Century America.

Robert Wilhelm’s new book, So Far from Home, examines the unanswered questions surrounding the 1896 murder of Pearl Bryan. In 2014, he published The Bloody Century, a survey of 50 of the most intriguing murder cases from the archives of American crime. Wicked Victorian Boston by Robert Wilhelm documents vice and crime in nineteenth-century Boston and the efforts of reformers to control it. His Murder and Mayhem in Essex County chronicles murders and other capital crimes in Essex County, Massachusetts, from the Puritans to the turn of the twentieth century.