--- product_id: 5008212 title: "The Michigan Murders" price: "379 kr" currency: DKK in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.dk/products/5008212-the-michigan-murders store_origin: DK region: Denmark --- # The Michigan Murders **Price:** 379 kr **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Michigan Murders - **How much does it cost?** 379 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.dk](https://www.desertcart.dk/products/5008212-the-michigan-murders) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "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. Review: Well-written, but hard to read about - This book was at times fascinating, the story sometimes frustrating, the outcome heartbreaking for all involved. I was unfamiliar with details of this case before reading the book. I liked the way the case was presented in a factual manner, but still in story format. It gave the sense of frustration of law enforcement as they desperately searched for anything to break the case open and stop the murders. I found it heartbreaking reading about Armstrong's aunt who only ever knew of his gentle fun-loving nature. I'd love to know what words were exchanged between James and his mother in those moments they shared alone. Knowing he was not that close to her, it was hard to know if her tears were real or manufactured for show. That part was just odd to me. I had little doubt of his guilt, but I still felt saddened for his family. Then there's all the other murders they couldn't charge him with. How do those families feel? Is it enough to know he was sentenced to life in prison? Justice was served, but it was not pleasant getting there. Just relief that it was done. This one may stay with me awhile. Just sad all the way around. Review: All-American Boy Falls From Grace - Between July of 1967 and July of 1969, the bodies of 7 young women were found dead and decomposing... all within a 25 square mile area resting between Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The bodies of all of these young women were horribly mutilated, oftentimes with head injuries so severe that immediate identification was impossible. In addition, many of the bodies had been slashed, cut, or burned postmortem. All were sexually assaulted. It is common knowledge that the great majority of serial offenders (both serial rapists and serial killers) tend to escalate in behavior over time. As their obsessive and deviant fantasies become ever more powerful and difficult to control or ignore, the offender is compelled to kill more often, assuming more risk. This is exactly what happened with the Michigan murders. Consider the statistics: July 1967 - One Victim July 1968 - One Victim March 1969 - Two Victims April 1969 - One Victim May 1969 - One Victim July 1969 - One Victim Initially, I thought the killer had taken time off in June of 1969. However, it was later revealed that the offender took a road trip to California in June of 1969, where he murdered a 17 year old girl. Who was this violent offender so driven to kill and kill again? A well-groomed, attractive, gregarious student attending Eastern Michigan University! On the average, John Norman Collins was murdering at the rate of 1 victim per month near the end of his murderous reign. He was 23 years of age when apprehended. Can you imagine the body count had Collins not been arrested and had continued to kill for another year or two? What if he had gone undetected another 10 years? The thought is horrifying! I found it interesting and very telling that as a Freshman at Eastern Michigan University, Collins maintained good grades and was considered a successful student. During the second semester of his Sophomore year, Collins began cutting classes and his grades suffered greatly. Collins began killing the semester after his school performance began to suffer and he fell behind, suggesting that for a a full semester before he ever killed, Collins was in the grip of psychological deterioration and decline. It seems likely that he began his stalking and prowling behaviors during this time, his fantasies finally giving way to murderous rage in July of 1967. The truly sobering fact is this: John Collins was questioned by police investigators following the 2nd homicide. He was dismissed as a possible suspect. As a result, 6 more women would die before Collins was finally apprehended. I found THE MICHIGAN MURDERS riveting. In fact, had I been allowed to use 1/2 star ratings, I would have given it 4 1/2 stars. Why not 5 stars? There were some minor portions of the story where the descriptions of the police investigation dragged and the trial coverage was rather tedious and dry. The coverage of the trial could easily have been reduced by 10 pages without losing any real content. However, the slower portions of the story were not extended and did not detract greatly from the book as a whole. I highly recommend THE MICHIGAN MURDERS for all True Crime lovers. I did want to mention one issue that confuses me greatly. Nowhere in my copy of THE MICHIGAN MURDERS is the offender ever named as John Norman Collins! In the book, the offender is named as James Armstrong. When I initially read the other reviews, I thought I must have read another book by the same title. However, after following a link provided by another reader to the Michigan State OTIS registry, I did a search for John Collins. The information I found indeed confirmed that "James Armstrong" is John Norman Collins. The prison issued identification number for Collins is the same number listed for James Armstrong in the book. The physical description matches. The date of the offense for which Collins was convicted is the same date of the last known murder in Michigan of Carol Ann Gebhardt. What gives? Why is the murderer given a pseudonym in the book? How did it escape my attention - as apprently, I am the only one - that "James Armstrong" is really John Norman Collins? Can someone help me out? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #769,324 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #20 in Serial Killers True Accounts #9,854 in U.S. State & Local History | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,146 Reviews | ## Images ![The Michigan Murders - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81lYegMB+IL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well-written, but hard to read about *by J***H on March 25, 2023* This book was at times fascinating, the story sometimes frustrating, the outcome heartbreaking for all involved. I was unfamiliar with details of this case before reading the book. I liked the way the case was presented in a factual manner, but still in story format. It gave the sense of frustration of law enforcement as they desperately searched for anything to break the case open and stop the murders. I found it heartbreaking reading about Armstrong's aunt who only ever knew of his gentle fun-loving nature. I'd love to know what words were exchanged between James and his mother in those moments they shared alone. Knowing he was not that close to her, it was hard to know if her tears were real or manufactured for show. That part was just odd to me. I had little doubt of his guilt, but I still felt saddened for his family. Then there's all the other murders they couldn't charge him with. How do those families feel? Is it enough to know he was sentenced to life in prison? Justice was served, but it was not pleasant getting there. Just relief that it was done. This one may stay with me awhile. Just sad all the way around. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ All-American Boy Falls From Grace *by S***N on January 16, 2010* Between July of 1967 and July of 1969, the bodies of 7 young women were found dead and decomposing... all within a 25 square mile area resting between Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The bodies of all of these young women were horribly mutilated, oftentimes with head injuries so severe that immediate identification was impossible. In addition, many of the bodies had been slashed, cut, or burned postmortem. All were sexually assaulted. It is common knowledge that the great majority of serial offenders (both serial rapists and serial killers) tend to escalate in behavior over time. As their obsessive and deviant fantasies become ever more powerful and difficult to control or ignore, the offender is compelled to kill more often, assuming more risk. This is exactly what happened with the Michigan murders. Consider the statistics: July 1967 - One Victim July 1968 - One Victim March 1969 - Two Victims April 1969 - One Victim May 1969 - One Victim July 1969 - One Victim Initially, I thought the killer had taken time off in June of 1969. However, it was later revealed that the offender took a road trip to California in June of 1969, where he murdered a 17 year old girl. Who was this violent offender so driven to kill and kill again? A well-groomed, attractive, gregarious student attending Eastern Michigan University! On the average, John Norman Collins was murdering at the rate of 1 victim per month near the end of his murderous reign. He was 23 years of age when apprehended. Can you imagine the body count had Collins not been arrested and had continued to kill for another year or two? What if he had gone undetected another 10 years? The thought is horrifying! I found it interesting and very telling that as a Freshman at Eastern Michigan University, Collins maintained good grades and was considered a successful student. During the second semester of his Sophomore year, Collins began cutting classes and his grades suffered greatly. Collins began killing the semester after his school performance began to suffer and he fell behind, suggesting that for a a full semester before he ever killed, Collins was in the grip of psychological deterioration and decline. It seems likely that he began his stalking and prowling behaviors during this time, his fantasies finally giving way to murderous rage in July of 1967. The truly sobering fact is this: John Collins was questioned by police investigators following the 2nd homicide. He was dismissed as a possible suspect. As a result, 6 more women would die before Collins was finally apprehended. I found THE MICHIGAN MURDERS riveting. In fact, had I been allowed to use 1/2 star ratings, I would have given it 4 1/2 stars. Why not 5 stars? There were some minor portions of the story where the descriptions of the police investigation dragged and the trial coverage was rather tedious and dry. The coverage of the trial could easily have been reduced by 10 pages without losing any real content. However, the slower portions of the story were not extended and did not detract greatly from the book as a whole. I highly recommend THE MICHIGAN MURDERS for all True Crime lovers. I did want to mention one issue that confuses me greatly. Nowhere in my copy of THE MICHIGAN MURDERS is the offender ever named as John Norman Collins! In the book, the offender is named as James Armstrong. When I initially read the other reviews, I thought I must have read another book by the same title. However, after following a link provided by another reader to the Michigan State OTIS registry, I did a search for John Collins. The information I found indeed confirmed that "James Armstrong" is John Norman Collins. The prison issued identification number for Collins is the same number listed for James Armstrong in the book. The physical description matches. The date of the offense for which Collins was convicted is the same date of the last known murder in Michigan of Carol Ann Gebhardt. What gives? Why is the murderer given a pseudonym in the book? How did it escape my attention - as apprently, I am the only one - that "James Armstrong" is really John Norman Collins? Can someone help me out? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An excellent account of the murders. *by D***7 on March 8, 2020* The author did an excellent job of writing an easy to read and follow narrative of the murders. Very readable! His decision to use aliases was kind of different but his explanation made sense. He wrote the book soon after everything happened and wanted the innocent to have some privacy. This did make it difficult to find pictures of the people and places. Ebooks don’t seem to have pictures so I had to search. It’s always sad to see the faces of the young women who were murdered. Also, the brutal details were explained in a brief and matter-of-fact manner which I appreciated. Law enforcement was portrayed with all its weaknesses and strengths. Quite fairly, as far as I could tell. I’m pretty certain that he’s guilty. On the internet, I found out that the convicted killer is still alive in prison and still proclaims his innocence. He might have been paroled, but he tried to tunnel out in 2008. I wish that the author would have written other true crime books. He did such a good job with this one! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.dk/products/5008212-the-michigan-murders](https://www.desertcart.dk/products/5008212-the-michigan-murders) --- *Product available on Desertcart Denmark* *Store origin: DK* *Last updated: 2026-10-11*