Wicked Monmouth County

During the early twentieth century, Monmouth County saw more than its fair share of crime, conspiracy and corruption. In the midst of the Prohibition and Great Depression Eras, Detectives Jacob Rue, William Mustoe (the man who could make a horse talk ) and Harry Crook investigated, and sometimes participated in, much illegal activity. The careers of these fascinating men included investigations of brutal murders, ruthless gangsters, an attempted cyanide poisoning, the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby and a search for a vicious escaped leopard. From burglaries and bootleggers to speakeasies and swindlers, join historian George Joynson as he uncovers some of the county’s seediest stories.