Shadows (Swanepoel)

Shadows of Villisca Historical Mystery Novel Inspired by Real Events In the quiet town of Villisca, Iowa, history never truly sleeps. Over a century after the infamous 1912 axe murders shocked the nation, investigative researcher Alex Hartman and forensic scholar Dr. Samuel Graves arrive in Villisca chasing rumors of something older and darker than anyone had ever imagined. When a modern family is found murdered in a chilling copy of the past, their investigation spirals into a tangled web of cryptic journals, forbidden sermons, and a long-forgotten traveling carnival that once passed through town... but did it ever leave? As Alex and Graves peel back layers of buried truth, they uncover evidence of a blood covenant that links past and present, and a ritual still very much alive. Haunted by warnings left in fragile letters and ancient sermons, they must race to expose the sinister force at the heart of Villisca before they become the next chapter in its bloody legend. History has teeth. And in Villisca, it's ready to bite again.