NEWBURYPORT — New England true crime author Robert Fitzgibbon will visit Jabberwocky Bookshop on Saturday, at 5 p.m., to discuss his newest book, “Murder in Salem, Massachusetts.”
This is the true story of the unsolved murder of 19-year-old Frances Cochran, a Lynn resident who disappeared into a mysterious black vehicle on July 17, 1941. Her body was found three days later in Salem.
Her murder made national headlines on the eve of World War II. Investigators checked 12,000 cars and interviewed almost 2,000 witnesses. They scrutinized a “Peeping Tom” men’s club. Despite leads that spanned the continent, decades passed and the killer was never caught.
As Fitzgibbon reveals, it is also a story shrouded in the “Salem Factor,” the odd and inexplicable coincidences that occur in an area notorious for witchcraft and hauntings.
Fitzgibbon is a software professional and North Shore resident. He co-authored “Murder in Rockport, Massachusetts” with Gloucester historian Wayne Soini.
Jabberwocky Bookshop is at the Tannery, 50 Water St. Newburyport.
This event is free and open to all. For more information, call 978-465-9359, or visit jabberwockybookshop.com