This compelling investigation of the gripping true crimes behind twenty-four Southern murder ballads dispels myths and legends and brings to life a cast of characters—both loathsome and innocent—shadowy history, courtroom dramas, murders, mayhem and music. Law professor and authentic story-teller Richard H. Underwood presents his case studies, documented through contemporary news accounts and court records, as a series of dramas filled with jump-off-the-page real and memorable characters.