The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders: the Story of a Town in Terror

The salacious and scandalous murders of a series of couples on Texarkana's 'lovers' lanes' created a media maelstrom and cast a pall of fear over an entire region. What is even more surprising is that the case has remained cold for decades. Combining archival research and investigative journalism, Pulitzer Prize-nominated historian James Presley reveals evidence that provides crucial keys to unlocking this decades-old puzzle.


Although the case lives on today through television, the Internet, a revived fictional movie, and even an off-Broadway play, with so much of the investigation shrouded in mystery since 1946, rumors and fractured facts have distorted reality. Now, for the first time, a careful examination of the archival record, personal interviews, and stubborn fact checking come together to produce new insights and revelations on the old slayings.