The Devil Is in the Details: A Haunting Soundtrack for a True Crime Audiobook
“In Cold Blood for the 1790s . . . Part true crime, part western, part ghost story, Kingdom of Devils plumbs the dark underbelly of the American West in the years following the Revolution.”
—Jane Kamensky, president and CEO, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
From the moment you press play on the audiobook edition of Kingdom of Devils by Katherine Grandjean, you know you’re in for something special. As the introductory credits roll, a melody rises, voices singing the folk gospel song “Down in the River to Pray.” A lovely tune, and yet the music added to this audio production is not there to lull you; it’s there to lure you—and there is darkness in these depths.
Set in 1798 across the Kentucky and Tennessee countryside, Kingdom of Devils is the true story of Wiley and Micajah Harp, two of America’s first serial killers. Author Katherine Grandjean reveals not only the devastation caused by their unthinkable violence, but also how their crimes reflected a dark undertow at work in the years following the American Revolution.
Pitch-perfect narration by Dawn Harvey combined with musical accompaniment from Meghan Rooney (vocals), Celina Josie James (vocals), and Emily Johnson-Erday (vocals and banjo) makes for a haunting soundscape to this true crime history. Watch a clip (below) from the recording session for one of the featured ballads, “Polly, Pretty Polly,” and prepare to be swept into another time…one as fraught and dangerous as our own. As audio producer Kirby Crosbie says, “I’m excited for listeners to step into the world of Kingdom of Devils. During this milestone year of America’s 250th anniversary, this book offers a compelling opportunity to engage with our nation’s past, even in its darkest and most unsettling moments.”
Listen to a clip from the Kingdom of Devils audiobook:
