On the third day of Christmas, Overlook Press gave to me ...

Happy Monday, and welcome to the third installment of the ongoing Overlook holiday giveaway bonanza! Last week two lucky readers scored literary prize packs featuring the complete Charles Portis paperback backlist and a pair of beautiful design books by Milton Glaser and Eva Zeisel. Congratulations to Friday’s winner Carl Scott, and a big thanks to all those who have entered so far.

Are you a history buff who also loves thrilling stories of mystery and intrigue? Do you crave meticulously researched period pieces but also seek a thrill? For today’s giveaway we’re offering three books that combine grisly true crimes and gripping historical mysteries: Murder in the First-Class Carriage by Kate Colquhoun, a signed copy of We Is Got Him by Carrie Hagen, and The Man Who Never Returned by Peter Quinn—the perfect gift for the whodunit enthusiast who seeks historical accuracy along with their white-knuckle suspense.

Kate Colquhoun’s Murder in the First-Class Carriage tells the true story of the death of Thomas Briggs, who in 1864 became the first murder victim in the history of the British rail system. The hunt for Brigg’s killer takes readers on a transatlantic journey from Victorian London to New York and reveals a suspenseful account of the investigation and trial of Briggs’ assailant.

Carrie Hagen was kind enough sign this copy of We Is Got Him, the captivating true story of the abduction of four year old Charley Ross in 1874, the first kidnapping for ransom in the history of the United States. The Philadelphia Inquirer calls We Is Got Him, “an elegantly told, superbly accomplished history of good and bad intentions gone awry.”

Peter Quinn’s The Man Who Never Returned blends fact and fiction in its original retelling of the disappearance of New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Crater on August 6^th, 1930. Judge Crater’s disappearance remains one of New York’s most famous unsolved mysteries to date, and in addition to the book, we’ll also be giving away a Man Who Never Returned t-shirt, featuring the original missing person’s poster advertising his disappearance.

To enter, simply:

1. Comment on this post

2. Tweet at us the hashtag #OverlookChristmas

3. Leave a comment on our Facebook page

You can enter once in each area until 8 AM tomorrow morning, and we will be announcing a winner in tomorrow’s post. After all entries are received, we choose a winner using random.org. Please leave an email address when entering so we can contact you if you’ve won.