Blood on the blacktop figured prominently in my last book, a tale of crime and catastrophe on the Main Street of America – Route 66.

Iconic Route 66 is often remembered in the context of pastel hues and the warm glow of neon. It’s seen through halcyon tinted glasses that give a romanticized view of chrome encased Buicks, and Cadillacs with towering tail fins, cheeseburgers in quaint diners, mom and pop owned auto courts, and the advventure of the open road.

But behind that bright smile lies a darker tale. In Murder and Mayhem on the Main Street of America: Tales From Bloody 66, I shine the headlights into the shadows of history to reveal the violent, tragic, and at times unbelievable stories that took place along this iconic highway.

Murderous Mileposts from Chicago to California

From gangland battles on the gritty streets of Chicago to unsolved disappearances in the deserts of New Mexico, this book tells the forgotten and chilling stories that never made it into the glossy postcards. The road was a thoroughfare for more than tourists. It was a corridor for convicts, kidnappers, and killers. It was the Main Street of America.

Did you know that Joliet, Illinois, wasn’t just famous for Jake and Elwood’s prison break? It was also home to the infamous Stateville and Joliet prisons—storied holding pens for notorious murderers like John Wayne Gacy and Richard Speck. Or that a gangland taxi war in 1920s Chicago turned downtown into a battlefield where cabies traded bullets like a Dirty Harry movie?

In picturesque Funks Grove, Illinois, the bones of Irish railroad workers rest in unmarked graves. And in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, and Arizona, outlaws, fugitives, and misguided lovers left behind tales of blood and heartbreak that stain the pavement.

When the Road Turns Grim

The tales don’t end with violence. Route 66 has also seen its share of industrial disasters, like the 1942 explosion at the Elwood Ordnance Plant in Illinois—a boom so massive it shattered windows 100 miles away and killed dozens.

This isn’t your grandmother’s guidebook. This is unless your grandmother was Bonnie Parker.

“Murder and Mayhem on The Main Street of America” gives voice to the dark side of the American dream. It’s a haunting look at the stories that never make the travel brochures but are etched in asphalt just the same.

On the afternoon of June 21, 2025, I will be talking about the dark side of Route 66 at the AAA Route 66 Road Fest in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Route 66: 100 Years – A Cultural Celebration

Due out in Fall 2025 and available now for preorder, Route 66: 100 Years is my 23rd published book. That is a milestone I’m mighty proud of. This hefty and heartfelt volume is part travel guide, part cultural chronicle, and part history book. It is a celebration of the people, places, and history that define America’s most iconic road.

Each chapter is a journey through time pairing stories of roadside diners and colorful characters with historic American milestones. But what makes this book unique, what makes it unlike anything that I have written previously is that the story is told be me as well as friends that also share a passion for this amazing highway.

And so in this book the prehistory, history and thoughts about the future of Route 66 is told by Joe Sonderman, Cheryl Eichar Jett, Rhys Martin, Greg Hasman, and Dries Bessels.

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A Few More from the Hinckley Bookshelf

In addition to Route 66: 100 Years and Murder and Mayhem, my collection of 22 other titles includes:

• Ghost Towns of Route 66
• Travel Route 66
• The Route 66 Encyclopedia
• Backroads of Arizona
• Ghost Towns of the Southwest
• The Big Book of Car Culture
• 100 Things to Do on Route 66 Before You Die

Each one is steeped in the same blend of storytelling, history, and humor that fuels my mission at Jim Hinckley’s America—to share America’s story and inspire road trips by telling folks where to go.

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Stay in the Loop and On the Road

For more tales from the road—dark, delightful, and everything in between—make sure to subscribe and follow:

🎙️ Coffee With Jim Podcast on Podbean
📺 Jim Hinckley’s America YouTube Channel
📬 www.jimhinckleysamerica.com for updates, appearances, and new releases
📘 Facebook: Jim Hinckley’s America for daily history, humor, and road trip inspiration

Whether you’re hungry for road food, curious about Route 66’s hidden histories, or just need a nudge to start your next adventure, we’re here to help you get your kicks—and maybe a few chills—on and off Route 66.

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