Beginning in December, the Garland County Library will host a monthly series of virtual talks with prominent local authors, beginning with Janie Nesbitt Jones, author of "The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer."
The series will begin on Wednesday, Dec. 22, and will be livestreamed from 6-7:30 p.m. through Facebook Live at http://www.facebook.com/garlandcountylibrary and the library's YouTube channel at youtube.com/garlandcolibrary.
The program is free, and registration is not required. Viewers can pose questions to Jones during the live session, but a recording of the interview will also be available for later viewing.
"A true crime book, 'The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer' recounts the life of James Waybern 'Red' Hall, a Faulkner County native who confessed to murdering at least 24 people, including his own wife. Most of his victims were drivers who stopped to offer Hall a lift as he hitchhiked across Arkansas," a news release said.
"Kids talked about him as if he were the bogeyman," Jones said in the release.
"In person, however, those who met Hall found him charming -- at least at first. His beguiling smile and easy conversational style set his victims at ease," the release said.
"Hall is a fascinating subject," Jones said. "He wasn't like most serial killers in that he didn't seem to get any gratification from his deadly acts. I think today's criminologists would see him as a very interesting case study."
In her book, Jones includes details about Hall's early years as well as first-person accounts from those who met him and survived.
"The only published material about him was a comic book and a few sensationalized stories in old detective magazines," Jones said. "I wanted to be the first to chronicle his entire life. That was the selfish reason (for writing this book). Then I realized I would be saving a small yet important piece of true crime history before it was lost forever."
For more information about virtual programming, online databases, curbside pickup, home delivery, and other services, call the library at 501-623-4161. Questions can also be sent to [email protected]. Visit http://www.gclibrary.com for access to the online catalog, accounts, and e-materials.
Various Arkansas "true crime" books, including "The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer," are available in both the library's physical and digital collections, the release said.
