I spend my days with convicted murderers.

Some are well-dressed in bow ties and collared shirts and jackets, their hair immaculately combed. One wears a bowler hat. I’d love to sit down and talk to them through their prison bars, but they’re all dead. “Hanged by the neck until dead,” as the courts ruled.  Folsom Prison executed a total of ninety-three inmates, occurring between 1895 and 1937. Folsom’s 93: The Lives and Crimes of Folsom Prison’s  Executed Men is the first book to profile in detail, the lives and crimes of these men, as well as the lives of their victims.

I became acquainted with these men when I was a child. Their mug shots sat tucked away in a closet at my Great-Great Aunt’s house for over four decades. Turns out her husband Tom, a self-described “professional gambler,” paid a visit to a Folsom inmate who owed him money.  My Aunt figured the warden gave Tom the photographs, but she wasn’t sure.  And there was something else. Stashed in the flat box was an original forty-page, typed document—author unknown—chronicling events at Folsom from its early planning stages in the 1850s to 1943.

It wasn’t until Tom’s death in the late seventies that the documents resurfaced. Ten years later, my Aunt showed them to the rest of the family. In 2008, I began the task of researching each man, his crimes and his victims. As a writer, I was enthralled. I knew there would be incredible stories to tell, but I had no idea I would uncover so much information.

Considering the book covers 42 years, involves hundreds of people, and takes place in a notorious prison, I have accumulated more information than what the book holds. Folsom’s 93 contains many sidebars of  information and anecdotes relating to the 93 men and Folsom prison, but it was impossible to include everything. The surplus of these fascinating snippets of history couldn’t go untold, however, and I’ve included many of them on my blog. They deserve to be heard.

April Moore
Visit me at AprilJMoore 

Exciting update!

Folsom’s 93 is undergoing an exciting revision containing newly discovered material and information. This brand new edition is forthcoming. This revision is something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time and I promise, it will be worth the wait. In the meantime, I’ll try to share story tidbits and progress updates on my Substack, so follow me over there. You can also get a more extensive update on what’s been happening. 

Cover: Scomo Design

What are readers saying?

“A great deal of research went into this book, and that research has paid off … Accessible history and noir that doesn’t require reading in a linear fashion. A thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read, well-written and accessible.”  —Trina Drotar, Sacramento Press

“Folsom’s 93 makes for a powerful collection of insights that should be required for any California social history collection and many a general law enforcement and justice holding.” —Midwest Book Review

“Haunting photos … a vivid picture of life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century California. A thoughtful and interesting book.” —Laura Tarwater Scharp, San Francisco Book Review

“Truly, one of the finest debut books to be found.” –Dean M.

“Each story is interesting and told in a way only Moore could bring to life with an uncanny precision and style.” –Chuck B.

“If you love tales of history, true crime or any other history involving prisons and inmates, look no further….this book was awesome!!” –J’aime R.

“Moore does an excellent job of presenting each person’s back story, details of their crime(s), trial, appeals if any and execution. Recommended.” –Michael O.