Local Author to Release New Thriller About Poughkeepsie Murders

If you're a fan of true crime and local Hudson Valley history, there is a new book on the way that tells a tale that our community is unfortunately all too familiar with.

Award-winning Poughkeepsie author and attorney Jode Millman is getting ready to release a new novel called "Hooker Avenue."  According to Millman's website, the book will follow Attorney Jessie Martin who "discovers a woman lying unconscious in a roadside ditch. The badly beaten victim, Lissie Sexton, a local prostitute, claims she's escaped the attack of a killer. But Lissie is more than an ordinary hooker. She's the key witness in a cold case under investigation by Jessie's estranged longtime friend, Detective Ebony Jones."

In a press release, we learn that "Hooker Avenue" is based on a true story about "a serial killer who killed several prostitutes in the Queen City."  Sounds familiar, right?

Kendall Francois, Poughkeepsie's Serial Killer

Digging into the Hudson Valley's criminal history, a story about a serial killer that was killing prostitutes in Poughkeepsie sounds a lot like Kendall Francois.

Back in the late 90s, several prostitutes went missing from the Poughkeepsie area. From 1996 to 1999, a total of 8 women, all of which were prostitutes, went missing. Kendall Francois, a monitor in the Arlington School district who lived on Fulton Street in Poughkeepsie, later admitted to strangling 7 victims and drowning 1.

In 1998 Christina Sala was attacked by Kendall Francois but was able to get away and tell her story, which led to the end of the Francois killings.

Jode Millman's "Hooker Avenue" is set to be released on April 19th. You can learn more about the award-winning Poughkeepsie author on her website JodeMillman.com.