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Delaware Behaving Badly is a gripping, true-crime-inflected history of the First State's darker moments-scandals, betrayals, and criminal exploits that once made headlines but have since faded from public memory. Drawing on newspaper accounts, court records, and archival materials, author Dave Tabler uncovers stories that range from oyster pirate skirmishes and Prohibition-era rumrunning to political corruption, violent revenge, and fraudulent wartime schemes.
The book brings to life the eccentric figures and forgotten corners of Delaware's past with scene-driven storytelling and deep research. Among the cases covered: a 19th-century embezzler who vanished with bank funds and turned up in Havana; a Prohibition enforcer accused of moonlighting as a bootlegger; a serial predator released on furlough who assaulted again; and a bookie war that upended Wilmington's underworld. Each chapter presents a standalone narrative, but together they form a mosaic of lawlessness, defiance, and the uneasy intersection between crime and power.
Avoiding myth and conjecture, Tabler grounds his accounts in documented fact, often quoting directly from contemporary sources to preserve the raw tone and urgency of the times. Though the crimes differ in scope and era, they all reveal something essential about Delaware's legal system, social tensions, and the limits of justice.
Meticulously curated and written in a crisp, journalistic style, Delaware Behaving Badly does not seek moral closure or tidy resolutions. Instead, it invites readers to confront the discomforting truth that bad behavior-official and unofficial-has always found its place even in the quietest corners of America. This is Delaware history stripped of its polish and presented with an unflinching eye.
Expect to settle easily into the book's format & the author's writing style. Dave Tabler’s book is written in a clear, easy-to-follow style that makes the history engaging rather than monotonous. The book is broken into individual crime stories, so each chapter reads quickly--but, still gives plenty of detail. Tabler blends historical facts with storytelling, keeping the book moving at a steady pace. Newspaper clippings, court records, and background information help bring the cases to life without making the book feel too heavy or academic. The shorter chapter format also makes it easy to pick up and read a few stories at a time.
Tabler gives readers a lot of information in short chapters. One of the strongest parts of the book is how the author looks beyond just the crimes themselves. Instead of focusing solely on shocking moments, Tabler also discusses the social issues associated with each case, including politics, corruption, prejudice, and problems within the justice system. Each crime tells readers something different about Delaware’s history and how society responded at the time. The author keeps a balanced tone throughout the book and does a good job explaining why these cases mattered, both then and now. That extra discussion gives the stories more depth and makes the book feel more meaningful than a simple collection of crime stories.
Would I recommend Delaware Behaving Badly by Dave Tabler? I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy true crime, history, or nonfiction focused on real events. Even if you do not know much about Delaware history, the cases are interesting enough to keep your attention from start to finish. The combination of strong research, easy-to-read writing, and a wide variety of cases makes this a very enjoyable read overall. Some stories stand out more than others, but the book stays consistently engaging throughout, making it a solid read for fans of historical true crime.
Tabler’s father encouraged him to try his hand at taking pictures with the family camera. With visions of Rockwell dancing in his head, Tabler press-ganged his younger brother into wearing a straw hat and sitting next to a stream barefoot with a homemade fishing pole in his hand. The resulting image was terrible.
Dave Tabler went on to earn degrees in art history and photojournalism despite being told he needed a ‘Plan B.'
Fresh out of college, Tabler contributed the photography for “The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics,” which taught him how to work with museum curators, collectors, and white cotton gloves. He met a man in the Shenandoah Valley who played the musical saw, a Knoxville fellow who specialized in collecting barbed wire, and Tom Dickey, brother of the man who wrote ‘Deliverance.’
In 2006 Tabler circled back to these earlier encounters with Appalachian culture as an idea for a blog. AppalachianHistory.net today reaches 375,000 readers a year.
Dave Tabler moved to Delaware in 2010 and became smitten with its rich past. He no longer copies Norman Rockwell, but his experience working with curators and collectors came in handy when he got the urge to photograph a love letter to Delaware’s early heritage. This may be the start of something.
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