Man From The Train: Discovering America's Most Elusive Serial Killer
Details
Man From The Train: Discovering America's Most Elusive Serial Killer
By Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James
Kansas Notable Book 2018
An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime
Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe.
Some of these cases—like the infamous Villisca, Iowa, murders—received national attention. But most incidents went almost unnoticed outside the communities in which they occurred.
Few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station.
When celebrated true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person.
Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal and uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America.
Paperback; 480 pages
ISBN: 978-1476796260
About the Authors
Bill James made his mark in the 1970s and 1980s with his Baseball Abstracts. He has been tearing down preconceived notions about America’s national pastime ever since.
He is currently the Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox, as well as the author of The Man from the Train. James lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, Susan McCarthy, and three children.
Rachel McCarthy James lives in Lawrence, KS with her husband Jason. She studied creative writing at Hollins University, and her work has previously been featured in publications including Bitch, Broadly, and The NewInquiry.The Man from the Train is her first book.
Reviews for The Man From The Train
“Impressive . . . an open-eyed investigative inquiry wrapped within a cultural history of rural America.”
—Wall Street Journal
"[A] suspenseful historical account . . . The strength of the book hangs on [the authors'] diligent research and analysis connecting crimes into the closing years of the 19th century. Even those skeptical at the outset that one man was responsible for so much bloodshed are likely to be convinced."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
By Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James
Kansas Notable Book 2018
An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime
Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe.
Some of these cases—like the infamous Villisca, Iowa, murders—received national attention. But most incidents went almost unnoticed outside the communities in which they occurred.
Few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station.
When celebrated true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person.
Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal and uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America.
Paperback; 480 pages
ISBN: 978-1476796260
About the Authors
Bill James made his mark in the 1970s and 1980s with his Baseball Abstracts. He has been tearing down preconceived notions about America’s national pastime ever since.
He is currently the Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox, as well as the author of The Man from the Train. James lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, Susan McCarthy, and three children.
Rachel McCarthy James lives in Lawrence, KS with her husband Jason. She studied creative writing at Hollins University, and her work has previously been featured in publications including Bitch, Broadly, and The NewInquiry.The Man from the Train is her first book.
Reviews for The Man From The Train
“Impressive . . . an open-eyed investigative inquiry wrapped within a cultural history of rural America.”
—Wall Street Journal
"[A] suspenseful historical account . . . The strength of the book hangs on [the authors'] diligent research and analysis connecting crimes into the closing years of the 19th century. Even those skeptical at the outset that one man was responsible for so much bloodshed are likely to be convinced."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)