Villisca: The True Account of the Unsolved 1912 Mass Murder That Stunned the Nation

Rating:
Summary: Where are the sources?
Review: A 'little known' true-crime murder mystery worth dipping into. The author has moments of creative narrative. But not enough to sustain the reader through pages and pages of reprinted document text. One would expect that a book of this kind, one that purports to be a "true account", would have sources listed at the end, or footnotes, or end notes, or any kind of notes to verify that the author didn't just make this stuff up. It is customary in nonfiction to cite sources.

Rating:
Summary: The true story of a terrible crime
Review: Ably researched and deftly written by Roy Marshall, Villisca is the true story of a terrible crime that took place in 1912 America. Eight victims, six of them children, were bludgeoned to death with an axe as they slept. Private investigators dissected the case after inexperienced police detectives failed, and scandals concerning public figures were drawn into the white-hot light of public scrutiny. A thoroughly researched and evenhandedly presented narrative, Villisca is a welcome and recommended addition to personal, and community library True Crime shelves, as well as academic Criminology Studies reference collections.

Rating:
Summary: Solid account and decent read
Review: I just finished this account of the unsolved mass murders in 1912 in Villisca Iowa after finding out a bit of the historic event in early Iowa on the Web. I found the account pretty well written and engaging though the narrative, at times, took a back seat to lengthy historical documentation. The entire book as a whole might have been improved by some reductions in places but the content was fine as is. I have to admit I was surprised NOT to find the "author's take" at the very end (or somewhere) on who he thought was behind it all, what person(s) committed the actual murders, was there a conspiracy, etc. After plowing through all that text, to not be provided this account might seem to make the book and author more credible, but I distinctly missed such an offering.

Rating:
Summary: Solid account and decent read
Review: I just finished this account of the unsolved mass murders in 1912 in Villisca Iowa after finding out a bit of the historic event in early Iowa on the Web. I found the account pretty well written and engaging though the narrative, at times, took a back seat to lengthy historical documentation. The entire book as a whole might have been improved by some reductions in places but the content was fine as is. I have to admit I was surprised NOT to find the "author's take" at the very end (or somewhere) on who he thought was behind it all, what person(s) committed the actual murders, was there a conspiracy, etc. After plowing through all that text, to not be provided this account might seem to make the book and author more credible, but I distinctly missed such an offering.