Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this nonfiction, true crime book by Daniel Stashower and perfectly narrated by Will Damron - 4.5 stars!
It was the 1930s and Cleveland was suddenly in the clutches of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, AKA The Torso Murders. Over a dozen bodies were discovered over the years, each dismembered with surgical precision. The city called upon its new Safety Director, Eliot Ness, fresh out of Chicago after working the Al Capone case and prohibition raids in Chicago (later known as the Untouchables).
This story focuses both on the still unsolved murders (although the prime suspect is named) and the life of Ness. It's a gruesome tale and the terror in the city's residents feels palpable. If you only know of Ness' exploits as far as Al Capone, this is the next chapter in his life. I especially enjoyed the author's take and personal family connections, as well as hearing about Cleveland in this time period. My husband grew up in Cleveland and we lived nearby for years, so it definitely felt local, even all these decades later.
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