American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper
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- Author：Daniel Stashower
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Summary
New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award-winner Daniel Stashower returns with American Demon， a historical true crime starring legendary lawman Eliot Ness。
Boston had its Strangler。 California had the Zodiac Killer。 And in the depths of the Great Depression， Cleveland had the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。
On September 5th， 1934， a young carpenter named Frank La Gassie made a gruesome discovery on the shores of Cleveland’s Lake Erie: the lower half of a female torso， neatly severed at the waist。 The victim， dubbed “The Lady of the Lake，” was only the first of a butcher’s dozen。 Over the next four years， twelve more bodies would be scattered across the city。 The bodies were dismembered with surgical precision and drained of blood。 Some were beheaded while still alive。
Terror gripped the city。 Amid the growing uproar， Cleveland’s besieged mayor turned to his newly-appointed director of public safety: Eliot Ness。 Famous for busting Al Capone and his bootleg empire in Chicago， Ness now confronted a case that would redefine his storied career。
Boston had its Strangler。 California had the Zodiac Killer。 And in the depths of the Great Depression， Cleveland had the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。
On September 5th， 1934， a young carpenter named Frank La Gassie made a gruesome discovery on the shores of Cleveland’s Lake Erie: the lower half of a female torso， neatly severed at the waist。 The victim， dubbed “The Lady of the Lake，” was only the first of a butcher’s dozen。 Over the next four years， twelve more bodies would be scattered across the city。 The bodies were dismembered with surgical precision and drained of blood。 Some were beheaded while still alive。
Terror gripped the city。 Amid the growing uproar， Cleveland’s besieged mayor turned to his newly-appointed director of public safety: Eliot Ness。 Famous for busting Al Capone and his bootleg empire in Chicago， Ness now confronted a case that would redefine his storied career。
Reviews
Katie
，
I’m unfortunately not finishing this book after slogging through 1/3 of it。 I was drawn to the book because Brian De Palma’s 1987 film the Untouchables is one of my favorites so I was aware of Ness’ notoriety and I’m a pretty big True Crime buff， so the mad butcher aspect seemed like this book would be a win-win for me。 However， the book reads more like a biography on Ness than anything else。 At 1/3 of the way through the book， Ness hasn’t even gotten involved in the mad butcher case yet。 There’ I’m unfortunately not finishing this book after slogging through 1/3 of it。 I was drawn to the book because Brian De Palma’s 1987 film the Untouchables is one of my favorites so I was aware of Ness’ notoriety and I’m a pretty big True Crime buff， so the mad butcher aspect seemed like this book would be a win-win for me。 However， the book reads more like a biography on Ness than anything else。 At 1/3 of the way through the book， Ness hasn’t even gotten involved in the mad butcher case yet。 There’s only been mention of 4 bodies found in the Cleveland area that （I assume） will go on to be associated with the butcher。 Based on the synopsis， I expected more content about the true crime， unsolved mystery， and less about Eliot Ness and his background in Chicago and then Cleveland before the mad butcher。 The book isn’t bad。 The author does a great job presenting information about Eliot Ness and his background。 For me， the book didn’t seem to match the title or the synopsis， the key aspects that drew me to the book， and for that I didn’t finish it。 Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Nina Furrtheloveofbooks
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Have you ever heard of the tv series called the untouchables？ Well this book is about their elder， Elliot Ness who helped to take down Al Capone but also went on to help to clean up the streets of Cleveland。 This was a really interesting read。 Anyone who loves true crime would enjoy it and the writ I got style was one that kept me intrigued。
Abbi Saiya
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Gritty and honest， this foray into the life and work of Elliot Ness goes far beyond The Untouchables。 Daniel Stashower goes behind the scenes of a TV/Movie hero to discuss the hardships， risks and politics of Chicago and Cleveland crime wars。 I enjoyed filling out my version of Elliot Ness with such a well rounded history。
Beth
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I enjoyed listening to this book。 I didn’t know anything about Elliot Ness or the Cleveland toros killer prior to reading this so it was all very interesting。 There were some parts where I felt like there were more details given than necessary， but in the end it all came together as a detailed telling of Ness’s life and the unsolved murders。
Monica
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American Demon looks at the life of Eliot Ness and the torso murders in Cleveland during the 1930's。 I never knew much about Ness， except that he was part of the Untouchables， but learned quite a bit about him reading this book。Ness moved from Chicago， after Capone went to jail， to Cleveland。 He soon became the head of Safety。 He was over the police and fire departments。 Not long after， parts of bodies started being found in the 1930's。 There were a lot of differing opinions on who and where the American Demon looks at the life of Eliot Ness and the torso murders in Cleveland during the 1930's。 I never knew much about Ness， except that he was part of the Untouchables， but learned quite a bit about him reading this book。Ness moved from Chicago， after Capone went to jail， to Cleveland。 He soon became the head of Safety。 He was over the police and fire departments。 Not long after， parts of bodies started being found in the 1930's。 There were a lot of differing opinions on who and where the murder was and from。Stashower takes us into the investigation and Ness' life。 He thought he knew who the killer was， but due to politics （which most likely still happens today）， never named the person publicly and swore those close to him to secrecy。 It's been almost 90 years now， so if anyone really knows I would think it wouldn't matter naming the suspect。 In the Cleveland area， there seems to be a lot of discussion with conflicting points of views。It may be a case that ends up like Jack the Ripper， with no one ever knowing for sure who the killer was。Publishes September 6， 2022Thanks to Netgalley， St。 Martin Press and Minotaur Books for the Kindle Version of the book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。📚 Happy Reading 📚#netgalley#stmartinspress#minotaurbooks 。。。more
Jeremy Reppy
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"American Demon" was a fascinating book。 My knowledge of Eliot Ness was limited to his role， as leader of the Untouchables， in taking down Al Capone。 And even that knowledge was colored by Hollywood portrayals that took significant liberties with the truth。 I never knew that he was the safety director in Cleveland after his time in Chicago。 I had also never heard of the Cleveland Torso Killer， a serial killer who terrorized Cleveland， especially the area of Kingsbury Run， in the 1930s， and whose "American Demon" was a fascinating book。 My knowledge of Eliot Ness was limited to his role， as leader of the Untouchables， in taking down Al Capone。 And even that knowledge was colored by Hollywood portrayals that took significant liberties with the truth。 I never knew that he was the safety director in Cleveland after his time in Chicago。 I had also never heard of the Cleveland Torso Killer， a serial killer who terrorized Cleveland， especially the area of Kingsbury Run， in the 1930s， and whose identity is still a mystery。 The author provides a lot of details about Eliot Ness's life， providing a much more rounded picture than is found in Hollywood portrayals， and humanizing Ness， displaying his failures and foibles， as well as his successes。 The author also provides significant details about the murders that plagued Cleveland in the 1930s， the investigations， the various theories among investigators about the killer and his likely motives， and the most likely suspects。 He also discusses Eliot Ness's efforts to clean up crime in Cleveland more generally， with a particular focus on cleaning up corruption in the police force， and how Eliot Ness' actions as safety director both helped and hindered the investigation and may have been responsible for the killer escaping justice。 。。。more
Jesse
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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC。American Demon was a very compelling read， and the author grabs your attention right off with his personal family connection to the protagonist。 I really enjoyed learning more about not only the fascinating case of the 'torso killer' but also the fascinating figure of Eliot Ness。 Excellent narration also contributed to the overall enjoyment of the book。 Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC。American Demon was a very compelling read， and the author grabs your attention right off with his personal family connection to the protagonist。 I really enjoyed learning more about not only the fascinating case of the 'torso killer' but also the fascinating figure of Eliot Ness。 Excellent narration also contributed to the overall enjoyment of the book。 。。。more
John Gonski
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First off， much appreciated the fact that I had received the advance copy of this book with the ability to provide a review for all my fellow readers out there。 Given that my favorite read is historical fiction， this would seemed like a natural fit into that genre。 Eliot Ness was a lot more than what we know about in the movies and tv series。 American Demon not only shares a story that is so complex and vivid that you think it must be fictional （but it's all true）， it also paints a clear backsto First off， much appreciated the fact that I had received the advance copy of this book with the ability to provide a review for all my fellow readers out there。 Given that my favorite read is historical fiction， this would seemed like a natural fit into that genre。 Eliot Ness was a lot more than what we know about in the movies and tv series。 American Demon not only shares a story that is so complex and vivid that you think it must be fictional （but it's all true）， it also paints a clear backstory of who Ness was， faults and all。 Stashower weaves his own personal connection into the story and the superbly written book which only adds to the validity of the story。 At times， the story gets so graphic that it makes it hard to believe that this could have occurred in such a beautiful city as Cleveland。 For it still to be such a guarded secret this many decades later only adds to the mystery of why the case was never truly "Solved"。 You can't go wrong with this one！ 。。。more
KC
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During the Great Depression， after Eliot Ness famously took down Chicago gangster Al Capone， Ness took on a gruesome case in Cleveland to catch a killer known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 With body parts mounting and Ness’ marriages failing at a similar pace， this little known story sheds a dimmer light on the American hero and tells the tale of an unknown sadistic serial killer that terrorized the nation。 Read alike: RIPPER by Patricia Cornwell。
Courtney
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In 'American Demon，' Daniel Stashower compiles a captivating and informative account of both the unsolved， horrific "torso murders" of Kingsbury Run in Cleveland as well as the slow， steady decline of the career of prohibition golden boy Eliot Ness。 While this comes off more as an account of Ness' career than a serial killer true crime， Stashower expertly weaves the two narratives together， to such a point where all the pre-Cleveland context of Ness' career feel necessary to the story of the Kin In 'American Demon，' Daniel Stashower compiles a captivating and informative account of both the unsolved， horrific "torso murders" of Kingsbury Run in Cleveland as well as the slow， steady decline of the career of prohibition golden boy Eliot Ness。 While this comes off more as an account of Ness' career than a serial killer true crime， Stashower expertly weaves the two narratives together， to such a point where all the pre-Cleveland context of Ness' career feel necessary to the story of the Kingsbury Run Butcher。 Newspaper articles， exerpts， and direct quotes are worked into the text in a fluid manner; and Stashower's focus on Ness provides a fresh lens through which to view the infamous unsolved murders。Will Damron's narration of the audiobook is bright and engaging， feeling more like the listener is being told an exciting story instead of lectured on the grim subject matter。 Thank you to Netgalley， Minotaur Books， and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the 'American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper' in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
CYIReadBooks （Claire）
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One word: Disappointing。 I am somewhat familiar with Ness and his involvement in the Capone take down。 So when I read the description of this book， I had to read it since it was supposed to be about Ness' involvement with a serial killer。Basically， this book is more about the life and career of Eliot Ness and very little about his involvement in the Mad Butcher or Torso Killer investigation。 I almost didn't finish this book。 I glossed over the chapters after 31% and it is not until the 44% point One word: Disappointing。 I am somewhat familiar with Ness and his involvement in the Capone take down。 So when I read the description of this book， I had to read it since it was supposed to be about Ness' involvement with a serial killer。Basically， this book is more about the life and career of Eliot Ness and very little about his involvement in the Mad Butcher or Torso Killer investigation。 I almost didn't finish this book。 I glossed over the chapters after 31% and it is not until the 44% point that the narrative started to focus on the torso killer。 But Ness still played a very minor role in the investigations （though the author hints that there may have been a cover up。）I think that rather than a single book， American Demon could have been written into two separate and distinct true crime novels -- one focusing strictly on Ness' life and career and the other book focusing on the unsub。 But as it stands， American Demon just came across as an attempt to connect two unrelated events into a singular yet disjointed novel。 A disappointing 1。5 stars rounded up。I received a digital ARC from St。 Martin's Press through NetGalley。 The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
Stacy
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American Demon follows two parallel storylines: the search for a gruesome serial killer in Cleveland and the life of Elliot Ness， who gained fame as part of the team who took down Al Capone。 Ness was hired as Cleveland’s director of public safety shortly before a serial killer began dismembering victims and leaving their body parts to be found in 1930s Cleveland。Personally， the storyline about the Mad Butcher of Cleveland interested me more than the parts about Ness that did not revolve around t American Demon follows two parallel storylines: the search for a gruesome serial killer in Cleveland and the life of Elliot Ness， who gained fame as part of the team who took down Al Capone。 Ness was hired as Cleveland’s director of public safety shortly before a serial killer began dismembering victims and leaving their body parts to be found in 1930s Cleveland。Personally， the storyline about the Mad Butcher of Cleveland interested me more than the parts about Ness that did not revolve around the serial killer。 However， this was altogether a captivating book about a case that has never officially been solved。 Will Damron did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook。 I had not heard of the Mad Butcher of Cleveland prior to this book， and it was fascinating listening to how they used some new technology of the time to try to solve the case。 I would recommend this book to true crime fans and those who want to learn more about Elliot Ness。Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book。 。。。more
Susan
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First I'd like to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press / Minotaur books for the ARC。 I'm one of those many， many people who gets sucked into True Crime shows and podcasts。 I don't always do books on True Crime unless they're historic crimes。 And this was definitely one of those。 This was a fascinating book about a case I've never heard of， even though it had the very famous name of Eliot Ness attached to it。 The book gave great perspective on Ness and really delved into the true lawman behind t First I'd like to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press / Minotaur books for the ARC。 I'm one of those many， many people who gets sucked into True Crime shows and podcasts。 I don't always do books on True Crime unless they're historic crimes。 And this was definitely one of those。 This was a fascinating book about a case I've never heard of， even though it had the very famous name of Eliot Ness attached to it。 The book gave great perspective on Ness and really delved into the true lawman behind the Untouchables myth while also following the investigation of a series of brutal murders。 I found this to be an interesting read and was truly fascinated in the investigative techniques used （both to fight the mob and find a murderer） during the 1930s。 Hats off to the investigators who worked this case using nothing but luck and classic gumshoe detective work。 I definitely recommend this book to anyone， who like me， loves the mixture of True Crime and history。 。。。more
Jess | dapper。reads
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As an Ohioan and true crime enthusiast， I’ve definitely looked into the case of the Butcher of Kingsbury Run and seeing this book on NetGalley made me very excited。 I love seeing all the takes on this story。 This one is heavily focused on Eliot Ness and I’m happy to report it that shares both sides of that man。 He wasn’t a great person and this book shows us his good and bad sides and I appreciate that since much of what I’ve seen focuses on how great he was even though this case went poorly for As an Ohioan and true crime enthusiast， I’ve definitely looked into the case of the Butcher of Kingsbury Run and seeing this book on NetGalley made me very excited。 I love seeing all the takes on this story。 This one is heavily focused on Eliot Ness and I’m happy to report it that shares both sides of that man。 He wasn’t a great person and this book shows us his good and bad sides and I appreciate that since much of what I’ve seen focuses on how great he was even though this case went poorly for him。 I do wish it had spent more time on the “American Jack the Ripper” case or as it’s usually mentioned in this book the “torso murders” and less on the crack down of dirty cops。 I understand it was important and during that time but I’m much more curious about the murder case than that - especially since it’s on the cover。 It appears I’ll never learn that many times having murder on the cover doesn’t mean that the book is focused on a murder at all。 So overall while a good chunk of this book IS about the torso killer， we see a good chunk of the political world that Ness was operating in and navigating。 It also reminds us of the way things were in America at the time and while some things that are no big deal today happen in the timeline， these things were a huge deal back then （like divorce and homosexuality）。 Ness also got away with many things that wouldn’t fly these days - or maybe he would because he definitely had friends in high places。 The narrator for the audio did a great job with it as well。 I have no complaints there。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Debra Pawlak
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I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 Eliot Ness and his Untouchables have always held a certain fascination for me。 Maybe it was Robert Stack's role in the early television series that did it。 Not sure。 But Ness and his days hunting Al Capone have been documented in depth over the years。 This book is a little different as it concentrates on the life of Ness after Capone--although there is a little too much Capone here。 After leaving the I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 Eliot Ness and his Untouchables have always held a certain fascination for me。 Maybe it was Robert Stack's role in the early television series that did it。 Not sure。 But Ness and his days hunting Al Capone have been documented in depth over the years。 This book is a little different as it concentrates on the life of Ness after Capone--although there is a little too much Capone here。 After leaving the Untouchables， Ness took on the job of Safety Director in Cleveland， Ohio， where he made a name for himself by uncovering corruption in the local police department。 He was merciless in his hunt for dishonest cops and， once caught， made them pay the price。 Incidental to his tenure in Cleveland was a series of grisly murders known as The Torso Murders。 Body parts kept showing up in various areas of the city， but Ness seemed more interested in cleaning up the cops than in solving the homicides。 Author Daniel Stashower did a good job researching the case， but It was almost as if he was writing two books instead of one。 One side dealt primarily with Ness while the other side addressed the murders。 Murder investigations during the 1930s obviously did not have the advantage of today's technology。 Headless torsos remained unidentified while crime scenes were picked over by the curious。 Ness seemed to hold himself apart from the investigations until he was prodded by his superiors to make an appearance at the crime scenes。 The murders remain unsolved to this day， but not before at least one dozen victims surfaced--all hacked apart and most left unidentified。 It was Ness's unfortunate luck to be Cleveland's Safety Director during this time。 Was there an actual suspect？ You bet。 But the lack of evidence stalled the case not to mention the suspect's ties to a powerful Ohio family。 Overall， I enjoyed the book， but found the depiction of Ness as the man in charge a bit lacking。 It seems it could have been anyone in the Safety Director's position， it just happened to be Eliot Ness， which gave the book it's angle。 。。。more
Jenny Lawson
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The cover sucked me in bc it looked so much like Devil in the White City， which is one of my favorite books （GO READ IT） but it's its own story about Elliot Ness and the torso murders and I was very much sucked in。 My arc didn't have pictures so I can't speak to that but I thought the author did a good job of hitting the story without it being too gory or too dry and that's hard to do。 The cover sucked me in bc it looked so much like Devil in the White City， which is one of my favorite books （GO READ IT） but it's its own story about Elliot Ness and the torso murders and I was very much sucked in。 My arc didn't have pictures so I can't speak to that but I thought the author did a good job of hitting the story without it being too gory or too dry and that's hard to do。 。。。more
Jayna
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I feel like there was a bait and switch。 I expected to read a true crime book about the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 Instead， I read a biography of Eliot Ness。 This book is 80% Eliot Ness biography， 20% about the torso murderer。The book is interesting， though it dragged at times。 But definitely not what I was expecting since it was depicted as true crime。 Because my appetite for the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run was whet but not satisfied， I will now have to go down many internet rabbit holes。 I I feel like there was a bait and switch。 I expected to read a true crime book about the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 Instead， I read a biography of Eliot Ness。 This book is 80% Eliot Ness biography， 20% about the torso murderer。The book is interesting， though it dragged at times。 But definitely not what I was expecting since it was depicted as true crime。 Because my appetite for the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run was whet but not satisfied， I will now have to go down many internet rabbit holes。 I have more questions after reading this than I did before。I listened to the audio version- the narrator does a good job。Basically， if you are interested in Eliot Ness or biographies in general， you will enjoy this。 If you are looking for a true crime book， you may want to keep looking。I received a copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alexis
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Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book via Goodreads giveaway。2 starsThis book was extremely confusing to me。 While I enjoyed parts of the book， I continuously found myself wondering how the content in the book related at all to the synopsis。 No joke， I kept rereading the synopsis on the back to make sure I wasn't confusing this book with another。I wasn't。I think this book belongs more in the biography category because of how heavily it focused on Eliot Ness and his career。 After completing Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book via Goodreads giveaway。2 starsThis book was extremely confusing to me。 While I enjoyed parts of the book， I continuously found myself wondering how the content in the book related at all to the synopsis。 No joke， I kept rereading the synopsis on the back to make sure I wasn't confusing this book with another。I wasn't。I think this book belongs more in the biography category because of how heavily it focused on Eliot Ness and his career。 After completing the novel， I realized that Ness didn't have that much to do with hunting down "America's Jack the Ripper。" Stashower even notes that Ness was too caught up in other aspects of his job to devote much time to finding the killer。 While Ness did eventually assemble a team to do some undercover investigating into the killer and conducted an illegal interview of one suspect that lasted for days in a hotel room， there's not much else he did with regard to this case。I would like to know the author's thought process behind why he thought combining Eliot Ness's story with the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run story would make for an interesting book 。 Sure， the stories to overlap， as I described above。 But why did this book need to be written？ I think the author would have had a much more interesting final product if he either focused entirely on Eliot Ness or focused entirely on the Mad Butcher。I also don't understand why this book is marketed in the way it is。 By reading the title and synopsis， one would think that Eliot Ness was on the front lines investigating because he was so determined to solve this case。 It seems， from Stashower's writing， that there were other detectives who were much more involved in finding the killer than Ness。 There were detectives dedicating tons of overtime to solving the case while Ness was caught up in politics and women。 Ness only showed interest in a particular suspect。 I just don't understand why this tiny overlap deserved an entire book。Overall， I learned a lot about Eliot Ness in this book。 I didn't know much about him， so that may be why。 I didn't learn much， if anything， new about the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 I was already familiar with this story， and this book just restates the facts of the murders。 If you are looking for a book focused more on the Butcher story and are interested in the true crime aspect， pass on this book。 I did enjoy reading certain parts of this book， even though a lot of it just seemed to drag on forever。 The chapters are horrifically long， especially （it seemed， at least） the ones mainly about Ness。 There were lots of times when I couldn't even figure out why the author was telling certain parts of Ness's story， much less going on and on with pages of useless detail。 Personally， I just can't get over the fact that what I expected to read from the synopsis differed so much from the content。 That ultimately sunk this book for me。 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
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American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripperby Daniel StashowerI don't know about you but what I knew about Eliot Ness I learned from watching The Untouchables！ So， not very much and not very accurate。 This is an amazing read that gives us a look into the life of Ness when he left Chicago and landed in Cleveland。 Here， he was faced with something that seemed he was ill prepared for。 A serial killer that chopped up his victims。 Eventually， he felt he knew who it was but w American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripperby Daniel StashowerI don't know about you but what I knew about Eliot Ness I learned from watching The Untouchables！ So， not very much and not very accurate。 This is an amazing read that gives us a look into the life of Ness when he left Chicago and landed in Cleveland。 Here， he was faced with something that seemed he was ill prepared for。 A serial killer that chopped up his victims。 Eventually， he felt he knew who it was but was not able to arrest him。 Partly because politics stood in the way。 The book also tells about his private life， a glimpse of the man at work and off the clock。 The book takes us to his death and beyond。 Very interesting。 The book gives the clues， the characters， witnesses， suspects， inspectors， politicians， and more。 It flows smoothly and easy to read。 Kept me intrigued throughout。 This is one book you don't want to miss！ My favorite book so far this year！ I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book！ 。。。more
Sarah-Grace （Azrael865）
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I've never heard much about Eliot Ness after the Al Capone / Untouchables part of his career。 This book does a good job of telling the rest of the story。 Ness was still young when Capone's empire finally collapsed。 The next step for Ness was to move from Chicago to Cleveland。 There he began a campaign to clean up the city's police。 Even though his Untouchables had been disbanded， Ness stuck with what had worked for him in the past， assembling Unknowns， to work undercover and unknown to the main I've never heard much about Eliot Ness after the Al Capone / Untouchables part of his career。 This book does a good job of telling the rest of the story。 Ness was still young when Capone's empire finally collapsed。 The next step for Ness was to move from Chicago to Cleveland。 There he began a campaign to clean up the city's police。 Even though his Untouchables had been disbanded， Ness stuck with what had worked for him in the past， assembling Unknowns， to work undercover and unknown to the main police body。 Then in 1935， dismembered body parts were found。 As gruesome as this was it wasn't much longer before more mutilated and decapitated bodies were discovered。 Most of the victims were men and a couple were women。 Between 1935 and 1938 at least 12 bodies would be attributed to the same killer。 The Cleveland Torso Killer （compared with Jack the Ripper in some newspapers）， was not like anything local law enforcement had seen before。 The term serial killer had not been coined yet。 Eliot Ness continued his work in cleaning up the police and stayed clear of the killings until he was directly assigned to work the case。 This would be unlike anything Ness had ever investigated before。 He was extremely good at rooting out corruption， but this case would try his investigative skills like nothing he had ever faced before。 Thank you for to Netgalley and St Martin's Press / Minotaur books for the opportunity to enjoy this exciting True Crime / Biographical e-ARC。 。。。more
Grace
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I felt this was more an overview of Eliot Ness' career rather than a focus on the serial killer。 It was interesting but not great。 I felt this was more an overview of Eliot Ness' career rather than a focus on the serial killer。 It was interesting but not great。 。。。more
Sharon May
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Many thanks to NetGalley， St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me 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 Chicag Many thanks to NetGalley， St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me 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。 。。。more
Jean
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Being from Ohio， I was very interested in learning about Cleveland's Jack the Ripper。 At the beginning， I was intrigued about how Eliot Ness of the Untouchables fame in Chicago fit into the story。 As the story unfolded， the author focused more on Ness and not much on the serial murderer。 About a third of the way through the book， I could not wait for it to end。 The pacing was sluggish。 The title is misleading。 If you are interested in learning more about Ness， his background and how he moved for Being from Ohio， I was very interested in learning about Cleveland's Jack the Ripper。 At the beginning， I was intrigued about how Eliot Ness of the Untouchables fame in Chicago fit into the story。 As the story unfolded， the author focused more on Ness and not much on the serial murderer。 About a third of the way through the book， I could not wait for it to end。 The pacing was sluggish。 The title is misleading。 If you are interested in learning more about Ness， his background and how he moved forward in his career， this book might interest you。 If you are one who was looking for something a la Devil in the White City， as I was， this book may not interest you。 I am rounding up my 2。5 rating。Thank you， NetGalley， the author and publisher for an advanced copy。 。。。more
Hal Burrell
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American Demon was a really great non-fiction story about Eliot Ness and his hunt for a notorious， brutal murderer。 It is filled with great descriptions and does a great job at explaining what was happening in Ness' life before and during the hunt for the serial killer。 The reason I gave this book 3 stars is because I listened on audiobook， and it lost my attention at times。 It was more informative than a gripping story format。 This by no means it was a bad book， but I wish they novel was a bit American Demon was a really great non-fiction story about Eliot Ness and his hunt for a notorious， brutal murderer。 It is filled with great descriptions and does a great job at explaining what was happening in Ness' life before and during the hunt for the serial killer。 The reason I gave this book 3 stars is because I listened on audiobook， and it lost my attention at times。 It was more informative than a gripping story format。 This by no means it was a bad book， but I wish they novel was a bit more gripping。 。。。more
Mike
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Having lived in Cleveland， I was aware of the infamous Torso murders before picking up this book。 I'd also read Torso， the graphic novel， and went so far as to visit the Cleveland Police Museum， which has a small， permanent exhibit on the killings and Eliot Ness's oversight of the investigation as the city's safety director。 For me then， American Demon is perhaps a little too straight forward。 While the prose is eminently readable and the case well-chronicled， I was left wanting more -- somethin Having lived in Cleveland， I was aware of the infamous Torso murders before picking up this book。 I'd also read Torso， the graphic novel， and went so far as to visit the Cleveland Police Museum， which has a small， permanent exhibit on the killings and Eliot Ness's oversight of the investigation as the city's safety director。 For me then， American Demon is perhaps a little too straight forward。 While the prose is eminently readable and the case well-chronicled， I was left wanting more -- something deeper， thematically， be it sociopolitically or psychologically。 Also: is there relevance to this story today？ Stashower touches on a couple areas that I would've liked the entire book to be built around near the end， specifically Ness and the city's treatment of the shantytowns built in the 1930s as well as Ness's own discomfort with the mythology built around his past after he retired。 In a country wrecked by a housing crisis -- especially here in California -- and the increasingly liquid state of reality/truth we find ourselves in thanks to the internet， these are concepts worth investigating。 Ultimately， I'd recommend the book most for those who are coming to the Torso murders fresh。 。。。more
Kranna
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I don't normally enjoy historical novels but this book was intriguing and action field this is about a man Elliot Ness who not only took down Al Capone and was a special agent but also a story of him trying to capture a serial killer it can be dry at times but very much worth the read to those who are interested in historical novels and true crime I don't normally enjoy historical novels but this book was intriguing and action field this is about a man Elliot Ness who not only took down Al Capone and was a special agent but also a story of him trying to capture a serial killer it can be dry at times but very much worth the read to those who are interested in historical novels and true crime 。。。more
Michelle
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I had never heard of the Mad Butcher before listening to this audiobook。 What an absolutely gruesome killer。 This book relays the butcher's crimes， and the investigation into trying to find and stop him。 Elliot Ness is brought in to help solve the case， fresh off working with the Untouchables to bring down Al Capone。 This book is equally as much about Elliot Ness as it is about the Butcher。 We get to learn about his history， an overview of the Al Capone case， and his later years as he tries and I had never heard of the Mad Butcher before listening to this audiobook。 What an absolutely gruesome killer。 This book relays the butcher's crimes， and the investigation into trying to find and stop him。 Elliot Ness is brought in to help solve the case， fresh off working with the Untouchables to bring down Al Capone。 This book is equally as much about Elliot Ness as it is about the Butcher。 We get to learn about his history， an overview of the Al Capone case， and his later years as he tries and fails to run for office。 We also learn about how Elliot Ness sought to root out corruption from the Cleveland Police。 This was really well done and I found myself listening to the audiobook as often as I could。Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jennifer Koerten
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American Demon was an interesting read。 Before reading this book I had heard of Eliot Ness and the story of Al Capone， but had not heard of the Torso murders。 Being a big true crime fan， I found this book to include just enough background on the players in the investigation as well as the victims。The author， Daniel Stashower， did a great job describing Ness's accomplishment。s。 It is impressive to think that Ness was able to achieve so much while he was young， but seemingly lost his way after his American Demon was an interesting read。 Before reading this book I had heard of Eliot Ness and the story of Al Capone， but had not heard of the Torso murders。 Being a big true crime fan， I found this book to include just enough background on the players in the investigation as well as the victims。The author， Daniel Stashower， did a great job describing Ness's accomplishment。s。 It is impressive to think that Ness was able to achieve so much while he was young， but seemingly lost his way after his Safety director position。 One has to think that much of this misdirection as Ness entered middle age could have stemmed from feelings of incompetence in being unable to officially solve the Torso murders。 Stashower did an awesome job describing Ness's relationships， successes， and struggles。 From his status as Golden Boy through his fall in popularity， I felt as if I was there watching everything happen in person。While I enjoyed this book， it did take me a bit longer to get through。 The subject matter is pretty heavy so this was a book I had to take in small doses。 It definitely intrigued me， though， and I am interested in learning more about this story！ 。。。more
Kenneth Geary （KagedBooks）
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ARC review - Expected Release September 6， 2022;When I get the non-fiction itch I always seem to gradated towards true crime。 This is a solid story in that genre。 You’ll undoubtably see comparisons to The Devil in the White City: Murder， Magic， and Madness at the Fair That Changed America， with the similar title and even the the covers have almost matching tones， and while I think these are both great stories this is it’s own story。 Instead of focusing on the killer， in this story the murderer i ARC review - Expected Release September 6， 2022;When I get the non-fiction itch I always seem to gradated towards true crime。 This is a solid story in that genre。 You’ll undoubtably see comparisons to The Devil in the White City: Murder， Magic， and Madness at the Fair That Changed America， with the similar title and even the the covers have almost matching tones， and while I think these are both great stories this is it’s own story。 Instead of focusing on the killer， in this story the murderer is an unknown entity， this story focuses on Elliot Ness， of The Untouchables fame， and how he came to be associated with this case and what it meant for his life and career。 The case is the Cleveland’s Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run， in the mid 1930s。 A person who held the city in terror for years。 Leaving body parts all over the town and while some details are debatable it’s clear that even if some where copycat murders a number of the bodies belonged to the same killer。 It’s well written and interesting， while the author is undoubtably a fan of Ness， he does include criticisms of the man as well even if he tended to focus more on the positives。 The case is interesting in that it remains unsolved， which is why i think the focus went primarily to the investigators 。 Which in my mind makes it harder to tell the story in a favorable light。 Will Damron does a phenomenal job of delivering the audio narration of this story。Big thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a chance to get in on this book early。 I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more
Linda Quinn
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