American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper
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- Create Date：2022-09-09 17:21:39
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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 beachcomber 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。 Ness had come to Cleveland fresh from his headline-grabbing exploits in Chicago， where he and his band of “Untouchables” led the frontline assault on Al Capone’s bootlegging empire。 Now he would confront a case that would redefine his storied career。
Award-winning author Daniel Stashower shines a fresh light on one of the most notorious puzzles in the annals of crime， and uncovers the gripping story of Ness’s hunt for a sadistic killer who was as brilliant as he was cool and composed， a mastermind who was able to hide in plain sight。 American Demon reconstructs this ultimate battle of wits between a hero and a madman。
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 beachcomber 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。 Ness had come to Cleveland fresh from his headline-grabbing exploits in Chicago， where he and his band of “Untouchables” led the frontline assault on Al Capone’s bootlegging empire。 Now he would confront a case that would redefine his storied career。
Award-winning author Daniel Stashower shines a fresh light on one of the most notorious puzzles in the annals of crime， and uncovers the gripping story of Ness’s hunt for a sadistic killer who was as brilliant as he was cool and composed， a mastermind who was able to hide in plain sight。 American Demon reconstructs this ultimate battle of wits between a hero and a madman。
Reviews
Jolie Estes
，
Whoever wrote the description for this book clearly did not read this book。 It is described as being about how Eliot Ness solved a serial killer case in Cleveland in the 1930s-40s。 It is not。 It is a poorly executed term paper on the life of Eliot Ness。 The entire first ¼ of the book has absolutely nothing to do with the serial killer。 It is about EVERY。 SINGLE。 PERSON。 who ever met Eliot Ness， crossed paths with him or possibly whoever heard of him throughout his pursuit of Al Capone。 After tha Whoever wrote the description for this book clearly did not read this book。 It is described as being about how Eliot Ness solved a serial killer case in Cleveland in the 1930s-40s。 It is not。 It is a poorly executed term paper on the life of Eliot Ness。 The entire first ¼ of the book has absolutely nothing to do with the serial killer。 It is about EVERY。 SINGLE。 PERSON。 who ever met Eliot Ness， crossed paths with him or possibly whoever heard of him throughout his pursuit of Al Capone。 After that first 25% of the book， it begins to mention the serial killer – well not the killer， actually， but the discovery of some of his victims。 Stashower then proceeds to tell you in minute detail every aspect of the lives of every person who knew someone who knew someone who either found a victim， was on the police force at the time， or read about it at some moment in their past。 That part of the book is intertwined with the minutiae of Ness’s life。 This is likely because there is nothing to tell。 Ness did not catch the killer。 There is no point in the book。 It rambles and stumbles along never going anywhere or accomplishing anything beyond being incredibly boring。 Watching the slides from your childhood BFF’s grandparents’ trip to the Grand Canyon would be more stimulating。Tedious， pointless， and boring。 。。。more
Crystal
，
⚫️Book Review⚫️It’s #thrillerthursday but， I’m here to share this true crime book that I WISH was a fictional thriller。 Let’s start by my saying thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books and @macmillan。audio for the eARC and ALC for American Demon。 Did you know that America had its own Jack the Ripper？ I sure didn’t！ Most of us have heard of Eliot Ness， in passing at the minimum。 He was the head of The Untouchables， the crew that worked to bring down Al Capone。 After that whole shebang ended E ⚫️Book Review⚫️It’s #thrillerthursday but， I’m here to share this true crime book that I WISH was a fictional thriller。 Let’s start by my saying thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books and @macmillan。audio for the eARC and ALC for American Demon。 Did you know that America had its own Jack the Ripper？ I sure didn’t！ Most of us have heard of Eliot Ness， in passing at the minimum。 He was the head of The Untouchables， the crew that worked to bring down Al Capone。 After that whole shebang ended Eliot Ness went on with his life as the untouchable public figure he was and took on the role of director of public safety for Cleveland。 Eliot Ness then came face to face with the hardest case of his life。 Bodies started showing up in Cleveland…and I’m not going to get into detail here because the book does that in depth。 It’s brutal and awful。 I think this book was well written and I highly enjoyed learning about Eliot Ness， including much about his personal life。 This murderer was just 🤢 though。 There were a few parts that dragged for me， but overall I thought this book was good。 Not my most favorite true crime/nonfiction book， but I would still recommend it to true crime enthusiasts！ 。。。more
Kassie
，
All I knew of Eliot Ness came from 2pac， so I came into Daniel Stashower’s American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper。 “American Jack the Ripper” has been applied to multiple notorious killers in US history—from H。H。 Holmes to the Zodiac—Stashower focuses on a the “Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run” and the brutal killings that shocked Cleveland。 Stashower follows Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City， tying famous historical events to their serial killer counterparts in co All I knew of Eliot Ness came from 2pac， so I came into Daniel Stashower’s American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper。 “American Jack the Ripper” has been applied to multiple notorious killers in US history—from H。H。 Holmes to the Zodiac—Stashower focuses on a the “Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run” and the brutal killings that shocked Cleveland。 Stashower follows Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City， tying famous historical events to their serial killer counterparts in compelling narrative prose。 Diligently researched， Stashower presents a landslide of documents as he charts Ness’s course from Chicago’s Untouchables， through moonshine stills in Appalachia， to Cleveland’s Safety Director。 It’s hard to pick and choose the best material to include， but a better filter would have been valuable。 At times， the amount of information becomes overwhelming and it’s easy to get lost in the sauce。 I also felt American Demon， like Devil in the White City， could have been two distinctly separate works。 I struggled in the first section to develop an accurate timeline of events because the narrative switches from Capone in 1931 to the discovery of victims in Cleveland in 1934 and tracked them both concurrently for a while。 My ARC didn’t include and photos， but they may have resolved some of this confusion （if， say， there is a timeline included）。 Ness also doesn’t become actively involved in the case until halfway through， we readers track—a detailed and well established—Eliot Ness biography， adjacent to a true crime case happening in the same city。 Stashower’s interest in and empathy for Ness， way above the murders， compelled me to continue on。 Overall， this was an interesting and insightful text and should be on the TBR for those who enjoyed Devil in the White City and David King’s Death in the City of Light。 Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Terri
，
This is the story of Elliott Ness and his hunt for the American Jack the Ripper。 Ness was appointed Cleveland's directory of public safety。 People did not believe in him， they thought he was too young to do the job and dismissed him。 Little did they know who had been hired and the tenacity that he brought to the job。 Ness made a difference， and this is one of his stories。 This is the story of Elliott Ness and his hunt for the American Jack the Ripper。 Ness was appointed Cleveland's directory of public safety。 People did not believe in him， they thought he was too young to do the job and dismissed him。 Little did they know who had been hired and the tenacity that he brought to the job。 Ness made a difference， and this is one of his stories。 。。。more
Nicole Dunton
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Title: American DemonAuthor: Daniel StashowerRelease Date: September 6th， 2022Page Count: 342Start Date: September 1st， 2022Finish Date: September 6th， 2022Review:This book follows Eliot Ness' career and what he's most known for。 I found myself doing my own research through the entire book。 I want to read more books about the Butcher。 He's considered America's Jack the Ripper。 The only reason I can think this is is because the case was never solved。 This serial killer made Jack the Ripper look t Title: American DemonAuthor: Daniel StashowerRelease Date: September 6th， 2022Page Count: 342Start Date: September 1st， 2022Finish Date: September 6th， 2022Review:This book follows Eliot Ness' career and what he's most known for。 I found myself doing my own research through the entire book。 I want to read more books about the Butcher。 He's considered America's Jack the Ripper。 The only reason I can think this is is because the case was never solved。 This serial killer made Jack the Ripper look tame in my eyes。 I feel like I don't know enough about the case to make a full opinion on it。 Even though it was referenced completely in this book。 It mainly highlighted Ness' involvement in the matter。 It also highlighted other parts of his career as well。 Including leading a team that became known as the Untouchables。 There's a movie or television shows about the team。 I'm interested to see if it's streaming so I can watch it。 All in all， I really enjoyed this book。 I really enjoyed developing the hunger to want to research and know more because of this book。 I loved it so much that I bought a copy for my family to read。 。。。more
Kira Ryder
，
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads。I wanted this book for the creepy-cool cover， and I read it for the concept。 I had no idea that Eliot Ness existed， not to mention that America had a serial killer called the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 （As I said， I wanted the book for the cover。 I never paid attention to the blurb until I got it。） While I can read nonfiction， I'm not a huge fan。 I adore true crime， but I can't handle much description， because I get grossed out easil I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads。I wanted this book for the creepy-cool cover， and I read it for the concept。 I had no idea that Eliot Ness existed， not to mention that America had a serial killer called the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 （As I said， I wanted the book for the cover。 I never paid attention to the blurb until I got it。） While I can read nonfiction， I'm not a huge fan。 I adore true crime， but I can't handle much description， because I get grossed out easily。 So truthfully， I expected to be disappointed。 To my surprise， it sucked me in from the first page。It's well-written， it doesn't get boring， and the author hits a balance between graphic description and "just" facts。 It didn't gross me out， but it did make me flinch sometimes， bringing the scene to life - perfect！ The story itself is all the more creepy and interesting and tragic because it's true。 And the ending？。。。I won't spoil it， but it left me a little stunned。 Reading this made me wonder if I had rejected other good books just because they were nonfiction。 Either way， this one has a spot on my bookshelf。I'm telling everyone they should read it。 But not my copy。 I don't share， especially the books I love。 。。。more
Dawn Michelle
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1。 I had no idea that there was a serial killer that taunted Cleveland in the 30's and 40's。 2。 I had no idea what happened to Eliot Ness after Chicago。 I was shocked to learn he came to Cleveland。 As someone who lived in a suburb of Cleveland in the 70's and went to school there， I am surprised it was never talked about。 （view spoiler）[Perhaps it is because the killer was never caught and Eliot Ness basically resigned in disgrace is the reason why （hide spoiler）]。 3。 I remember the Flats and ho 1。 I had no idea that there was a serial killer that taunted Cleveland in the 30's and 40's。 2。 I had no idea what happened to Eliot Ness after Chicago。 I was shocked to learn he came to Cleveland。 As someone who lived in a suburb of Cleveland in the 70's and went to school there， I am surprised it was never talked about。 （view spoiler）[Perhaps it is because the killer was never caught and Eliot Ness basically resigned in disgrace is the reason why （hide spoiler）]。 3。 I remember the Flats and how we were always told how dangerous they were and how they still caught on fire。 It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that they finally cleaned that area up and now it is a thriving area of music and arts and the such。 It was a surprise， but very welcome for the Cleveland community。 4。 My father lived for a time in Bay Village [where Eliot Ness had a house]。 It was one of the swankiest neighborhoods that I had ever seen at that time [I was young and impressionable。 ;-） ]。 I can see Mr。 Ness and his family living there。5。 I love this author and would read anything he writes。 Thankfully， IMO， he writes really well and writes excellent， thought-provoking books。 This is no exception。 This book will stay with the reader for a long time。 6。 There is no happy ending here。 There are moments of frustration because of this。 I feel deeply for the families that are left wondering， even all these years later。 7。 It is rough when one idolizes a public figure and then you find out they are just as fallible as the rest of us。 That was the case here for me。 I knew next to nothing about Mr。 Ness except what I "learned" from the movies about him [and some historical fiction I had read that had him in it]。 Again， this is a really good read。 Both entertaining and， well， gross。 Serial killers and their prey are never pretty and the author doesn't shy away from details， but doesn't cross that line into turning one off from reading， which is a real talent IMO。 If you love true crime and want to know more about Eliot Ness and his life after Chicago and you appreciate really great writing that comes from excellent research， then this book is for you！ I was also lucky enough to get an audiobook ARC for this book and it was exceptional。 Will Damron is one of my [new] favorite narrators and he does an excellent job in telling this story and really makes that time come alive。 I am always glad when I can get an audiobook for an nonfiction books and even more so when it is a narrator that I love。 I highly recommend listening to this book。 Thank you to NetGalley， Daniel Stashower， Will Damron - Narrator， St。 Martin's Press/Minotaur Books， and Macmillan Audio for providing this ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alyssa
，
I was sent a copy of American Demon via a Goodreads giveaway。 This thorough and detailed account follows the life of career lawman Eliot Ness against the backdrop of the events considered to comprise what became known as the Cleveland Torso Murders。 A chronology， it is easy to follow despite the high volume of players and locations in play over the span of the book; Stashower brings them all to life in a fashion which offers vividness and excellent characterization。 Through his honesty and frank I was sent a copy of American Demon via a Goodreads giveaway。 This thorough and detailed account follows the life of career lawman Eliot Ness against the backdrop of the events considered to comprise what became known as the Cleveland Torso Murders。 A chronology， it is easy to follow despite the high volume of players and locations in play over the span of the book; Stashower brings them all to life in a fashion which offers vividness and excellent characterization。 Through his honesty and frankness about his main subject， Stashoweor conveys the sense that he understands Ness for who he was， positive attributes and flaws alike， resulting an honest and dynamic depiction。 American Demon relies heavily upon newspaper accounts as sources， and while historical context is provided， there is little in the way of analysis， which I actually appreciated as a historian， as in depth scrutiny is best left to academic scholars。 This reads more like journalism than history， which is appropriate given the exiting play by play tone the author adopts。 Overall an engaging and exciting read that offers an authentic portrait of person， time， and place。 。。。more
Rachel Pendlebury
，
American Demon tells the story of the hunt for the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run in Cleveland Ohio in the 30"s while also telling about the life and career of Eliot Ness。 I had never heard of the Mad Butcher and I didn't know anything about Eliot Ness besides what is reported in The Untouchables movie。 If you would like to keep the image of 'The Untouchables" Eliot Ness you might not want to read this book。 Don't meet your heroes。 This book is also an interesting look at the mechanics behind an i American Demon tells the story of the hunt for the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run in Cleveland Ohio in the 30"s while also telling about the life and career of Eliot Ness。 I had never heard of the Mad Butcher and I didn't know anything about Eliot Ness besides what is reported in The Untouchables movie。 If you would like to keep the image of 'The Untouchables" Eliot Ness you might not want to read this book。 Don't meet your heroes。 This book is also an interesting look at the mechanics behind an infamous case that time forgot， and how politics and ego ran amuck during this period。I think this is definitely something that a true crime fan needs to read to know the real history of the genre。 。。。more
Alyssa • fortheloveofthrills
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Special thanks to Macmillan for my advanced copy！I get that Al Capone played a huge role in what Eliot Ness is largely known for， but I was expecting this book to be more focused on the murders and not Prohibition or illegal gambling。 The whole first part was mostly about Capone and how Ness managed to catch him， & I just wasn’t interested in reading about that whole operation。 There were parts that I did like reading about， but overall， I expected a lot more about ‘America’s Jack the Ripper’， a Special thanks to Macmillan for my advanced copy！I get that Al Capone played a huge role in what Eliot Ness is largely known for， but I was expecting this book to be more focused on the murders and not Prohibition or illegal gambling。 The whole first part was mostly about Capone and how Ness managed to catch him， & I just wasn’t interested in reading about that whole operation。 There were parts that I did like reading about， but overall， I expected a lot more about ‘America’s Jack the Ripper’， and less about everything else。 。。。more
Susan
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When I saw this ARC was available I was eager to read it。 I've read other books by Stashower and enjoyed them and I have always wanted to know more about Eliot Ness。 Growing up I faithfully watched Robert Stack in the Untouchables and that was my introduction to the true crime genre。 （I don't read vast amounts of it as I prefer general mysteries） For Eliot Ness， well that was enough for me and I wasn't disappointed。 Finding out who the man really was， that was what I wanted and what I got。 The c When I saw this ARC was available I was eager to read it。 I've read other books by Stashower and enjoyed them and I have always wanted to know more about Eliot Ness。 Growing up I faithfully watched Robert Stack in the Untouchables and that was my introduction to the true crime genre。 （I don't read vast amounts of it as I prefer general mysteries） For Eliot Ness， well that was enough for me and I wasn't disappointed。 Finding out who the man really was， that was what I wanted and what I got。 The crimes in Cleveland were an extra。 I would recommend American Demon more as a biography of Ness than as a true crime of the Torso Murders。 Well researched and the writing well paced。 My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Collette
，
Happy Publication Day， Sept。 6， 2022！If you love true crime but aren’t familiar with the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run， Daniel Stashower’s American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper is an excellent but disturbing introduction。 However this book is a two-for-one deal， and while the chapters on the “torso killer” are not for the squeamish， the chapters on Eliot Ness require patience and a grain of salt。 Not to imply that Stashower hasn’t done his homework here （quite the Happy Publication Day， Sept。 6， 2022！If you love true crime but aren’t familiar with the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run， Daniel Stashower’s American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper is an excellent but disturbing introduction。 However this book is a two-for-one deal， and while the chapters on the “torso killer” are not for the squeamish， the chapters on Eliot Ness require patience and a grain of salt。 Not to imply that Stashower hasn’t done his homework here （quite the contrary） but the figure of Eliot Ness， the “untouchable” lawman sent to clean up Cleveland， is so wrapped in legend that it is impossible to separate fact from fiction on all accounts。 After years of pursuing Al Capone in the 1930s for his bootlegging and other illegal activity during Prohibition， Ness moved from Chicago to Cleveland， where he became safety director during a time when the city was plagued by corrupt cops and a serial killer who gruesomely dismembered his victims and disposed of them in places where they would be found。 While the main goal of Ness as safety director was to clean up the police department， he eventually became involved in the pursuit of the Mad Butcher， or Torso Killer， or America’s Jack the Ripper （your choice）。 This unsub concentrated his efforts in the Kingsbury Run area， a place with homeless encampments， frequented by prostitutes and other unsavory types。 Over eight years， he committed 12 known murders， all dismembered and left to be discovered。 Teams of police and investigators， including Ness， would search doggedly for this criminal mastermind who could hide in plain sight。Alongside the story of this mad man is the story of Ness。 Most are familiar with his role in taking down Al Capone on tax evasion， but this account gives a full picture of his personal and professional life。 While interesting， I found myself a little surprised at the extent that the book focused on Ness。 And， if you aren’t familiar with the account， you may find the ending a little dissatisfying， but such is life。 Overall， I think this book is well researched and well worth the read。 I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Will Damron and found his deft execution of the text enhanced the experience。 Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the chance to listen to this twisted tale in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
karen
，
This book is probably the most comprehensive tome written to date regarding Elliot Ness and his tenure in Cleveland。 While I was fascinated by the historical nature of the setting， speaking as a lifelong Clevelander， I did find myself becoming bogged down with the sheer number and intricacies of the details。 I love history， but the writing felt turgid and not particularly engaging at times and I had a hard time slogging through it。 I think I expected this read to be more reminiscent of The Devil This book is probably the most comprehensive tome written to date regarding Elliot Ness and his tenure in Cleveland。 While I was fascinated by the historical nature of the setting， speaking as a lifelong Clevelander， I did find myself becoming bogged down with the sheer number and intricacies of the details。 I love history， but the writing felt turgid and not particularly engaging at times and I had a hard time slogging through it。 I think I expected this read to be more reminiscent of The Devil in White City and it just wasn’t。 Perhaps this just isn’t my type of book。。 。。。more
Leigh Farina
，
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an advanced copy of this novel。 As a fan of The Untouchables and Elliot Ness I was intrigued by the backstory on a murder mystery that I had only briefly heard about。 This novel was a truly fascinating look at not only the man but also the case that ultimately everyone thought ended his career。 Stashower proves himself to be an excellent story teller making an incredibly true take read almost like fiction with the reader thinking ther Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an advanced copy of this novel。 As a fan of The Untouchables and Elliot Ness I was intrigued by the backstory on a murder mystery that I had only briefly heard about。 This novel was a truly fascinating look at not only the man but also the case that ultimately everyone thought ended his career。 Stashower proves himself to be an excellent story teller making an incredibly true take read almost like fiction with the reader thinking there is no way some of this stuff truly happened。 A compelling read。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Natalie
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American DemonBy Daniel StashowerThis is the story of Elliot Ness， from his legendary career in Chicago， where he participated in bringing down Al Capone and his gang， through his time as Director of Safety for the City of Cleveland and his ultimate inability to solve the murders and dismemberments of the Kingsbury Run killings。 It is the story of a man of strong moral character who made his share of mistakes， but held himself to high standards。I am old enough to remember the "Hollywood" version American DemonBy Daniel StashowerThis is the story of Elliot Ness， from his legendary career in Chicago， where he participated in bringing down Al Capone and his gang， through his time as Director of Safety for the City of Cleveland and his ultimate inability to solve the murders and dismemberments of the Kingsbury Run killings。 It is the story of a man of strong moral character who made his share of mistakes， but held himself to high standards。I am old enough to remember the "Hollywood" version of Ness and the TV series starring Robert Stack which presented a glorified version of the man。 Thus I found this more true to life version of his story fascinating as the "real" Elliot Ness with all his flaws is presented in a truer yet empathetic manner。 For anyone having an interest in this moment in history， Mr。 Stashower has given us an excellent read。 。。。more
Amber
，
While this book is definitely Nonfiction and true-crime this book definitely did not read like your average true-crime novel。 This read like a thriller with me on the edge of my seat several times and for that， I have to say that this is my favorite Nonfiction read of the year！ Elliot Ness was the leader of a group called "The Untouchables" and they won the fight against Al Capone， leading him to his prison sentence。 Then， after that adventure， he took the job in Cleveland as the Safety Director While this book is definitely Nonfiction and true-crime this book definitely did not read like your average true-crime novel。 This read like a thriller with me on the edge of my seat several times and for that， I have to say that this is my favorite Nonfiction read of the year！ Elliot Ness was the leader of a group called "The Untouchables" and they won the fight against Al Capone， leading him to his prison sentence。 Then， after that adventure， he took the job in Cleveland as the Safety Director for the city。 Boy， oh boy did he make a splash there。 He tried to clear out the corruption and find the serial killer that was dismembering his victims。 I really appreciate how Stashower wrote about Ness， he showed the man as a man with weaknesses and that he was not perfect。 I appreciated that it showed that one person can make a difference。 Terrific historical true crime， although the book touched on his Chicago career it did not go as in-depth about his career and the chase as it did on the Cleveland side。 I really enjoyed this audiobook provided by Netgalley and Macmillan Audio， the narrarator was perfect for the book and still kept me on the edge of my seat！ If you are a true crime lover then this is definitely the book for you and the audiobook was AMAZING！ This should be your next read！ 。。。more
Angela
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“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。”Can a book leave you both completely satiated AND wholly unsatisfied？I’m not， generally speaking， much of a true crime enthusiast。 I love history， and I love a good whodunit， but I tend to get anxious when confronted to things that happened once， could happen again， and could happen to me。That said， I liked this deep dive into this near mythical “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。”Can a book leave you both completely satiated AND wholly unsatisfied？I’m not， generally speaking， much of a true crime enthusiast。 I love history， and I love a good whodunit， but I tend to get anxious when confronted to things that happened once， could happen again， and could happen to me。That said， I liked this deep dive into this near mythical figure。The good。 The bad。 The dirty-lying-alcoholic cheat。7。5/10Much thanks to NetGalley， St。 Martin’s Press， and Macmillan Audio for this engrossing ARC。 。。。more
Dave Taylor
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Lawman and Prohibition hero Eliot Ness， with his "Untouchables"， has been lionized for his early Chicago police work， most notably his role in bringing down the notorious Al Capone。 But what did he do after leaving Chicago？ Turns out that he moved to Cleveland， Ohio， and became the youngest Director of Public Safety in American history， continuing his work to create safer communities。 In the mid 1930's， Cleveland was beset by the so-called Torso Killer， a disturbingly Jack-The-Ripper-esque murde Lawman and Prohibition hero Eliot Ness， with his "Untouchables"， has been lionized for his early Chicago police work， most notably his role in bringing down the notorious Al Capone。 But what did he do after leaving Chicago？ Turns out that he moved to Cleveland， Ohio， and became the youngest Director of Public Safety in American history， continuing his work to create safer communities。 In the mid 1930's， Cleveland was beset by the so-called Torso Killer， a disturbingly Jack-The-Ripper-esque murderer who left body parts， but no clues。 Who was the murderer who killed at least a dozen Ohioans and did Ness manage to identify and prosecute them， even as his personal life began to fall apart？Stashower delivers a terrific and gripping book with "American Demon"， a title that while overtly is about the Torso Killer， also seems to be a subtle nod to how the modern press has excoriated Ness more than praised his tireless work in law enforcement。 And make no mistake， this book is at least as much about Eliot Ness， with whom the author's family has a slight， passing association， as it is about the Cleveland area murderer。 Quite interesting overall。 Recommended。 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper by Daniel Stashower is a highly recommended account of the life of Eliot Ness。In Cleveland during the Great Depression over a period of four years， starting on September 5th， 1934， the dismembered remains of twelve bodies were discovered。 The killer became known as the Cleveland’s Torso Killer， or the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 This case was handled by Eliot Ness， the new director of public safety。 Ness came to Cleveland af American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper by Daniel Stashower is a highly recommended account of the life of Eliot Ness。In Cleveland during the Great Depression over a period of four years， starting on September 5th， 1934， the dismembered remains of twelve bodies were discovered。 The killer became known as the Cleveland’s Torso Killer， or the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run。 This case was handled by Eliot Ness， the new director of public safety。 Ness came to Cleveland after he and the Untouchables ended Al Capone’s bootlegging empire。 For better or worse， this case redefined Ness's career and tried to clean up the corruption in the police force。As it cover his time in Cleveland and his involvement in the investigation into the case， American Demon acts as a biography of Ness's life 。 Although he didn't catch the killer， he did achieve cleaning up corruption in Cleveland。 Stashower portrays Ness realistically showing his strength and flaws。 He also credits those who helped solved the case， which was beyond the skills Ness had。This is an interesting， well written account about Eliot Ness， covering his life in Cleveland。 As a historical true crime novel， it covers the investigation into the serial killer as well as many other occurrences during this time。 Part of the interest is in how an investigation was covered in the past and the bizarre details of the case。 Notes， a Bibliography， and Index are included。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Minotaur Books via NetGalley。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2022/0。。。 。。。more
Shannon Lasater
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American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt forAmerica's Jack the Ripperby Daniel StashowerStashower does an amazing job on this well-researched， well-written true crime book。 Post-Chicago Eliot Ness， newly relocated to Cleveland， is faced with a number of brutal acts by a serial killer that viciously mutilated and chopped up his victims。This American Jack the Ripper story not only paints a fabulous portrait of the lesser known Cleveland career of Ness - it also shows a 1930s city ravaged by poverty American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt forAmerica's Jack the Ripperby Daniel StashowerStashower does an amazing job on this well-researched， well-written true crime book。 Post-Chicago Eliot Ness， newly relocated to Cleveland， is faced with a number of brutal acts by a serial killer that viciously mutilated and chopped up his victims。This American Jack the Ripper story not only paints a fabulous portrait of the lesser known Cleveland career of Ness - it also shows a 1930s city ravaged by poverty and a political system suffering from corruption。 A great number of lesser characters also help round out this must read for any fan of the genre。I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for lettingme read this book！ 。。。more
Jen
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American Demons: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper by Daniel Stashower brings the reader into 1930s Cleveland and the hunt for the torso killer。 This book does a great job of tying together Eliot Ness and his history and the torso killer that was haunting Cleveland during Ness’ time as the Safety Director there。 I had heard of Ness before， but didn’t know much about him， this book does a great job of giving a biography of him and going into detail of his life after the Capone American Demons: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper by Daniel Stashower brings the reader into 1930s Cleveland and the hunt for the torso killer。 This book does a great job of tying together Eliot Ness and his history and the torso killer that was haunting Cleveland during Ness’ time as the Safety Director there。 I had heard of Ness before， but didn’t know much about him， this book does a great job of giving a biography of him and going into detail of his life after the Capone bust。 This book also does a great job of describing the Butcher of Kingsbury Run and the victims。 Having grown up in Ohio， I am amazed that I had never heard about this serial killer before， but I enjoyed getting to learn more about this time in Cleveland’s history and see just how destructive this killer was。 Overall I enjoyed this true crime book and am glad I took the chance to read it。 Some of the parts were a little gory for me， but that’s to be expected when the killer highlighted in sections of this book is literally butchering his victims。 I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to true crime fans who may also want to learn more about Eliot Ness’ life， post Capone。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC audiobook！ 。。。more
Katie
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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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