Picture 1 of 1
Stock photo
Picture 1 of 1
Stock photo
Man from the Train : Discovering America's Most Elusive Serial Killer by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James (2018, Trade Paperback)
Bargain Book Stores (1135609)
99.2% positive feedback
Price:
$19.02
Free shipping
Returns:
30 days returns. Seller pays for return shipping.
Condition:
Condition Guide. Your Privacy. ISBN: 9781476796260. Your source for quality books at reduced prices. Item Availability.
- Buy It NowThe Man from the Train: Discovering America's Most Elusive Serial Killer (Paperb
Oops! Looks like we're having trouble connecting to our server.
Refresh your browser window to try again.
About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherScribner
ISBN-101476796262
ISBN-139781476796260
eBay Product ID (ePID)242954628
Product Key Features
Book TitleMan from the Train : Discovering America's Most Elusive Serial Killer
Number of Pages480 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicMurder / General, United States / 20th Century, Murder / Serial Killers, Criminology
Publication Year2018
GenreTrue Crime, Social Science, History
AuthorBill James, Rachel Mccarthy James
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height1.4 in
Item Weight13.5 Oz
Item Length8.4 in
Item Width5.5 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2018-418418
TitleLeadingThe
Reviews"Truly spectacular . . . The book shines when we get to see the Jameses' thinking. Like the recent Netflix documentary 'The Keepers,' it's fun to watch these amateur detectives solve a puzzle. And solve it they do -- after 400 pages, when Rachel discovers the killer's first crime way back in 1898. Did they get it right? I'm pretty sure they did. Either way, the final twist in the story--set 10 years after the Villisca murders on the other side of the Atlantic--gave me chills." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Bill James, with his daughter, Rachel, has done something truly extraordinary. Not only has he solved one of the most tantalizing mysteries in the annals of American crime--the sensational case of the 1912 "Villisca Axe Murders"--but he has tied it to a long string of equally savage, though completely obscure, atrocities. The result is his discovery of a previously unknown serial killer who roamed--and terrorized--the country a century ago. Brilliantly researched and written in James' snappily conversational style, The Man From the Train is a stunning feat of detection, an un-put-downable read, and a major contribution to American criminal history."-- Harold Schechter, author of The Serial Killer Files and Th e Mad Sculptor, " The Man from the Train is a beautifully written and extraordinarily researched narrative of a man who may have killed 95--or more--people, dating back more than a century, mostly in small-town Middle America . . . This is no pure whodunit, but rather a how-many-did-he-do." --Buffalo News, "Impressive . . . an open-eyed investigative inquiry wrapped within a cultural history of rural America." -- Wall Street Journal, "I began The Man on the Train a skeptic. Could the notorious Villisca Murders of 1912, an unsolved crime so well-chronicled over the past century, really be the work of a killer whose victims numbered well into the dozens? But by the end, Bill James & Rachel McCarthy James totally sold me on their reasoning, exhaustive research, and their sly, sober portrait of a justice system totally overmatched by the techniques and monstrosities of a man fitting the serial killer prototype we know almost too well. That they also fingered the culprit and name him is an even more shocking bonus. Don't even think about missing out on this beautifully brilliant, bananas book."-- Sarah Weinman, editor of Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 1950s, "[An] incredible book . . . one of the most readable works of non-fiction I've ever picked up . . . James has a conversational style of writing that draws the reader in, even when he departs from murders to offer short history lessons on 19th century detectives-for-hire (pretty bad), 19th century newspapers (not great) and mob justice (truly horrifying) . . . Even more remarkable than the exhaustive research and addictive narrative, the [authors] actually seem to solve the case and reveal the identity of The Man From the Train. Skeptics may balk, but I'm convinced." -- Raleigh News & Observer, "[A] suspenseful historical account . . . The strength of the book hangs on [the authors'] diligent research and analysis connecting crimes into the closing years of the 19th century. Even those skeptical at the outset that one man was responsibile for so much bloodshed are likely to be convinced." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Dewey Edition23
Dewey Decimal364.152/3209777
SynopsisAn Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this "impressive...open-eyed investigative inquiry wrapped within a cultural history of rural America" ( The Wall Street Journal ) shows legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applying his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history. Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Some of these cases--like the infamous Villisca, Iowa, murders--received national attention. But most incidents went almost unnoticed outside the communities in which they occurred. Few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station. When celebrated true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal and uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America. "A suspenseful historical account" ( Publishers Weekly , starred review), The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, when crime was regarded as a local problem, and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history. "A beautifully written and extraordinarily researched narrative...This is no pure whodunit, but rather a how-many-did-he-do" ( Buffalo News )., BY The Time the Devil Came to Villisca, IOWA, on June 9, 1912, he'd been randomly murdering selected families for a decade and a half. A hundred years later, legendary writer Bill James and his daughter, Rachel, began finding commonalities between the Villisca murders and a series of other killings from the same era that, because they'd occurred across the country-significantly, in close proximity to a major train line-had never been connected. James set out to create a full picture of what this monster had done, and drew up a plan for how he might be identified-never really expecting the plan would work. But it did. Using twenty-first-century research tools, James and his coauthor sorted through hundreds of similar cases, compiling a list of thirty-four habits that marked them as the work of The Man from the Train. Beginning with the Villisca murders, the authors chased the story back through the years, eventually finding its origins near the end of the nineteenth century. In all, the fiend murdered over one hundred people. Innocent people were executed for crimes that the real killer had committed; they were also murdered by lynch mobs for his crimes. The Man from the Train paints a vivid, unforgettable portrait of small-town justice systems overwhelmed by bloody murders that were often exploited by opportunists. The authors' groundbreaking research will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history. Book jacket., An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this "impressive...open-eyed investigative inquiry wrapped within a cultural history of rural America" ( The Wall Street Journal ) shows legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applying his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history. Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Jewelry and valuables were left in plain sight, bodies were piled together, faces covered with cloth. Some of these cases, like the infamous Villasca, Iowa, murders, received national attention. But few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station. When celebrated baseball statistician and true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal. In turn, they uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America. Riveting and immersive, with writing as sharp as the cold side of an axe, The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, when crime was regarded as a local problem, and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history.
LC Classification NumberHV6534.V55J36 2017
All listings for this product
Ratings and Reviews
Most relevant reviews
- Dec 25, 2023
Read it for the mystery and for the history.
If you don’t mind learning details of real life murders, this one’s for you. What appealed to me the most was the historical context of the time period from about 1900 to 1920. It makes the sad parts of the story more understandable and gives grace to people who would not respond to the horrific events in the same manner as we would expect today.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Feb 23, 2023
Interesting
Good quality accurate description interesting book.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
