While the thirteen cases in this book only get one chapter each, it’s obvious in most cases that there really isn’t much more information than the author carefully summarizes for us, especially with the older cases. From 1857 to 1957, thirteen murder cases are presented, absolutely none of which I’d ever heard of before. In at least a couple of cases, there is an obvious suspect and motive, but in none of them were the prosecutors able to obtain a conviction. In several, the police were never even able to identify a viable suspect.
One of the things I found fascinating when reading this book was the progression of forensic science through the 100 years of murders. In one of the cases, a conviction couldn’t be brought because the victim could not be identified, something which seems ridiculous today with DNA identification readily available, but which was normal only a few decades ago. Handwriting analysis, blood typing, body decay and forensic bullet analysis are all used in investigating these crimes, in many cases pioneering the use of these technologies, but to no avail. In every case, the perpetrator literally got away with murder.
True crimes stories often focus on the psyche of the murderers, but the very nature of these particular crimes mean the focus is on the victims, and it makes for a refreshing change. I really enjoyed reading about these thirteen fascinating cases, all of which are likely to remain unsolved for all time. Five stars for an intriguingly different read and a spotlight beautifully shone at these thirteen cases of murder.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.