This book examines the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run in Cleveland in the 1930s Fresh out of Chicago and after being rejected by Hoover's FBI, Eliot Ness heads to Ohio and spends time tracking the killer. The book is a partial biography and offers an extensive background on Ness' personal history. The book discusses Ness locating a probable killer, but it is never proven. The individual was from a powerful family and the case was never brought to court; he committed himself to an institution instead. This was a fascinating read that kept me interested throughout and did not lag. As a fan of true crime, I enjoyed this book and learning about this killer and the methods behind those who tracked the individual.

This book was a bit disappointing in that it is more a biography of Eliot Ness than the indication on the cover of the major content of the book. The first part of the book is focused mostly on Ness and Al Capone in Chicago, the middle his years in Cleveland and the hunt for the torso killer and the last part on his years after. That aside, the author’s writing style didn’t resonate with making the reading a bit of a struggle. The information was good, but not written in an engaging style.

I received a free ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

I first learned of the Butcher of Kingsbury Run, (AKA The Cleveland Torso Murder) twenty years ago while researching a book. To say this killer was twisted, brutal, and sociopathic didn’t quite cover it. It was 1935, Cleveland, and the country was still dealing with The Great Depression and the remnants of Prohibition. Eliot Ness and his Untouchables had helped bring down Scarface Al Capone and Ness had moved from Chicago to Cleveland where he became the Director of Public Safety, meaning he oversaw the police department and other city entities. During a three-year period, twelve corpses turned up. Beheaded, mutilated, dismembered, and scattered, many parts were never found, many victims never identified. The city was on edge, and everyone looked to Ness to bring the killer to justice. The pressure was massive, as the clues and viable suspects were sparse. This is as much a story of Ness as it is of the serial killer but make no mistake this is the definitive story of this bizarre series of events. The vivid characters and the twists and turns of this case will keep the reader enthralled.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

“American Demon” by Daniel Stashower is a well-researched, well-written work of non-fiction examining Eliot Ness, his work as leader of “The Untouchables” and their fight against Al Capone, his subsequent appointment as Safety Director for the city of Cleveland, his efforts to rid the city and its police force of widespread corruption, and the hunt for a terrifying serial killer who dismembered and dumped his victims.

For me, this was a rare venture into “True Crime.” Aside from having seen the Robert Stack TV program and the Kevin Costner film, I wasn’t all that familiar with Ness. I enjoyed reading about a three-dimensional figure with weaknesses and strengths. And I thought Mr. Stashower did a great job describing what Cleveland was like in the 1930s–including its economy-boosting exposition that FDR illuminated by pressing a button on his desk in the Oval Office. Mr. Stashower does an equally fine job explaining the various investigations of the serial killings.

A word of caution. The murders were quite gruesome. Mr. Stashower doesn’t try to capitalize on that with overly grisly or sensationalistic descriptions. But he does “tell it like it was.”

“American Demon” should appeal to lovers of true crime, those interested in the life of Eliot Ness, and the history of crime and corruption during the Great Depression. I found the book somewhat reminiscent of, and comparable to, some of the works of Erik Larsen (e.g., “Devil in the White City); and those appreciating Mr. Larsen’s books may well enjoy this.

Freelance journalist and author Daniel Stashower brings us the tale of a brutal serial killer operating in Cleveland and right under Eliot Ness’s nose. Fresh out of Chicago and at loose ends after being rejected for the FBI by a jealous J. Edgar Hoover, Ness spends most of his life while in Ohio searching for the elusive killer. It’s the 1930’s, and there are many homeless for the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run to choose from.

Stashower discusses Eliot Ness’s background thoroughly so we may understand his methods and circumstances better. The real Ness is not the 2 -dimensional figure portrayed on TV and in the movies; here we have a living, breathing man who drank and womanized and left his first wife sitting at home with her 6 cats. Ness DID spend a great deal of his personal time out looking for the killer; we are left with the hanging question of whether he was obsessed, or just desperate to end the terror gripping the city.

A probable killer is found and discussed. Is he the one or isn’t he? I think the evidence, some circumstantial, lends itself well to determining that this is indeed the killer. And why was he never brought to a court to end the public nightmare? Well, he was part of a powerful family… the evidence wasn’t direct and possibly might end in a jury verdict of innocence… and he committed himself to an institution. Great way to avoid capital punishment, and it was done more than once in “the good old days.”

Overall this was a compelling read that I couldn’t put down. I definitely recommend it.

A big thank you to Daniel Stashower, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this as a pre-publication eGalley. I have not received anything for this review and my opinions are my own. This review will appear on Facebook, NetGalley, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookbub, and Twitter.

A very well written book that provides a lot of details to fill out the story we don't know about Elliott Ness. The book follows the life of Ness not only in Cleveland but in Chicago and before Ness becomes famous. You get to understand him better and the people around him. The story of the Mad butcher of Cleveland. I enjoyed how the author weaves in the back story of Ness with the story of Mad Butcher, the city of Cleveland in the 1930s and the state of the US before WW2 and after. Great book.

After The Untouchables, Eliot Ness still had decades in which to continue to rise or fall. In moving from Chicago post-Prohibition, he found both success and failure and that hard work does not carry with it a guarantee of dream fulfillment. Stashower looks at Ness’s Cleveland role through the narrow focus on a crime spree of a repulsive serial killer whose dismembered victims enthralled the news reading public at a time when forensic knowledge was primitive and unable to discern culpability to any degree. Police interrogation was likewise primitive and, compared to today, lawless and tethered to gut instinct more than science. Yet, Ness was not hired to do police work, but instead to destroy the epidemic of police corruption, a task that, along with general public safety, was his job focus. Along the way, he burned through two marriages and into a third, drinking constantly off the job, partying hard to cope with the stress of the job and a hostile press. It is a fascinating look at a man we know through the fog of a puff piece that gave fame to a man who died relatively young. He did his job well and while no man was ever arrested or proven to have committed the murders, it is Stashower’s premise that he did in fact identify the malefactor and rendered him unable to commit further atrocities. All told, it is a fascinating examination of the life of a man whose success peaked early, whose dreams remained out of reach, but whose work ethic altered Cleveland’s relationship to policing in the 20th century. A much needed look at a prominent figure in American history. Recommend.

American Demon is a non-fiction account of a serial killer, the Mad Butcher, in Cleveland during the Great Depression.
I must note that the cover is quite reminiscent of the Devil in the White City - which probably drew me in as much as the description. It is not at all related story or author wise. I would like to see a more authentic cover - but this doesn't impact the fascinating story.
Eliot Ness - post Al Capone - has moved here and is in charge of the police and fire departments as Director of Public Safety. The author, Stashower, covers much ground in flushing out Ness's character. Going back to his days hunting and capturing Al Capone, we better understand the man that is hunting the Mad Butcher. Some interesting personal details of the man are included, such as his social awkwardness
The Mad Butcher decapitates his victims and drains their blood. The crimes are quite disturbing and they pile up - striking fear into the heart of the citizens of Cleveland.
It is a fascinating story and Stashower does it credit.

Stashower took an interesting historical and buried it in so much verbiage that it was no longer interesting. Too much extraneous material.

Having recently read a historical romance that was set against the backdrop of Cleveland’s Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, I was excited to read the factual account of these gruesome murders as depicted in Daniel Stashower’s true crime novel, “American Demon.” Unfortunately, the focus of this novel was aimed more at the life and career of the infamous Eliot Ness than it was on the Mad Butcher. While I found aspects of Eliot Ness’ story interesting, the misdirection left me wanting more. That said, if you are interested in taking a deep dive into the backstory of Eliot Ness, then this is definitely the book for you. If, like me, however, you were hoping for a more detailed, in depth accounting of Cleveland’s most notorious serial killer, you’ll likely find this book to be generally lacking.

I was aware of this Cleveland, Ohio case of the Mad Butcher. I didn’t realize that Elliott Ness was responsible for the police and fire departments at that time as the new public safety director. I learned a lot more about Ness and his career, (he was married 3 times and was socially awkward). My memory was refreshed on the sadistic murders. A very good true crime read about the 1930s era. Well written, I may have to check out the author’s other non-fiction work. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is not quite “The Devil in White City” (the cover reminded me of that book), and it is more about the latter part of the leader of “the Untouchables” Eliot Ness’s career after he moved from Chicago to Cleveland. Ness was the policeman who took down Al Capone (who was responsible for the St.Valentine’s Day Massacre — a fact remembered in my Chicago family since Great-Grandma was born on that very same day mere blocks from the alley where it happened). He’s been played on TV and film by 1950s heart throb Robert Stack and more current leading man Kevin Costner, so most people have a perception of who Eliot Ness might be. Obviously, he was a real person and had real life foibles and challenges. Ness was only thirty when Prohibition ended and he moved from Chicago to be the youngest public safety director of Cleveland. He arrived at a time when Ohio was experiencing the grisly “Torso Murders” where victims were beheaded, presumably some while still alive.

The book seems more biography of the post-Chicago Ness (including his marriages to 3 women whose names started with “E”: Edna, Evaline, and Elisabeth). But it’s interwoven with the crimes of the Mad Butcher and Ness’s attempt to uncover this American Ripper’s identity. Like other Jack the Ripper stories, these murders are famously “unsolved” today, but read on to find out who Ness believed was responsible. 4 stars. A terrific historical true crime thriller about a little known serial killer and the famous man who tried to bring him down.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lengthy read. Lots of information and storyline. It was mainly a bio to Eliot Ness but dove into the crimes that we occurring during his time. I did not know a lot about this era so I found this book insightful. Good read!

In many ways this is a biography of Eliot Ness. It begins by following Ness as his life leads him to become a Prohibition Agent. This is when Eliot developed his personal armed group of agents (that became known as the Untouchables). He became famous for finding illegal breweries and destroying their stills using an armored truck to knock down their doors. His main target, Al Capone, was never caught by Ness and was put in jail on failure to pay income tax.

After Prohibition was repealed, Ness was out of a job, but ended up being hired by the City of Cleveland to be their Safety Officer (head of both the Police and Fire Departments). There he spent his time weeding out corruption in the Police Department, and closing down illegal gambling establishments. Here he had his own group of crime fighters called the Unknowns.

But during the period of 1935 to 1938 there were twelve murders by what became known as the Torso Killer. He would leave bodies with their naked bodies with the heads cut off and the arms and legs (and sometime the genitals) removed, making it difficult to identify the victims. He was never prosecuted, but the primary suspect was a disgraced alcoholic doctor whose cousin was the local Congressman. Ness and his Unknowns kept an eye on him for many years as he began to deteriorate mentally and eventually he was institutionalize. He was never indicted.

After Cleveland, Ness got involved in one failing business after another and was near to destitute when he died. A book about his work as a Prohibition Agent (ghost written) was mostly exaggerations but it was good enough to be made into a movie and then a TV show.

I must confess that I don’t read a lot of non fiction and if I do I definitely don’t dabble a lot into true crime. This is my second foray into the genre this year so I don’t have a lot of experience to draw from when I started this book.

So firstly I must acknowledge that this is a very long and wordy book. The author has definitely done his research and had a lot of information that he needed to disperse into the world. That being said: sometimes I got lost in the details. For someone who has all the information and is just trying to get it all out it probably makes perfect sense to include so much backstory for Eliot Ness. At the time I was very confused because I expected more details about a serial killer and I didn’t understand why there was so many details given about Al Capone and Ness’s history previous to being assigned to catching a serial killer.

It takes about 45% of the story to unfold before the two disjointed parts eventually come together. Previous to that it tells small bits and pieces of the murders and also covers a lot of Eliot Ness’s backstory. The convergence for me is when the story started to become more engaging for me.

I got the impression that the author wanted to write a full on biography about Eliot Ness, but got sidetracked along the way. Truly, there is a lot of details about everybody and everything in this book. Everything was incredibly well researched and meticulously thought out. As I stated before though: sometimes I thought it was too much. I’m sure avid fans of the genre and people who love the time period will devour this book however because it is rich in information.

Eliot Ness is most famous for his work as part of the Untouchables. however, he also was involved in a serial killer case in Cleveland as well. This book tells that story.

I found that for a book focusing on not the Al Capone era, this talked a lot about that. It took me away from the narrative I was interested in.

Like always a big thank you to the publisher St. Martin's, the author Daniel Stashower and to NetGalley for letting me read and review American Demon. For those who don't knew I love nonfiction especially true crime , and when I saw that that St.Martin's had this on NetGalley to request I was couldn't say no , the title as well as the cover got me, and I was so glad they said yes. Because of 2 things , one I no idea who Eliot Ness was and the other was I knew non thing about the case . So after I requested it I went to look up Eliot Ness and found out that he was the leader of the police group known as the Untouchables ( those I did know some what about as well as the famous mob leader AL Capone - thanks to growing up watch old mob movies with my dad) but as for Eliot Ness - no thing at all , because it was like you never heard of him been talked about like you do Al Capone . So I was going in to this one blind and I'm glad that I did. The author brings to life what life was like in that time as well as the life and times of Eliot Ness, how the Untouchables came to be and who they were, Al Capon and how he mob worked , and of cause the murders of the American Jack the Ripper , the author tells the story in such a away that its like its more of a movie then a book , and you don't get lost in the information she tells.

It is not often I get to use this adjective for a true crime book but here we go. This book is a hell of a lot of fun.

Centering on the life of Eliot Ness (post-Chicago heroics), American Demon is a true crime book and biography. I knew nothing of Eliot Ness beyond what I saw on The Untouchables, but Stashower gave me a lot of mull over. Ness is often held up as a hero or a fraud and Stashower shows both sides of his character as he unravels the mystery of Cleveland's Torso Murderer while Eliot Ness was the city's director of public safety.

The book is fun because it is about Eliot Ness and the chase for the murderer. There is a fair amount of politics but not so much that the story lags. If someone is looking for a deep dive into the murders and deep forensic insight, they will not find that here. Stashower is telling a different story and the murders are a vital aspect of it, but not the main point. It also helps that Stahower's prose is so easy to read that you never feel like any part of the book is a bore. I highly recommend it.

(This book was provided by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 9/1/2022.)

I did not find this a boring read, nor did I find it dry. I found it interesting and kept reading when I knew I should put it down and do something else.

“American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper” is a non-fiction book by Daniel Stashower. When I first requested this book, there wasn’t much to base the story on other than Eliot Ness and this case I’d never tripped over before. I thought that it might’ve occurred in Chicago, as my knowledge of Eliot Ness is rather lacking.

Mr. Stashower gives a rather lengthy introduction Mr. Ness’s claim to fame - getting Chicago mobster Al Capone into federal prison. This takes about 20% of the book. Yes, there are some chapters in that section discussing what was happening regarding the murders, but for the longest time I couldn’t grasp how the two events were going to tie together. Around the 40% mark, Eliot Ness finally is in Cleveland and going to work on the murder cases (and it’s explained how/why Ness moved to Cleveland). Ten percent of the book discusses Eliot Ness after leaving the case and the last ten percent (or so) is references/source material.

This book was too long for my liking and I found myself skimming different sections of the book. I did, however, like the discussion of some of the “new” police tool available at the time - such as a man who created a fingerprint database and learning more about polygraph tests. I also liked how, though a titch descriptive, Mr. Stashower gave enough information about the murders but did so tastefully. As a note, the person who committed the murders was never actually known - though Mr. Ness had his suspicions, along with other members of the police force. I found this topic to be an interesting one, as I'm a fan of true crime stories, but this one just didn’t work for me.