Skull in the Ashes

Larger Than Life Story and Personalities

Skull in the Ashes is a great read...from an intriguing murder, to a cross-country manhunt, to a legal thriller, the author provides a riveting account of a case that made headlines across the country. The research is outstanding: period newspapers, trial transcripts, genealogy, and - most interesting - archival records from life insurance companies and detective agencies engaged in the manhunt. The personalities he features are larger than life - self-made men...ambitious prosecutors and defense attorneys...determined private detectives...and more. If the book were just about the case, it would be interesting enough, but the author ups the ante by providing interesting social commentary as well, especially as regards the prison system in the late 19th century, without straying too much from the main storyline. The only drawbacks are that the manhunt narrative did get tedious after awhile, the organization of the bibliography is peculiar, and - most important - he never really delivered on the promise to explain how the case represented the "Birth of Circumstantial Evidence in America." Otherwise, this is a great book that will appeal to people interested in Iowa history, 19th century detective and forensic work, prison life, and much more. Well Done. Many thanks are due to NetGalley and University of Iowa Press for the review copy.

*I did receive a e-copy for review of this novel, but it does not change my outlook on the book.*

First off I do have to say that if you are unfamiliar with the layout and towns of Iowa, this book might be harder for you to understand. As a lot of information pertaining to certain distances between towns and descriptive scenes of life within towns are prevalent throughout this book. There is also a lot of extra history that is shared about places, events, and history of certain people. It reminded me of the way “The Grapes of Wrath” is set up.

Now, because I was born and raised in Iowa I was fully knowledgeable of everything that the author was describing. This is the advantage that I had for this book being read smoothly without any confusion. I really enjoyed reading all the mystery surrounding the events of the night of the fire. I found myself constantly second guessing myself about what “really” happened and whose body was actually found. Even more intriguing was trying to answer “Why”.

The author was able to paint the story in a way that is probably as accurate as you can get, without being there in person. If you are a True-Crime freak {like I am} you are sure to fall in love with the history of this case. Keep in mind though that it could be a difficult read in some instances if you don’t know much about Iowa.

Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down! The author maintained a smooth balance between background on the crime, the investigation, the trial and the aftermath of the various players involved. Often once a true crime story reaches the trial phase I lose interest, but in this case the information was presented without getting bogged down in dry legal jargon. A well balanced look at a case crucial to legal history.

A fascinating read for fans of history, mystery, and true crime.

Great detective story , shows the beginning of forensic science importance to solving crimes, all the while providing a darn good read.