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Villisca: The True Account of the Unsolved 1912 Mass Murder That Stunned the Nation | 
 enlarge | Author: Roy Marshall
Publisher: Aventine Press
Category: Book
List Price: $20.95
Buy New: $17.54
You Save: $3.41 (16%)
New (14) Used (5) from $17.54
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 315018
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 404
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 1593300093
Dewey Decimal Number: 364
EAN: 9781593300098
ASIN: 1593300093
Publication Date: March 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: New American book. Printed on demand and shipped within the US in 4-7 days (expedited) or about 10-14 days (standard). Standard can occasionally be slower so we advise using expedited if quicker delivery is important!
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Product Description
In 1912 what was arguably the most violent crime, the darkest mystery, in Midwest history took place. Law enforcement officers encountered a scene of unimagined violence: eight victims, six of them children, bludgeoned to death with an ax while they slept. Everywhere there were clues. But inexperienced investigators failed, and private detectives took over. When Detective James Newton Wilkerson charged that a respected state senator had been motivated to the unthinkable by the promiscuity of his daughter-in-law, the community was drawn into a bitter and accelerating struggle between powerful men. And then a deranged and perverted minister confessed. . . .
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| Customer Reviews:
Unsolved and interesting January 22, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
There are so many players in this true crime story that the reader could get so confused. The author in the beginning gives you a list of the people involved and a brief summary of them so that if you get confused you can go back to the summary. Well written book (alot of typos though) that puts you right into the era of the early 1900's. The author provides details and also uses research documents in telling the story. It gave me a sense of this is what really happened. Interesting characters and definitely well researched. You get involved with so many of the people especially the detective who was so driven by ego he harassed both an innocent man and the who judicial system. Definitely worth reading if you are into a good true crime story without all the sensational cheap thrills and gory details of crime books that fill the bookshelves today.
Solid account and decent read January 30, 2004
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I just finished this account of the unsolved mass murders in 1912 in Villisca Iowa after finding out a bit of the historic event in early Iowa on the Web. I found the account pretty well written and engaging though the narrative, at times, took a back seat to lengthy historical documentation. The entire book as a whole might have been improved by some reductions in places but the content was fine as is. I have to admit I was surprised NOT to find the "author's take" at the very end (or somewhere) on who he thought was behind it all, what person(s) committed the actual murders, was there a conspiracy, etc. After plowing through all that text, to not be provided this account might seem to make the book and author more credible, but I distinctly missed such an offering.
 The true story of a terrible crime December 13, 2003
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Ably researched and deftly written by Roy Marshall, Villisca is the true story of a terrible crime that took place in 1912 America. Eight victims, six of them children, were bludgeoned to death with an axe as they slept. Private investigators dissected the case after inexperienced police detectives failed, and scandals concerning public figures were drawn into the white-hot light of public scrutiny. A thoroughly researched and evenhandedly presented narrative, Villisca is a welcome and recommended addition to personal, and community library True Crime shelves, as well as academic Criminology Studies reference collections.
 Where are the sources? October 24, 2003
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
A 'little known' true-crime murder mystery worth dipping into. The author has moments of creative narrative. But not enough to sustain the reader through pages and pages of reprinted document text. One would expect that a book of this kind, one that purports to be a "true account", would have sources listed at the end, or footnotes, or end notes, or any kind of notes to verify that the author didn't just make this stuff up. It is customary in nonfiction to cite sources.
Villisca July 25, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Mr. Marshall has taken cold historical facts and written a book that weaves you into the mindsets and personalities of the investigators and the accused of this unsolved murder. The result is a book that contains enough content to satisfy the analytical historical mind as well as a story line that would delight those readers merely seeking a good mystery.
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