The Cleveland Torso Murders big on history, small on research
By Zachary Fenell |
| via Amazon.com |
On the book’s cover, “Hoffmann Books” receives the author credit. Malaya and Toni Hoffman founded the small German publishing company which focuses on publishing Kindle books. They released The Cleveland Torso Murders last summer. Amazon
The Bad
While on the shorter side The Cleveland Torso Murders manages to pack in a lot details. Honestly though Hoffmann Books could’ve fleshed out the book by performing more in-depth research. As an example, combing over Cleveland newspaper archives from the 1930s would have provided an enhancement. Such action could fill the pages with direct quotes from law enforcement leading to a better end product.
The Cleveland Torso Murders contains many details. This makes the literary work a fair introduction to the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. Perhaps you caught the Criminal Minds episode (titled “Zoe’s Reprise”
The Intriguing
Reading The Cleveland Torso Murders offers a peek into how our society today compares to the 1930s. It's ironic that a book about a brutal serial killer could supply a refreshing perspective on our society. Particularly interesting is the growing open-mindedness toward homosexuality. Apparently back in the 1930s Cleveland law prohibited homosexuality, unimaginable these days, at least in the U.S.
Yet other troublesome societal trends existed nearly 80 years later. The ways strong political ties can hinder an investigation and more importantly justice serves as one example. Investigating prime suspect Dr. Frank Sweeney represented a challenge due to his cousin, powerful congressman Martin Sweeney.
My Verdict
Anyone interested in learning the basics about Cleveland’s Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run or simply interested in how society changed over the past eight decades should find The Cleveland Torso Murders by Hoffmann Books worthwhile.
Star Rating (Out of Five): ***
Zachary Fenell writes about all things Cleveland for Brilliant or Insane (a blog with strong ties to the Rock and Roll City). Learn more about Zachary on our Team page. Follow him on Twitter here.
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