Review: Blacktop Wasteland

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review of Murder Theory by Andrew Mayne

href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38314066-murder-theory

My Review of The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery

The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bill James' enthusiasm and passion for the subject is contagious. As horrific as these events are, he had me drawn into the story with his conversational style right from the beginning. While I find his writing style to be less than elegant, it is forthright, direct and informative. The discussion is generally well organized and well researched, providing facts, insight and context. It makes for a solid dissemination of information, all the while making a pretty thorough case for a single killer hopping trains and putting an exclamation point on the end of an era of rural America moving into the industrial 20th century.

The author makes some really provocative speculation on motive and personality of the killer, but solely as an amateur. I would like to find a behavioral psychologist for commentary on those aspects, but those observations are not used for documenting the crimes and building a case for the serial killings. Many of the arguments for a single killer are sensible and show amazing insight for an amateur sleuth. The weapons used, the MO of the crimes, the behavioral quirks as seen in the crime scenes all provide a solid basis for the author's premise and conclusion.

In addition to chronicling a brutal series of murders, the author provides an informative and interesting historical perspective of a time of transformation in the U.S. The author notes all the killings were at homes that used wood for heat, making a nearby ax easily accessible in just about every case. As many homes were moving to coal, these murders read like a historical ending to an era. Killing off the past using the modern train system makes for an interesting metaphor for the changing era.

I found the whole idea of the man on a train hopping on and off and leaving virtually no trail disturbingly familiar. Anyone who is skeptical about the authors claims of geographical evidence for these events should have a look at the FBI's Serial Killing tracker.

https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/new...
http://www.vocativ.com/316402/how-the...

The Man on the Train may have been the first practitioner of what appears to have become a modern trend.

At the turn of the century, reporting, policing and investigative techniques were only beginning to change with the latest technologies and these are noted and discussed in the timeline of murders very effectively. The lack of forensic investigations and state investigative organization is a serious advantage for the killer and is identified as a major contributor for the failure of law enforcement in this regard. The attitudes of the time, ignorance and lack of communication promoted the ineffectiveness of the authorities and the author's description of failed attempts to solve and prosecute the crimes are sad, to say the least.

Technically one criticism I have is I wish Mr. James would not have stated that some aspect was not relevant at the time and he would come back to it. If the point was not important enough to discuss at the time, then leave it out and it can still be referred back to later when it is more relevant.

Overall, I found the book informative and entertaining and my interest is piqued to make me want to find out more about the Man on the Train from other perspectives on these murders.





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