TRUE CRIME
The Midnight Assassin
by Skip Hollandsworth
I'm not much of a true crime reader. I enjoy mostly fiction that keeps me on the edge of my seat, and I never really thought TRUE crime could do that. Until I read The Midnight Assassin, which happens to be Hollandsworth's first book.
Jack the Ripper is the notorious serial killer known by most to have terrorized the city of London in the late 1800's. What some don't know is that, before Jack the Ripper, America had it's first serial killer in Austin, Texas.
In the 1800's, Austin was on the 'cusp of emerging from an isolated western outpost into a truly cosmopolitan metropolis'. In December 1884 the terror began in Austin when someone, thought later in London to possibly be the infamous Jack the Ripper who struck there in 1888, started attacking and killing women of every race and class. He attacked with the same viciousness that Jack the Ripper was responsible for in London. For almost a year in Austin, the killer terrorized and killed women by using axes, knives and long steel rods. People panicked and before it was over, at least a dozen men would be arrested in the connections with the murders, and the crimes would expose what a newspaper described as 'the most extensive and profound scandal ever know in Austin.' It's really no wonder Scotland Yard thought this was the early work, or training, of Jack the Ripper.
The historical details of what happened in Austin is incredible and if you love a good whodunit then you're gonna love this book.
Since I had never read anything by Skip Hollandsworth, until this book, I've gone back and started reading his work at Texas Monthly, where he has been writing articles and stories since 1985. He is a remarkable writer and he and other researchers are STILL trying to identify the killer from Austin.
Skip Hollandsworth is an award-winning journalist, screenwriter, and executive editor of Texas Monthly magazine. His work was included in the 2006 edition of Best American Crime Writing and he has won a National Magazine Award for feature writing. Hollandsworth co-wrote the acclaimed screenplay “Bernie” with director Richard Linklater. He lives in Texas with his wife.
“Fans of Erik Larson’s 2003 hit, The Devil in the White City will find similar pleasures here... this is true crime of high quality... Mr. Hollandsworth handles gruesome details with a smart, restrained touch... chilling.”
—THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Gripping and atmospheric... This true crime page-turner is a balanced and insightful examination of one of the most stirring serial killing sprees in American history, and certainly one of the least well-known.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
TPP rates this book -
*The Midnight Assassin Website has a complete timeline of the events in Austin from December 31, 1884 to August 6, 1985.
*Skip Hollandsworth at Texas Monthly
*Buy the book.
*Q&A with Skip Hollandsworth at Star-Telegram