Sunday Synopsis

 

The Moonlight Mill Murders of Steubenville, Ohio by Susan M. Guy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a very disappointing book. While it is a true crime story, which I usually enjoy, it is written more like a news article than a novel. The book tells the story of several murders that took place at a steel yard in Ohio in the 1930's. The impulsive "Phantom" shot his first random victim five times under the cover of night. Mill workers were frightened wondering who was going to be next. There were several victims before law enforcement finally caught him. He went to trial and was found guilty.

The author researched her facts very well, but the writing is dry and journalistic. There is no character development. I feel like there could be some good suspense built up, but it wasn't there. Very little time was spent on motive and the trial. There was not much dialogue. The author simply didn't bring the characters to life. And at the end of the book, there are biographies of the law enforcement officers involved in the case. These pages would have had more meaning if they described the victims and their families as well as what led this man to commit these crimes.

It's a short read, but very dull.

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