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    The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer
    The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer
    The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer

    Written by Skip Hollandsworth

    Narrated by Clint Jordan

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A sweeping narrative history of a terrifying serial killer--America's first--who stalked Austin, Texas in 1885

    In the late 1800s, the city of Austin, Texas was on the cusp of emerging from an isolated western outpost into a truly cosmopolitan metropolis. But beginning in December 1884, Austin was terrorized by someone equally as vicious and, in some ways, far more diabolical than London's infamous Jack the Ripper. For almost exactly one year, the Midnight Assassin crisscrossed the entire city, striking on moonlit nights, using axes, knives, and long steel rods to rip apart women from every race and class. At the time the concept of a serial killer was unthinkable, but the murders continued, the killer became more brazen, and the citizens' panic reached a fever pitch.

    Before it was all over, at least a dozen men would be arrested in connection with the murders, and the crimes would expose what a newspaper described as "the most extensive and profound scandal ever known in Austin." And yes, when Jack the Ripper began his attacks in 1888, London police investigators did wonder if the killer from Austin had crossed the ocean to terrorize their own city.

    With vivid historical detail and novelistic flair, Texas Monthly journalist Skip Hollandsworth brings this terrifying saga to life.

    The introduction and epilogue are read by the author.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateApr 5, 2016
    ISBN9781427261786
    The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer
    Author

    Skip Hollandsworth

    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.

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    Reviews for The Midnight Assassin

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Meticulously researched and filled with numerous historical details about Texas in general and Austin in particular, this book begins in the late-nineteenth century with the brutal murder of a young black woman. Soon there was a serial killer rampaging through the Austin area killing women from diverse backgrounds. The term "serial killer" was unknown prior to the terror these events instilled in Austin citizens. Terrible crimes were committed by an unknown individual resembling the horrific acts of the infamous Jack the Ripper with interesting comparisons. It is reassuring that advances in forensic science have enabled investigators in the 21st century to identify perpetrators of horrendous crime much more readily than in the 1890's.I did get a little bogged down in the extensive historical accounts of Austin from its origin since I have no connection with that city, but the pictures enhanced the reading experience. I am in awe of the research that went into this book.
    • 5/5
      Austin, Texas: home of the world's first serial killer and the world's first mass murderer. Not the most promising advertisement for the city, but the makings of a compelling story.I've always been a sucker for any kind of TV special on Jack the Ripper, so imagine my surprise as a former Austin resident to discover that the city had its own series of gruesome slayings years earlier, and that some theories even view these murders and the Whitechapel crimes as the work of the same individual. This is definitely not the kind of story people in Austin do a lot of talking about.However, Hollandsworth bares all the ugly truth of the late nineteenth-century capital in this book in a way that intelligently weaves history and personal viewpoints, acknowledging possible killers while refraining from overspeculation. Like Dostoyevsky, he manages to slip back and forth between omniscient narration and close approximation of his subjects' thoughts. It's just little things here and there, like the description of a suspicious character as "from Malaysia, a country in east Asia" that make you forget from time to time that you're not standing on Congress Avenue yourself, hearing the latest bloodcurdling gossip from the local crowd in their own period idiom.This narrative style keeps the suspense going even through the dry periods of the story where months pass between murders, but it also serves to add another important layer to the book. Often, Hollandsworth deliberately emphasises the discriminatory attitudes of Austin citizens towards blacks, women, and the mentally ill. These attitudes most likely figured in a great way into the miscarriage of justice when it came to investigating these killings. To act solely as a fact-reporting omniscient narrator would preclude the author from passing judgement on these perspectives, which deserve to be condemned; if the first murder (of a black servant) had been treated with the same significance and investigated with the same fervour as the murders of two upper-crust white women, four more innocent black women's lives might have been spared (and additional victims who survived might have escaped disfigurement and disability). Hollandsworth, however, balances out the bias of voicing his white characters' uncomfortable opinions by also giving depth to the thought processes of otherwise seemingly ancillary minority characters, such as the sexton at the coloured cemetery. This journalistic choice was smart and effective, creating a much more nuanced and compelling read.If Austin is a city you know well, the book is a double pleasure. Hollandsworth takes great pains to show you which aspects of Austin you would have recognised if you had seen it in 1885 compared to the way the city looks now. I'll never feel the same way downtown again.The bottom line is that if you enjoy crime and suspense, you'll find it hard to put this book down. If you are interested in Texas history, you'll find it even harder. And if you care about the still too relevant problem of racial injustice in the criminal justice system, you will shake your head with sadness that the lives detailed in this story could so easily be transplanted 130 years into the future, and wonder with a little bit of trepidation at whatever became of the unknown Midnight Assassin.
    • 5/5
      This is a real rip snorter from start to finish. After reading this I thought, no wonder so many Texans are packing, and we’re not talking about their luggage. I’m not sure being first out of the chute with the world’s first serial killer is a prize worth winning, but this no holds barred story is. In this deeply researched book, the author bares not only the known facts of the crimes, but also the personalities of the people populating Austin, Texas in the late 1880’s. At a time years before the lurid details of Jack the Ripper’s killings were slashed across the headlines of the world’s newspapers, it is hard to fathom why the details of the vicious crimes perpetrated by this Midnight Assassin have not been seared into the public eye. Indeed, history books written about this time in Texas are notable for the absence of any mention of these murders. The author is to be commended for his stellar research into a subject that has such import, yet has had so little examination of this series of murders of women that took place over a year’s time in the newly established capitol of the Lone Star State. The book was provided for review by Library Thing.
    • 5/5
      An excellent recreation of the period of history of Austin Texas when a series of attacks on women occurred and no was brought to justice for the attacks. Was this the first serial killer in American history or was it attacks by individuals on different women? Hollandsworth goes on search of the old records, newspaper articles, and other sources to find the person or persons that carried out the attacks.The book gives the reader a very good picture of what society was like near the end of the 19th century. The boosterism of the politicians who wanted to make their city the destination of people who were looking for a new place to live. The desire to have the modern conveniences in their western city that was found along the metropolitan areas of the east coast. Austin wanted to grow up and shed its reputation as a wild cowboy town. Then all of a sudden you have a series of attacks of defenseless women and before long the story was in the papers across the United States. So to try to make the bad publicity go away all sorts of private investigators were brought in and money was paid out to try to find the culprit or culprits that were besmirching the name of Austin.As quickly as the attacks started they ended. Did the attacker leave and become Jack the Ripper? Was it someone from the asylum that was just outside of town? It took quite a while for the city to calm down and for people to feel safe once again at night in the streets of Austin. Hollandsworth does a very good job of research to uncover the facts of the crimes. It is a very good "whodunit" that actually occurred. A very good read. I received this free in exchange for a honest review.
    • 5/5
      Historically Interesting and I would love to hear more about this subject. It's pretty obvious that this has nothing to do with the Jack the Ripper and I wish it was written a bit better to allow me to care about certain real-life characters. Overall there is no strong central narrative. Fascinating piece of history that be exploited and researched more.
    • 4/5
      Before I read this book I had not heard about the series of events that had happened in Austin in 1885. The author put a great amount of effort into providing background information concerning life in Austin during this time. Although this information was helpful in understanding the events , at times it seemed to be distracting from the events itself. The relationship between the Austin killings and the murders by Jack the Ripper was an interesting twist but it did seem to be a stretch to me.
    • 5/5
      I live in Austin, love true crime books and the writing of Skip Hollandsworth so this was an easy choice for me.As the subtitle notes, it describes the details of possibly America's first serial killer in Austin in 1885. It's amazing that so few of us have ever heard about these crimes and yet know so much about Jack the Ripper, who began his killing spree a few years later.The book gives an amazingly researched account of the murders, the investigation as well as life in Texas in the 1880s, which is worth the read alone (but only if you're not squeamish because the murders are quite brutal).The only minus in this book (which is given away in the intro) is that there is no answer to who did the killings (or why) so there is not a strong ending.I still easily give it 5 stars for telling this ignored story of our own Jack the Ripper and painting such a detailed portrait of the times.This review is based on an advance reader's edition from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
    • 4/5
      Skip Hollandsworth's THE MIDNIGHT ASSASSIN is an interesting historical recounting of a series of murders in Austin, Texas during the 1880s, but ultimately, the book is a disappointment. Hollandsworth gets credit for bringing the little-known (outside of Austin) murders to the attention of the general reading public, but fails to find resolution to the crimes or offer any tantalizing conjectures.The murders were unusual in that women working as servants were generally the victims, most of them African-American. This led the powers-that-be at the time to assume that the killer was African-American as well. But eyewitnesses (usually children) gave different accounts - in some, the attacker was white, in other instances, he was black. Neighbors and those who were attacked but survived saw a man leave the scene, but oddly, no one was really able to identify his race. He was most commonly described as short and stocky.After the city was sufficiently terrorized and women all over the area were barricading themselves in their homes and avoiding sleeping alone at night, there were suddenly two murders of the same type on a Christmas Eve. The difference was that the victims this time were married white women. Race aside, the city of Austin - trying at the time to become one of the best cities in Texas, to grow its populations, and bring government, universities, and businesses to its area - had a problem, one that would be eventually identified by Hollandsworth as "America's First Serial Killer."The murders moved to other, nearby parts of Texas before stopping abruptly. After a time, the Whitechapel district of London became famous for the "Jack the Ripper" murders which bore a slight - but very slight - resemblance to the Austin murders. Although readers will realize why Hollandsworth included the section on the Ripper, the tenuous connection made slight sense in the Victorian era, and seems even more unlikely at a distance of well over a hundred years.Hollandsworth is a very good writer of history. He set the tone - the growing Austin. He wrote about politics and politicians. He did extensive research and presented everything he found. The problem is that - with the exception of inciting interest in a series of old crimes - Hollandsworth has done nothing to advance a theory or to speculate about the identity of the killer. He sticks with history - safely - and no reader can say that he did not do an excellent job with research and writing. But most readers will yearn for more, and this story appears that it will never have a satisfactory conclusion.One could argue that books about Jack the Ripper appear all the time, the public is endlessly enthralled with the story, and people thirst to hear new theories and ideas. It is possible that Hollandsworth has written a book that will be followed by others. Perhaps the next books will uncover more evidence, advance new theories, or add a twist to what is already a gruesome but intriguing story. But, more likely, Hollandsworth's book will go down as a good addition to the dark side of Austin during its early years, and the identity of "The Midnight Assassin" will remain as unknown and mysterious as that of Jack the Ripper.
    • 4/5
      Not bad it like history and old crimes. It was interesting.
    • 5/5
      Hollandsworth's account of a series of gruesome murders that took place in Austin, Texas in 1884 and 1885 is gripping, engrossing, blood curdling, and ultimately inconclusive--but since you know from the start the murders weren't solved, that isn't a big issue. The book succeeds by painting in detail a portrait of what life was like in the Austin of those early days, as the State of Texas was preparing to celebrate 50 years of independence from Mexico and build a magnificent new capitol building. Some readers may fell that Hollingsworth goes into too much detail about Austin's hotels, bars, ice cream parlors, funeral homes, and especially its "moonlight towers," but as someone who had the good fortune to live in Austin 20 years ago, I found all these details fascinating. They are what makes the book succeed in the absence of the killer being found or the author being able to put forth his own suspect. The potential ties to the later Jack the Ripper murders in London are also explored, but the author doesn't try to say they were committed by the same person. Although both series of murders were extremely gruesome, the gory details are quite different. Hollandsworth doesn't mention the much later Axeman of New Orleans murders that began in 1918, which also have some parallels but seem to have been aimed at a different group (Italian-Americans). The amazing thing about the Austin murders is that the killer let several witnesses live, but no one was able to give a good description of him. The Austin police rounded up lots of suspects, the vast majority of them black, but after intensive interrogation--i.e., beatings--ended up letting them all go.At the end of the book, the author renews his call for more information that may be lying at the bottom of a forgotten chest in someone's attic. Let's hope this isn't the end of the story. If you are interested in crime in American history and have a strong stomach, I highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      A great read! I received an Advance Reader's Edition of this book via Librarything.Skip Hollandsworth kept my interest throughout the entire book. With much attention to detail, he takes you back to late 19th century Texas and places you in center of everything that is happening surrounding a series of murders. Well written, exciting, mysterious, captivating and informative. I will definitely be buying the hardcover upon its' release.
    • 4/5
      Like many readers of history and historical fiction, I've encountered serial killers (only in books and movies, thankfully) like Jack the Ripper before, but the connections between the infamous London killer and a murderer who hunted the city of Austin, Texas, are intriguing. As this book points out, the two killers are almost certainly different people, but close time span when they were active led contemporaries to suppose that they might be the same person. Many mysteries remain about this illusive murderer and many of the scenes recounted made me wish modern forensics could have been used. The discussion of how law enforcement rounded up suspects, often black men, and even arrested them with no evidence, made for frustrating reading. Overall, a good read about a serial killer I previously knew nothing about.
    • 3/5
      If you are a fan of Texas History and want a new story you don't know then here you go.

      I don't know why you would want to read it if you are not interested in True Crime or Austin.
    • 4/5
      A historical tale of a little-known serial killer who tormented the city of Austin, Texas near the end of the 19th century, Hollandsworth’s book will appeal to fans of true crime, especially those who are interested in its “evolution.” Without the benefit of modern tools and technology such as DNA testing, surveillance cameras, or even psychological profiling, law enforcement was practically powerless to track down the person or persons responsible for the brutal attacks and murders of multiple women.One aspect of this crime spree that differs minimally from current instances of serial murder, however, is its reflection of cultural attitudes towards women, minorities, and the socioeconomically disadvantaged. The first victims of the Midnight Assassin were black serving women, domestic help employed by white families in the city—and suspicion for these murders immediately fell upon poor “shiftless” black men, a number of whom were arrested with little if any evidence against them. When two white women eventually fell victim to the serial killer…well, you can probably imagine the consequences. Hollandsworth doesn’t provide much commentary or analysis on the relationship between law enforcement and the prevailing attitudes towards race and class—perhaps because it’s so glaringly obvious to any reader sensitive to these issues.In all, an engaging and interesting read.
    • 3/5
      There aren't many facts about the serial killer(s?) in this book. Although a few different men were tried for the crimes, the perpetrator(s?) was never caught, so, obviously, not much is known. There's a healthy dose of conjecture towards the end, but honestly, I don't think the author presented a strong case for ANY of the men he named as possible suspects. So if you like to read true crime with a known perpetrator being caught at the end, I definitely wouldn't recommend this book.Honestly, most of the book is sheer padding. He writes a ton about Austin Texas, but I found myself not really caring about the political machinations or the name of the street lamp lighters. It really didn't add anything to the story for me, and I found myself wanting to skim these chapters. Some people saw a connection between the Austin serial killer(s) and Jack the Ripper, but I don't see that, either. The crimes are so different from one another that I'd be shocked if there was any relation at all. I get the author bringing this up ONCE (if to puzzle as to why these crimes aren't remembered but Jack the Ripper's are), but it was mentioned several times. So it kind of felt like the book was trying to piggyback off of a more famous crime.I think that I would have liked this book more if it was just an in-depth article. I'm not exactly how the author thought that he was going to write a whole book at this without significant padding of the story. Maybe if I was fascinated with Austin Texas I would have enjoyed this more?
    • 4/5
      This was an interesting book and told of a part of history I had never heard of before. I was truly interested in the outcome and could appreciate the research that went into this. There were some creepy parts, but that comes with the territory.
    • 4/5
      I did not know about the serial killer in Austin in the 1880's. I found this book very fascinating. Also, since there was a suspected connection with Jack the Ripper, I would have thought these killings would have been more well known. This book goes into why that did not happen. For fiction readers, this book is not written like a novel like some non-fiction books are. It is definitely written like a typical non-fiction which I enjoy.
    • 3/5
      This is a narrative nonfiction story about America's first serial killer. He appeared in 1885 Austin, terrorized the town, which was pretty much just a frontier town at the time, for a year, and then was never heard from again, or caught. It has been speculated in some quarters, now mostly disproven, that Jack the Ripper, whose murders began terrorizing London a few years later, was one and the same as the Austin killer. Sources for the book are primarily the newspaper reports of the time, and one thing that clearly comes through is what a racist time and place Austin was. The first murders were of servants, who were black, and lived in separate quarters behind their employers' houses. At first, authorities assumed that the culprit was the husband or boyfriend of the murdered woman, and those men were frequently arrested, although they all had to be soon let go. It got so that black men began to be afraid to go out on the streets for fear of arrest.Things reached a high pitch when white women, matriarchs and pillars of society began to be murdered. The murders of all the women were brutal and vicious--the murderer used an axe and knife and frequently skewered the victims' brains with a long steel pole. Forensic methods at the time were extremely primitive, relying on bloodhounds to track the scent of the murderer fleeing the scent, so the police usually had not clues to go on.This book was okay, but not compelling, Just an interesting look at a time and place.3 stars
    • 3/5
      This is the story of America's first serial killer. The murders occur in Austin Texas the last 1800's and the possibility that the same killer moved to England to become Jack the Ripper. The serial killer side of the story was gory (as expected) and interesting in how they murders happened the way they happened. But the story or a young Austin was wonderfully written.
    • 4/5
      What happens when a serial killer strikes a city with such ferociousness and cunning that no one can be trusted and everyone's a suspect? Out of seemingly nowhere someone is brutally killing with no rhyme or reason. In "The Midnight Assassin" by Skip Hollandsworth we learn that such a thing happened to Austin, Texas, in 1885. Although there was a history of multiple murders across the nation the concept of a serial killer was yet to be described. Young and old, black and white, this killer was bent on nothing more that brutal murdering as many people as possible. Law enforcement, vigilante groups, posers, and imposters were searching day and night and there were a dozen or so men arrested for the crimes, Unfortunately, the killing continued while they were in custody leaving a town deeply mistrusting and frightened.The author does an excellent job of portraying this western town in the midst of the terror and confusion experienced during this time. No one felt safe and everyone was eager to point a finger of blame and catch the killer. At first the victims were thought to be limited to black females and the suspects were black males. Soon enough it was found that neither supposition was true. Through photos, newspaper and magazine articles, and police records the story is rolled out in all its gory details. The ending may not be what every reader is looking for but when the story is non-fictional, that can't be helped. This is an engaging tale with an interesting cast of characters in a time that is fascinating. You'll be drawn in by the mystery and the timelessness of the account of the killer and his/her victims.Recommended for fans of Texas history, unsolved murder aficionados, and historical non-fiction devotees.
    • 4/5
      Well-written and researched. I picked up some interesting insight into turn of the century Austin and Texas history. I wanted to love this book, but it fell a little bit short for me. I love crime and reporting of early criminal justice. However, this book starts with a bang and ends on a whimper. There's no smoking gun and after all the research, the author doesn't put forth a hypothesis. Utimately, there's neither a satisfying nor tantalizing ending. IMO, this would have been better suited to a long form article series.
    • 4/5
      Well-written and thoroughly researched account of the first serial killer in America. In addition to learning about the murders and the unsuccessful search for the killer, there is a wealth of information about Austin in the 1880's which is fascinating. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but am glad I chose this from the Early Reviewer program. Would recommend to anyone who has an interest in true crime, history, or Texas. (I do agree with another reviewer that I was expecting some sort of theory to be put forth by the author, but there really wasn't one. That was a tad disappointing - surely he had some thoughts after all his research.)
    • 4/5
      Skip Hollandsworth, a regular columnist for Texas Monthly magazine, became so intrigued by a true crime story from Austin’s past that he turned it into his first book, The Midnight Assassin. The book recounts a series of murders that happened there in 1884 and 1885, murders that were so horrendously bloody that they rivaled those committed three years later by London’s Jack the Ripper. The murders in the two cities were in fact similar enough that some newspapers of the day speculated that London’s Ripper may have tested and developed his skills in Austin before bringing them with him to Europe.It all started when someone began slaughtering Austin’s black servant women. Most of the victims lived in detached quarters adjacent to the homes of their white employers, and in each case, the killer escaped the area without leaving behind any clues that could identify him. Early witnesses, some of them children of the murdered women, could not even agree on whether the killer was a white man or a black man. Austin’s 17,000 citizens were concerned about the murders, but because the victims were all African-American women, it was easy enough for them to write the crime spree off as being the work of a gang of “bad blacks.” For a year, the rest of the city had little fear that the murders might spread into their own community and homes. That all changed on Christmas Eve, 1885, when within the space of a few minutes two prominent white women were butchered in their homes. From that moment, Austin’s politicians and policemen pulled out all the stops in their attempt to catch the murderer before he could kill again - even hiring two sets of Pinkerton detectives from Chicago (one set being real, the other fake).The Midnight Assassin is as much a social history of the city of Austin as it is a true crime story. Barely twenty years after the close of the American Civil War, the relationship between the state’s white and black populations was still eerily similar to what it was before the war was fought. Slavery might have been a thing of the past, but most African-Americans still struggled to live on what little wages their white employers were willing to pay them. It was no coincidence that from beginning to end almost single person considered to be a potential suspect was black.Austin was a city on the make it the 1880s. As state capital, the city had an image to live up to – even if it was one largely in the minds of politicians who saw the unsolved murders of white women as a personal threat to their own careers. Upcoming elections, personal feuds, and business considerations made it imperative that the murderer be caught, but it never happened. The first serial killer in American history was never identified - and he probably never will be – but The Midnight Assassin is still one heck of a ride.
    • 4/5
      I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.The true story of "The Midnight Assassin", as he was nicknamed by members of the press, is the tale of America's first serial killer.This is not a killer who has been written about like Jack the Ripper or H.H. Holmes (though he has been suspected of being both those infamous murderers as well), but is one who carved his own trail of terror through Austin, Texas, and was never caught. This is an unsolved crime, one even many descendants of the victims themselves had never heard of.Hollandsworth expertly brings this untold true crime tale to today's readers, with impeccable research and an excellent writing style. I highly recommend this book for readers of true crime. It's the kind of book where I read an ereader ARC of it, and have added the hardback to my wishlist. I want it as an addition to my true crime book collection.
    • 4/5
      TEXAS HISTORY/TRUE CRIMESkip HollandsworthThe Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial KillerHenry Holt, 978-0-8050-9762-2, hardback (also available as an ebook and on Audible), 336 pgs., $30.00April 5, 2016 Austin, Texas, in December 1884 was a rapidly growing modern city with 230 students enrolled at a brand-new university, a new pink granite state capitol under construction, an opera house, and a roller coaster. Prosperous gentlemen wore frock coats and ladies wore bustles. Reporters wore their hats “at jaunty angles” and hung out at the Horseshoe Saloon which sold a new beer called Budweiser. The Austin Police Department had twelve policemen. As the mayor liked to say, “No city has the promise of a more healthful prosperity!” And then for the next year and change someone “crisscrossed the entire city … using axes, knives, and long steel rods to rip apart women from every race and class.” In a ridiculously entertaining, page-turning history, Skip Hollandsworth, award-winning journalist and executive editor of Texas Monthly, tells the story of these slayings in The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer. Almost as mysterious as the still-unsolved crimes is how such a sensational story could be so little known, especially in Texas. Hollandsworth’s prodigious, dogged research provides an engaging history of Austin’s development. Details of life in Austin in the late nineteenth century add context and provide a particularly effective contrast with the extraordinary murders. No one had any experience with this type of crime, and the science of criminology didn’t exist yet. Speculation ran wild and included Comanche Indian attack, escapees from the nearby Texas State Lunatic Asylum, and, eventually, leading politicians, and even Satan himself, before settling, inevitably, on the nearest available black man. As long as the victims were poor and black, the respectable white citizens of Austin assigned the assaults and mutilations “all the significance of a hangnail.” Then white women were targeted and lynch mobs gathered in the streets. The matter-of-fact racism is truly stunning to twenty-first-century sensibilities. This story seems custom-ordered for Hollandsworth. In the unmistakable style he’s perfected at Texas Monthly, he has great fun, in a sort of disbelieving and sometimes righteously incensed manner, with this “story worthy of Edgar Allan Poe, a rip-roaring, multilayered gothic saga of madness and intrigue, panic and paranoia, beautiful women and baying bloodhounds, and flabbergasting plot twists and sensational courtroom drama.” He will make you listen more closely to strange sounds in the night. The Midnight Assassin is filled with improbable facts, such as London Metropolitan Police speculating that the Austin madman had shown up in Whitechapel, calling himself Jack the Ripper. The bobbies even questioned Black Elk, the Lakota tribesman, who was left behind in London by Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. Truth is stranger than.Even though there were arrests, trials and mistrials, reward offerings and vigilante committees, additional police and Pinkerton detectives hired, and Austin’s famous “moonlight towers” (fifteen of which remain) were installed, the murders remain unsolved. But Hollandsworth, a tad obsessed, is still on the case. He asks that anyone with information potentially leading to the identification of the perpetrator please give him a call.Originally published by Lone Star Literary Life.
    • 5/5
      I had never heard of the "Midnight Assassin", and had no idea that a serial killer terrorized Texas before Jack the Ripper terrorized London. I'm intrigued by historical crime, so I was immediately drawn to this book. It's a fascinating read that kept me fully engaged.Clearly, the author put an immense amount of time and effort into research. While we are immersed in detail, I never felt overwhelmed by it all. And, most importantly, the detail never outweighed the story. This is an easy book to read. While the focus is, of course, the murders, Hollandsworth gives us far more. I felt what it was like to live in this emerging Texas city that was still remote and removed from much of the country. We see how racism influenced opinions, inciting fear, hatred, and further division. We also see the politics of the time, and how politicians then, as now, made decisions based more on retaining their position than on what was needed.The Midnight Assassin is a complex story told with ease, offering us a vivid look at a frightening time and place in American history.*I was provided with an advance copy by the publisher, via LibraryThing.*
    • 4/5
      Most people have heard of the horrific murders in Victorian London carried out by Jack the Ripper. Few, however, have heard of the Midnight Assassin until now. Almost three years before the Ripper murders, the American city of Austin, Texas was terrorized by a series of brutal killings. The Midnight Assassin began his reign of terror by killing servants, most of whom were African American. This lead authorities to assume that the culprit must be African American as well. Nevertheless, eyewitness accounts varied. Some described a white attacker, while others described a black attacker. Meanwhile, servant women took to barricading themselves in at night. Before the killing spree would end, around a dozen suspects had been arrested.As the holidays approached, an uneasy calm descended upon the city. That's when the Midnight Assassin attacked once again...on Christmas Eve. This time two white women were attacked. During this era law enforcement did not fully understand the ramifications of these events as the concept of a serial killer was unknown. Then just as abruptly as the killings started, they stopped. As life got back to normal in Austin, London began experiencing a series of gruesome murders. Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic would wonder if Jack the Ripper and the Midnight Assassin were the same person.The Bottom Line: After a slow, detailed start with lots of background information, the pace quickly picked up speed. The mystery of the Midnight Assassin remains unsolved to this very day; yet, few outside the Austin, Texas area have ever heard of these brutal crimes. Written in a journalistic style, Hollandsworth takes the reader on a terrifying journey. Fans of true crime and American history will want to pick up a copy. Also, recommended for readers who enjoyed "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. This is a fascinating look at a little known event outside the Austin area, and visitors to the city can still see some of the changes the city made in the wake of these events (for example, the giant moonlight towers). Note: This book includes vivid descriptions of the murders; thus, it is not suitable for sensitive readers.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this book, and learning about a part of history that I didn't know about. Ignoring the possible connection to Jack the Ripper, the rest of the story is well told. If you enjoy history or unsolved mysteries, pick this book up - you won't be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      The boom town of Austin Texas was in a panic from 1884 - 1885 because the first serial killer to appear in the United States was preying on servant women. Young black women were being dragged out of their homes and bludgeoned to death while those around them never heard or saw a thing. Many were questioned just to blame someone but there were no witnesses who could give the police anything to go on. The attacks escalated and now included white women in nice neighborhoods. This vibrant city was under siege and there wasn't anything anyone could do. It was a mix of Old West and the dawn of a new age. Racial tension existed between white, black , hispanic , wealthy and poor. Fast women, sloppy police work , bad politics and new technology make this a fascinating look at a vibrant growing city. I am a bit biased because I live a few blocks away from where most of these women were buried. This killer was "Jack the Ripper" before he existed in London and Skip Hollandsworth puts us in Austin during that scary year for a birds eye look at a great unsolved mystery. "The Midnight Assassin" does for Austin what "The Devil in the White City" did forChicago. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
    • 2/5
      As a 20-year reader of Texas Monthly, and many, many Skip Hollandsworth articles, all I can say is I'm disappointed. The Midnight Assassin lays out the facts about a series of grisly murders in 1880s Austin, Texas. It is a terrific success as a history of the time. This would have been a very nice long-form article about an interesting set of facts in a particular place and time. If that was all he attempted, I probably would have liked it. Unfortunately, he tries greatly to conflate a possible - OK, likely - serial killer in 1880s Austin, Texas with Jack the Ripper in London. He takes a long time getting to that conclusion, with little evidence. Others have reviewed the book, with more extensive discussions, but have basically come to the same conclusion. A lot of words, little reward.