Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

This is the stuff of fiction except it's not. James and his daughter spent years researching a series of murders committed in the United States between 1900-1912 (approximately). They were murders in which some were claimed solved and others went unsolved. They were a series of murders in which the similarities of the scenes outweighed the anomalies. Whole families murdered on Sunday nights near the railroad lines. Grisly findings from family and neighbors hours or days after the murders had occurred. Local police would always try to blame it on someone right away - usually, the person, or persons, accused were black or a vagrant. But James gives compelling evidence against those persons of interest in light of the research he and his daughter did about the person they call "the man from the train."

For someone, like me, who is kind of obsessed with true crime, this book is a fascinating detailed look at a string of murders performed in a time before fingerprints could have or would have helped, DNA samples, profiling, preserving the crime scene, documenting the crime scene, or really any of the modern crime-solving methods employed these days. All of those tools were just being discovered or were years away from use when these murders happened.

A lot of people died, a lot of families were extinguished, at the hands of the "man from the train." He was clever, organized, and a sociopath. He was never discovered but Bill James and his daughter, Rachel, believe they found him through their careful and thorough research. They devote one chapter near the end of the book making their case for who they believe was the "man from the train." Fascinating stuff. For the true crime enthusiast, this is a worth it read.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This is a non-fiction book about a serial killer in the early 1900s America and how he pretty well got away with it because he was using the trains to make a fast get away. I also appreciate the research and information given about the crimes and, really, how bad the quasi-judicial system was at the time. One horrendous crime was committed and 'this guy over here looks like he did it so let's get him!' kind of attitude. As I was reading all this history and research I was starting to worry that the authors were NOT going to tell me who this guy was! Don't worry, they do and the read and wait is worth it. Very informative and interesting and I love the father/daughter research author team as well! Love the book, very informative and interesting, especially for those like me who just love Investigation Discovery type stuff!

The Man From The Train makes the case that between 1898 and 1912 there was an axe-murderer at work killing families across the country. A credible connection can be made between this killer and at least twenty-seven crimes involving 110 victims.

Though an obvious effort has been made not to present things in too graphic or sensationalist a fashion this book can get quite intense at times. Plus there is a definite "boogeyman" factor at work that can make even the most hardened reader take a break to double check the doors and windows.

An insane amount of research went into this book. It is dense with facts, reference sources, and other pertinent stuff to the point of being almost too much to take in. The authors make a good argument for their theories and I have to say that, for the most part, I agree with their conclusions.

Where this book really caught my attention was in an unintentional way. The relationship between local police and private detection agencies in the days when there was no real federal police presence and state police agencies were an uncommon thing. Wow! I have such a better understanding of that whole situation.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys True Crime. All the research data can make it a bit of a struggle at times but well worth it.

***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley with the understanding that I would post an honest review.

I thought I'd find the book a fascinating read, and was disappointed by the writing. I was tooooo long winded! Too much litter, it needed editing. I recall an episode some years back on some crime show about a serial murderer riding the rails to kill people, that sparked my interest in reading this book when I saw it. I hate to say it, but the tv show was more interesting. Sad the real victims couldn't have been treated a bit more respectively. Sorry, wasn't for me.

There are some authors that make a book that is not at all about themselves seem as if it is.
Sadly this was one of those book where i felt the authors self importance and need to show just how great they are were much to present for a historic nonfiction book.
I sadly didn't enjoy this.

A chilling and sinister examination of an axe murderer in late 19th and early 20th century America.

It details the evolution of criminal justice of America, the gruesome murders of families is reminiscent of In Cold Blood and at least in my opinion is better than Capote’s effort.

It’s just bare fact not motivated by reasoning.

This is a sublime example of true crime and is worth a look for anyone who enjoys the crime genre. Just don’t read it at night- it left a deep impression on me.

I really, really wanted to like this. It's a fascinating theory! But the author was so incredibly arrogant and self-important I truly couldn't continue. Plus, I didn't buy his theory-- he dismissed plenty of other reasonable solutions, just, like, 'cause. Also, WAY too many sports references.

My chief complaint is with the style/structure of the book. Information is organized in such a way that all the murders are easily confused with one another and there's little sense of time/place. Often, the reader is told that a key detail or argument will be provided "later in the book." The book's layout seems designed to maximize suspense/curiosity about "the man from the train," instead of building a coherent theory.

This book was so poorly written (and edited) one would think it was self-published. The authors' thesis is not at all consistent and changes to suit the story. There are numerous typos and simply bad grammar (subject/verb agreement). Even setting aside these errors, the book was badly structured. The authors somehow made an interesting topic incredibly boring and obnoxious.

This book is fascinating, but it's in serious need of some editing. It's a great story--I can't believe I've never heard of these events before, but there's just way too much detail to call this a pageturner.

Book received from NetGalley.

Ok, the author of this book believes that he has proven that there was a serial killer riding the rails in the early 1900's. This is the first book he has written on this subject, he admits from the beginning he's a sports writer. However, something about the various ax murders during this era piqued his interest. The main reason I wanted this book was that he mentions the Ax murders of Villisca, Iowa in it. He does have quite a few facts that make you wonder if there had been a serial killer roaming around the U.S. during that era. However, it also seemed like he was trying too hard to link the various murders around the country. The fact that it made me think, and look up some information on a few of the other murders mentioned, is what made me give this book a 4-star rating. I would like to get a copy of this for my shelves I'd like to re-read it after reading up on a few of the murders he mentioned.

I felt this was too long. It was repetitive and a lot of unneeded information was given. I love true crime stories but I struggled to get through this. Upon finding out the perpetrator not much is stated about him. The author doesn't know what became of the accused. I did enjoy the historical aspects and loved reading about the trains reach. A bit long winded for me.

I absolutely adored the style or approach that James used for his writing. It was as if he was talking right to the reader, we could have been sitting down over munchies, near the fire at points.

The amount of research and investigation done was amazing for someone that doesn't consider himself a historian, criminologist, or even a psychologist.

James starts with the major crimes that were more or less realized at the time as having been committed by the same person and he and his daughter researched back and forward in time to find when he started when the bloodshed ended and even a possible culprit. He took some leaps, that he went back and explained in detail for the skeptical, and eliminated possible copycats or other axe murderers of the time. (he even points out how each era has a trend for different crimes and the period we are talking here is the era of the axe murderer, as creepy as that sounds.)

I was glued to each page and each point he set up like connecting dots on a massive dry erase board that you sometimes see sleuths use on TV and movies. He took pains to point out the state of criminal investigation or really lack of at the time and the horror stories of people that were wrongly convicted and sometimes even lynched for the "Man from the Train's" probable crimes. The entire U.S. was wide open at the time since there were no state police bureaus, no FBI, not even any sort of grapevine to connect one police district to another or one state to the next. They were licked before they started so it was much easier to point out the black guy or the last guy that had a grudge against the victim than to investigate it in any way. They didn't have the means or the knowledge. It reminded me of the Salem Witch Trials, in that anyone that was slightly other or that people didn't like, was charged and since it was still the period when lynching was an option, the outcome was often horrific even though at the time, the citizens were proud of themselves and sold postcards of the events.

All told, I can't help but agree with their conclusions and yet, we will never know. For me, that's the magic of historical true crime and with this book, I learned so much about the era and its lack of crime-solving techniques. As horrific as the crimes were, I was hooked.

Some readers may struggle with the tone of the author; however, if you're looking for your not-so-typical true crime novel, this could be the book for you. Bill James, who normally writes about baseball and statics, takes you on a fascinating journey discussing the murders of those in the Midwest between 1898 and 1912. Those interested in crime, crime history, or American history might enjoy this book.

A slog, slog, slog - at about 150 too long and 150 miles too wide in its assertions, this effort takes an interesting premise and twists it into an insipid and self-congratulatory mess. I mean DAMN. Hard-core true crime fans may find this an enjoyable read but I could hardly focus but for rolling my eyes. A hard pass.

This is a very detailed, interesting read about many murders committed in the early 1900's and the author's premise that they were all carried out by one person. It is astounding how much research the author and his daughter must have done in order to uncover the apparent connection between the crimes. It is part true crime and part history lesson all entwined in a mystery that reveals the suspected culprit at the end. Don't expect to whiz through this one as there are a mountain of facts and details to sort through. But history buffs and true crime fans will be fascinated by how the mystery unfolds.

As a lover of true crime stories, I've always been terrified when I hear the story of the Villisca Axe Murders. Little did I know it's possible they're all connected. Author Bill James and his research assistant have done a LOT of legwork in tracking down similar crimes - and they number in the dozens. Could America have had a serial killer on the loose - The Man from the Train? This was a fascinating look and the theory and evidence James provided was solid. Really good read!

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It is meticulously researched and lays out a very convincing argument that there was a vicious serial killer in the early 20th century traveling across the country and brutally killing entire families with the blunt side of an axe. But the tone of the writing sometimes gets very flip and sarcastic and I found that to be extremely off-putting. The author (known for essentially revolutionizing baseball with his statistics) writes as though he is chatting with someone he knows well - someone who understands his odd quirks and flippant tone and habit of saying things directly to the reader along the lines of "we didn't tell you this at the time, but..." and "you can believe me or not..." He also makes jokes in quite poor taste (like making a "sh*t hitting the fan pun out of the name of a person wrongfully accused of vicious murders). When the subject of the book is over 100 brutal murders, I understand that you sometimes have to revert to gallows humor so that it does not get overwhelmingly depressing, but every time he did it, I felt jolted and uncomfortable. The book does tell a good story and does provide a relatively satisfying conclusion, but I wouldn't hurry to pick up the next thing Bill James writes.

This book introduced me to a fascinating piece of history -- an axe murderer known as the Man from the Train. So much research clearly went into this book! As the author went through where the many murders occurred, I plotted them in Google Maps -- what a horrific set of serial murders around the country. The author's tone was a bit irreverent at times -- which, I guess, was to help break the tension, but sometimes it was just annoying (hence, the four stars). Overall though, this book is definitely worth a read, especially if you are interested in more recent and well known true crime stories. I would definitely read a second installment regarding international activity after World War I.

When I first started this book, I was apprehensive. I wondered if the authors would just describe in grisly detail this string of unsolved murders, and wondered how interesting or disturbing that would be. Well!......it was absolutely fascinating. With well-researched historical facts, they paint a portrait of an era, 1900 - 1915, which is poorly understood by most people. The sanitized version of history, presented through movies and television, and even books, has warped our vision of what life in small towns was like in those days.
I was surprised to learn how different law enforcement during that era was. Did you know that most small towns had no police presence at all? Police were brought in from outside the area. Crime investigation was rudimentary at best. The police tended to jump to conclusions and citizens often took punishment into their own hands. Lynchings were not unusual at that time.
Unfortunately, neither the police nor the townspeople imagined the truth, that a stranger passing through might be responsible for these murders of entire families, so they “rounded up the usual suspects”, so to speak, in order to calm the frightened townspeople. Many people were executed, lynched, or imprisoned for the crimes of this train-hopping drifter. Even those not convicted lost their reputations, merely by being accused. The police called in to investigate tended to haul in anyone even remotely connected to the murdered family and arrested many of them with no evidence at all. Of course, the first to be suspected were minorities, those with criminal pasts, and the poor. Then the police elicited...often brutally....false confessions and these often innocent people were sentenced to death or imprisonment. I got the impression that, when they had absolutely no leads or evidence, the police used this roundup to get rid of the more unsavory characters in town.
Because the murders were committed by the same man, they were remarkably similar and at times the authors referred to previously described murders that I couldn’t remember. Since one of the authors is a statistician, it’s not surprising that he overwhelmed with details at times. I just skimmed over those parts and happily continued on.
The authors very clearly make their case for the fact that this serial killer was responsible for about a hundred deaths, and got away with it for years. The murderer traveled all over the country to commit these grisly murders, riding the rails, killing entire families, then disappearing immediately afterwards by rail. He even made it all the way to Oregon, and I discovered that he was responsible for a mass murder in my neighborhood (Ardenwald), a mile or two from my house!

While researching these events, one of the authors happened upon a clue that brought to light the identity of this killer for the first time. The authors meticulously explain their reasoning in both assigning each murder to this “man in the train” or someone else, and in identifying the culprit. So... this was like a mystery thriller, except it really happened. How great is that?
I heartily recommend this book to almost anyone, but especially those interested in American history or law enforcement. If you like true crime novels, you will love this. I couldn’t put it down.

Note: I received an advance copy of the ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.