The Untouchables is one of my all-time favorite movies - even with the inaccuracies. Yet I never knew what hapened to Eliot Ness or his career after the case against Capone was closed. I knew vague things about him becoming an alcoholic and maybe some kind of non-glorious retirement, but that was it.

This read is about the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Road, but it is just as much about Ness and his career after Capone. He was appointed the Director of Public Safety (thus overseeing the police, fire, and sanitation departments) in Cleveland, a post he would hold until 1942. Initially his focus was cleaning up a very corrupted Cleveland police departent. We also geta detailed picture of Cleveland at the time, a city devastated by the Depression, as well as corruption in politics. It would not be wrong to say that this issue of said corruption is the main reason the case was never officially solved. By the end, Ness felt like he knew who the killer was, yet his hands were tied. The evidence was circumstantial and Ness knew he would not be able to get a convicton - in part due to one of the two lead suspect being the first cousin of Ness's own political rivals.

There are generally believed to be thirteen victims in Cleveland between 1934 and 1938. Only two of the thirteen were ever positively identified - a third has a possible id but could not be confirmed for sure due to the length of time between her urder and discovery. However, Pittsburgh is only about 130 miles away, and also had a spate of nearly identical killings between 1921 and 1942.

The murders themselves were horrific. Body parts were literally scattered across the city once the killer moved beyond the confines of Kingsbury Run. They'd been expertly dismembered and completely drained of blood. Torsos were usually severed at the waist and all were decapitated - some beheaded and/or dismembered while they were still alive. The majority of male victims were castrated as well. Given that most of the heads were never found, it is easy to understand why so many went to their graves unknown. If there is anything positive to find here, it's that victims started being exhumed in August of 2024 in an attempt to identify them through genetic genology. Despite the fact that any immediate family members are long gone, these men and women deserve the dignity of their names.

Cleveland's mayor turned to Ness to try to track down the monster stalking the streets of Cleveland, preying on the poorest citizens who lived in shantytowns and were the most vulnerable. Ultimately, Ness would not be successful despite his best, albeit some misguided, efforts. Given the fact that the term serial killer wasn't even coined until the '70s, and forensics were very much in their infancy, Ness and his team were fighting a losing battle from the start.

This kind of crime was something Ness could not have prepared for, so different from what had made him a hero in Chicago. He excelled at finding and rooting out corruption, cleaning up the police force. But this was different, and would ultimately lead to his disgrace. The city seemed to turn on him when the killer was never caught, and he resigned from his post in 1942 after getting into a car accident while drinking.

That term of hero in regards to Ness is also addressed, as we know that the tv show and movie were not completely accurate. Some consider him a fraud, that his heorism was made up entirely by the media. I think both things can be true. Ultimately, yes Al Capone was not taken down for the dozens and dozens of murders, but for tax evasion. But Ness lead the team that was able to put the case together, and as leader, it makes sense that he is the most identifiable. No one has ever suggested that he worked alone, we know that isn't true. And that's just how history works sometimes - there's one face to the story as a whole, Ness vs. Capone.

This is an incredibly well-researched and well-written book. The focus is not solely on the murders however, so if that is your main interest, you may have to look elsewhere. Instead, the author weaves together a tale of a city and a man doing the best he can to protect it. Unfortunately, sometimes the bad guys win.

Highly recommended.

American Demon ostensibly tells the story of the Mooney-Rolig murders in the 1920s, but often seems more focused on debunking the mythology surrounding Eliot Ness of later "Untouchables" fame. This true crime story captivated the country and Stashower carefully reconstructs the investigation, showing how new forensic psychology was used. He also explores why the public was so fascinated by the idea of a “vampire killer.”

The book sometimes spends too much time on the details of the police work, however, which ends up being a bit boring in passages Where Stashower is best is when he's exploring how society can become hysterical about an event. He shows how easily fear can spread and how ordinary people can start to see others as potential monsters. American Demon is a haunting book. It shows us that the worst monsters aren't always the ones we imagine: They can be regular people hiding in plain sight, a well-written and thought-provoking look at a dark chapter in American history.

This book was a little different than I thought initially. I love true crime and although there was this, it was also a lot about the life of Elliot Ness. I really liked the parts about the crimes and crime solving. They were horrendous crimes and you will read about how bloody they are.

This book has a different quality about it that makes it very easy to read and make you think about it after you put it down. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

If you are a true crime lover like me, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! I didn’t know much about Nese and came away with a much deeper knowledge about who he was and his approach to crime solving. Historically accurate and straightforward in its chronology of events which was great because this is where I often get lost in true crime books. Definitely recommend!

I stumbled upon this book shortly after I had read a fictional romance about Cleveland’s Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run and Eliot Ness’s involvement in solving the case. Unfortunately, this book didn’t really focus as much on the serial killer as it did Eliot Ness, and not necessarily his involvement in this case, so it felt a bit misleading that this is what the book was supposed to be about.

Not that I am macabre or thrive on gruesome details, but I the blurb made it sound like there would be a lot of time and detail spent on the discoveries of the bodies over the four-year period of time, but I felt like we learned more about Eliot Ness and his personal life and career outside of this case so it was a letdown. He’s a fascinating man, and had quite a history, but the book was supposed to focus on Mad Butcher, or so I thought. It was still an interesting read.

Poor Eliot Ness. After tackling the Mob and getting fame for Robert Stack he devolved into lethal alcoholism. But first he tried to solve the Kingsbury Run Depression carnage. It's a good book about a famous bunch of horrid crimes. It's a good book. I had already read quite a lot on this but this one covers it all.

This book starts out with promise but by the middle I was bored. It felt dry and text bookish. I was interested in the premise but the execution wasn’t for me.

A true story about Eliot Ness the Torso Killer. This story focuses his life and the unsolved murders. It's a gruesome tale and the terror in the city's residents feels palpable. It is also the story of how he grew up in Cleveland. A dark yet interesting tale of terror that is very well written.

Eliot Ness is on the hunt for the Mad Butcher in Cleveland. The story is set in the Great Depression Era. A gripping account of the events that occurred. An outstanding story and the author does a terrific job bringing the reader into this world and era.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

SYNOPSIS
American Demon is written by the highly regarded biographer and historian Daniel Stashower. In this his most recent publication Stashower documents the life, times, and cases of the eponymous Detective Eliot Ness. American Demon focuses on Ness’ most notable cases: The Cleveland Torso Killer, Al Capone and one that got away; the aptly labeled, American Demon.

Daniel used a diverse range of research resources that included: Eliot Ness’ original Manuscripts and the Library of Congress Manuscript Division; as well as books, magazines and journals. Written in a biographical style, Stashower catalogues Ness’ meteoric rise from his humble beginnings as the youngest son of an immigrant family, through his education in law enforcement and to his involvement with some of America’s most ignominious and memorable cases.

CONCLUSION
American Demon by Daniel Stashower, is an interesting historical account of the trials, successes, and tribulations of Eliot Ness’ many high profile criminal investigations.

Stashower’s narrative is easy to read, informative, expertly researched and concise. It was not the monograph I was expecting, but a compendium of Ness’ cases across his career. It was remarkably interesting learning about his various cases; some of which I was unacquainted with.

There is much to discover in this notable work. If you find the accounts discussed in this tome worthy of further research, Stashower provides an extensive bibliography for your reference.

I highly recommend American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper.

I enjoy true crime from time to time and the amount of detail the author went into is incredible. I found it hard to stay focused at time due to the amount of detail, but I was very glad I stuck with it to the end. Definitely worth the read if you want to learn more about Elliot Ness!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Interesting take on an old case Eliot Ness came to work on during his time as Cleveland's Director of Public Safety. I was not aware of this time in his life, only the Hollywood stories of his experiences in Chicago vs. Al Capone. It was eye-opening to see such gruesome crimes took place during a time where you cannot picture serial killing (although the term was unknown then) to be something that occurred in America. The book is more centered around Ness than I expected, although it was interesting to see how he navigated his desire to still want to be an important lawman post-Al Capone. 3.5 stars

A love letter to Eliot Ness.

I knew going in that this would be about Eliot Ness and his time in Cleveland. A story of legend vs. monster. perhaps even akin to the game of wits between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty- only historically factual.

I will say that what Stashower does, he does well. His work is incredibly-well researched and anything but dry (once you get past the introduction). He paints characters, motivations, and settings with color that you just don't find in historical non-fiction. (Or at least, I rarely do.)

However, I was disappointed when the first third was still a recounting of Ness' time in Chicago. Climbing the corporate ladder, busting stills and making a name for himself. By the description I would have assumed that the author and reader had agreed that Ness' early career had been done to death. If anything it felt as though Stashower decided to pad his book with research he found too amusing to axe. Unfortunately, it left me wondering where the story was set to begin.

Oh, and don't get me started on the fact that Ness' wife was relegated to the role of an unhappy housewife with no identity beyond her relationship to her husband. If there had been anything worth fleshing out, it might have been the details of Eliot's homelife.

For what it's worth, I found American Demon to be an engaging read with frequent (albeit repetitive) humor in the form of 'Character A thought it he did this, that would happen. Character A was wrong.' But at the end of the day I found it lagging. I will, however, look for some of Stashower's other books to see if I can resonate more deeply with his other studies.

I would consider this an excellent read for anyone who knows vague details about Eliot Ness' life and are eager to learn more. Start to finish. American Demon. The love letter, the biography.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

I have to admit I've always been fascinated by Eliot Ness because of Prohibition and his part in bringing down Capone. It was interesting to learn that Ness was as much as teetotaler in real life as I would have expected of a Prohibition agent. And I have to admit that all I knew about the Mad butcher of Kingsbury run I learned about from two different episodes of Criminal Minds. So learning that this was a case involving Ness I knew I had to read it. And I loved every second of. And I learned a lot.

This is a book that gives you insight to a legend of a man, Eliot Ness. It dabs into his rise to fame taking down Al Capone. It then spends the majority of the book on a serial killer in Cleveland. I think this book could have given a lot more with a little bit of direction. There were places that could of used more depth and a little bit more focus. Overall I did enjoy the book and did learn more about the real Eliot Ness.

True Crime at its finest! I thought I knew this story, but I sure did not. Stashower gives all the information we did not know and kept me turning pages and yelling to my husband every few pages about what was happening. Would make a great gift this holiday season!

I was....underwhelmed. Sadly this didn't hit the mark for me. I was expecting more about the murders and it was more about Eliot Ness. The cover really drew me in and like everyone else I was hoping it was along the lines of The Devil in the White City but it wasn't, however if you are truly interested in Eliot Ness it hits the nail on the head.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Eliot Ness I knew, and really didn't know! Stashower investigates the real story behind the life of the man who took down Al Capone (which I was aware of this story) and the hunt for a serial killer (which I didn't know of his investigation nor the gruesome crime spree this individual went on). Very well done, very detailed yet reads like an Erik Larson novel, which is high praise. There is so much I didn't know about Eliot Ness and I am grateful for a realistic picture of who he really was. I wish I knew more of what Eliot was thinking, but he really was more of a secretive man. Interesting read!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Much like an Erik Larson book, Stashowser dug deep and left no stone unturned. I never knew the Ness story...what a slug he ended up being in Ohio!