As a criminologist, I find stories of injustice appalling. Wrongful convictions top that list for me. So, the story of Mark Woodworth- and the railroading of him- written out in plain English, is absolutely stomach churning.

I can’t believe it’s taken so long for someone to write this book, although, given what it took for Cooper to write it- I guess it shouldn’t be surprising. He’s done a marvelous job making the story coherent.

If you’re a victim advocate, and an advocate for justice- you’re not going to want to miss this book.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Who knew there could be so much soap opera drama in a small farming community! I was enraged by the injustice of this story, but as far as true crime cases go, it was not my favorite. The story meandered a bit into farming history, which gives a great background on which to set our scene, but overall, left parts of the book feeling sluggish. If you like history, farming, or true crime with slithery serpents as lawmen, you will enjoy this. This one just wasn’t for me.

The Shooter at Midnight fails to standout from stellar true crime stories that I have read because it is extremely to stories I have read before and Sean Patrick Cooper never seems to escape the common traits of true crime books.

Free ARC from Net Galley

So much for "Try that in a small town", evil has different looks and colors, but it is still evil. Even the most idyllic of farmland is not excluded. The ending will leave you wondering about a few things. Well done.