I would like to thank NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge true crime reader and read (and watch) anything and everything I can about serial killers and murders. I hope that doesn't make me sound like a weirdo; I also have 2 degrees in forensic science. I was intrigued by this book based on its title and description -- "a state-by-state survey of America's homicidal history" -- and I was interested to see what cases would be presented. I was surprised that of all of the cases discussed, I had only heard about 5 of them: the Miami Zombie, Israel Reyes, Gypsy Rose, the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders, & Taleisin.

But this book blew my mind with the depth and variety of the cases it presented. It tickled my forensic fancy with a case involving the first American convicted on the basis of a palm print. I learned about "Rattlesnake James," "Crocodile Joe," "Hammer Boy" and "The Eyeball Killer." I also learned about the tragedy behind "Megan's Law", a murderous madwoman who drowned 6 of her kids, a man who massacred his wife and 7 of his 8 kids, and a 6-year-old killer.

I was surprised to read about the beginnings of the Verace Killer, Dahmer's true first victim, and the only Gold medalist executed for murder, an early victim of Ed Gein, and a wild and spicy story about a boat bombing in Newport. There were wives poisoning husbands, husbands killing wives and lovers, parents killing kids, kids killing other kids, people killing both neighbors and strangers, criminals killing cops, and even a Killer Nanny who seemingly got away with murdering her charges. There was all sorts of gruesome deaths and slayings and torture described with various murderous implements --everything from guns, knives, hammers, and axes to stomping, suffocating, burning and drowning!

This book seemed very well-researched and well-written. It definitely piqued and held my interest, and I couldn't put it down. I don't know what it says about me that I enjoyed reading such gruesomeness, but I did! This is a must-read for all true-crime buffs, those who like to binge-watch murder documentaries, and those who like to look into the dark corners of America's past.

50 States of Murder is meant to be a quick read a section before bed book. Each state has several lesser known true crime stories detailed within. Each story is but a snippet without much depth which might leave the reader to go look for more details on an interesting case.

I was given the opportunity to read this from NetGalley for an honest review before it’s published in September.

I found that this book has many different murders through the 50 states of the USA that aren’t well known or written about which I found more interesting as the same stories aren’t written about over and over like quite a lot of other crimes that are constantly broadcasted or depicted.

As a true crime enthusiast I have spent many years reading about different murders by psychotically deranged individuals through each decade and this book shows just how far individuals were willing to go to commit the perfect murder regardless of which state they lived in or what year they happened, these psychotic sadists were all the same, thought the same and acted in the same despicable manner with one thing in mind; Murder.

If you’re interested in diving into more undeniably sadistic, grotesque and sickening true crime stories then this is the book for you.

Harold Schechter’s 50 States of Murder is a very well written book. It covers a range of crimes from the 1800s to the 2000s divided into states. Each state has multiple different chilling crimes. He has a map of each state showing what part of the state the murder occurred.

The stories are short but have so much information packed into the short story. There are several lesser known crimes which makes it even more of an interesting read. You are not getting the same story that has been over told many times. If you are a true crime person these stories will leave you looking up the stories to see what other information is out there.

This was one of my favorite reads this summer. True Crime is my passion. I am rating it a 4 because the sources are listed in alphabetical order and not referenced in the text.

~Thank you NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company

A great collection of short stories regarding some of the infamous murders in each of the fifty states. The stories are informative and full of detail, yet a quick read. Some of the stories you might recognize (at least one was a Forensics File story, and another was about Isreal Keyes a mass murder in Alaska and several other states. He was also the subject of a book entitled American Predator). Overall, I found this to be a great read and one the True Crime fan would enjoy.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a terrific compilation of cases specific to each state in the U.S. Harold Schechter has long been among the best historians of true crime. I know before I look at page one of any book he pens that the writing and research will be of the highest quality. This book is well illustrated and includes helpful state maps to show each crime's location. Schechter offers an explanation of his selection process, which is often specific to the way the crimes are linked to their locales. In addition, many are lesser known crimes. The "chicken coop murders" in California rather than the Manson murders, for example, which have been covered repeatedly in the mainstream press. I've done my share of researching U.S. murders, and I found some I'd never heard of. Schechter is a master of crime minutiae. He ensures that each state has a rich set of fascinating crime cases.

This was an informative, well written true crime novel. It features lesser known cases of heinous crimes throughout the fifty states of the USA. The stories were short but didn't seem rushed, giving enough details on the victims and perpetrators. For me, this book also highlights the major flaws in the judicial system. Not just in this century, but going all the way back to 1800s. What really stood out and upset me in a lot of these murders, was that they could've been prevented had justice been served efficiently after the first offence. This is something that occurs all over the world and needs to be rectified. Overall, an interesting read(I don't like to use the word "enjoy" when discussing true crime.) Well worth the time in my opinion, I'll definitely be checking out more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Workman Publishing and Harold Schechter, for my eARC of this book. All opinions are my own and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Harold Schechter delivers on the premise given in the title. This is a book of murders divided up by state ranging from the 1800's to the 2000s. He opens with a discussion of his methods and then works his way alphabetically through the 50 states. Each state opens with a map outline with the locations marked so the reader know the approximate town or city where the murder occurred and then lists three to six cases per state. Schechter lays out the basic facts of the case and often what happened to the perpetrator. He closes the book with a collection of sources he used to write the cases. Unfortunately, the sources are listed in alphabetical order and not referenced in the text which makes it hard to get more details for an individual case. But if you are looking for cases that happened in a particular state or just want a glimpse into the not-so-well known murders from a particular state, this might be the book for you.

Thanks Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the chance to read this title!