In the Wake of the Butcher

James Jessen Badal

On the back of In the Wake of the Butcher, mystery writer Les Roberts says, "...In the Wake of the Butcher reads like a suspense novel." If this is Roberts' idea of a suspense novel, I think I'll be passing on his books.

In the Wake of the Butcher is, not to put too fine a point on it, dry as dust; it's almost as if Badal were consciously attempting to write a textbook. While the subject matter is inherently interesting-- a recap and dissection of Cleveland's notorious Torso murders from the Depression years-- somehow, the narrative and diction manage to make the information as boring as your basic police report, but with the added monotony of a State of the Union address.

The first half of the book is a chronological recounting of the discoveries of various bodies, both those officially attributed to the Torso killer and those only suspected of being his handiwork (the more famous Black Dahlia murder, often linked to the Torso killings in the media consciousness, is not mentioned until a few brief paragraphs at the end of the book, however). The latter half is a recounting of the various serious suspects the police investigated and whether or not the evidence bears them out as real suspects. It will not surprise anyone remotely familiar with the case that the greatest number of pages in the book is devoted to Francis Sweeney, long believed to be the best fit for the murderer, and yet Badal ultimately dismisses him.

This could have been a truly gripping account of one of the darkest (and most underexposed) pieces of criminal activity in American history; instead, it's probably worth reading for those with an already-established interest in the case. Others will want to avoid it.