When the publicist at Blue River Press told me they had a new book coming out on murders in Indiana, I instinctively thought, “No, not another one.” Hoosier Killers: Indiana’s Darkest History by Ed Wenck is not, though, just another book about murders in Indiana. The depth of the book is amazing. It covers thirty murders. It chronicles crimes from the Fall Creek Massacre in 1824 through recent murders.
Wenck organizes the book into sections on different varieties of murders. The sections include serial killers, mass killers, race killers, gang killers, travelling killers and one-on-one killers. Each section begins with an introduction giving a short statement on the types of murders described in the section and some general information on why people do these heinous things. The book covers the big crimes everyone has heard of such as Sylvia Likens, Marjorie Jackson and Belle Gunness. It also includes many I had never heard of and some recent murders such the Hamilton Avenue, Judy Kirby and Herb Baumeister murders.
The book is well laid out. The various sections, nicely sized margins and larger print make it physically easy to read. (As I age, this is becoming more important.) Also, the sections are short and can easily be read in one sitting. The author’s journalism background shows in the clear, concise writing.
Since there are thirty murders included, no description is as thorough as some of the books about one Indiana event or a particular murderer. That is, however, to be expected in a composite book like this. Hoosier Killers: Indiana’s Darkest History by Ed Wenck is a great addition to the books on murders in Indiana and by Hoosiers.
Meet Ed Wenk on Saturday, May 9 from noon-3 p.m. at Bookmamas during the Discover Irvington festival.
