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In Broad Daylight
Tells the story of the killing of a bully in a small town in northwest Missouri in 1981, in front of 45 witnesses. Explores Ken McElroy’s reign of terror, his killing, and the cover-up which has protected the killers ever since. In Broad Daylight won an Edgar Award for Best True Crime, was a New York Times Bestseller for 12 weeks, and was made into a movie starring Brian Denehey.
This edition contains new facts on the killing and the identity of the killers.
This edition contains new facts on the killing and the identity of the killers.
428 pages, ebook
First published November 1, 1988
667 people are currently reading
6075 people want to read
About the author
Harry N. MacLean
10 books110 followersHarry MacLean, an Edgar Award winning true crime writer (In Broad Daylight) has changed genre's with his new novel, "The Joy of Killing." Variously described as a literary thriller, a psychological thriller or philosophical thriller, the book earned a rave review from Kirkus:
"MacLean’s writing is lyrical, ebbing and flowing like a deep riptide that conceals the danger beneath; there is something unsavory and even panic-inducing about being pulled inside his tale. . . A dizzying and delirious meditation on desire, violence, guilt, and philosophical justification."
The book will be on sale in early July.
MacLean's first book was “In Broad Daylight,” published by Harper Collins. This book tells the story of the killing of a town bully on the main street of a small town in northwest Missouri. It won an Edgar Award for Best True Crime and was a New York Times Bestseller for 12 weeks. Brian Denehey stars as the bully in the movie version. “In Broad Daylight” became available as an e-book July 2012.
MacLean’s second book was “Once Upon A Time, a True Story of Memory, Murder and the Law.” Also published by Harper Collins, it tells the true story of a man on trial for murder based solely on his daughter’s “repressed memory” of witnessing him murder her playmate 20 years earlier. “Once Upon a Time” was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Basic Books published his third book, “The Past Is Never Dead, The Trial of James Ford Seale and Mississippi’s Search for Redemption,” which was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Award, given by Stanford University.
MacLean released “About In Broad Daylight, the Story Behind the Book,” in the fall of 2014.
MacLean’s first career was as a lawyer. He graduated from the University of Denver College of Law, magna cum laude, and also received a master’s degree in Law and Sociology from DU. He worked as a trial lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission and as a magistrate in Denver Juvenile Court. He taught as an Adjunct Professor at DU Law. He served as First Assistant Attorney General for the state of Colorado, and as General Counsel of the Peace Corp during the Carter Administration.
For the past twenty years he has worked as a labor arbitrator and author.
His next effort, a memoir, will tell the story of his year working undercover as a prison guard in a maximum security prison in Delaware.
"MacLean’s writing is lyrical, ebbing and flowing like a deep riptide that conceals the danger beneath; there is something unsavory and even panic-inducing about being pulled inside his tale. . . A dizzying and delirious meditation on desire, violence, guilt, and philosophical justification."
The book will be on sale in early July.
MacLean's first book was “In Broad Daylight,” published by Harper Collins. This book tells the story of the killing of a town bully on the main street of a small town in northwest Missouri. It won an Edgar Award for Best True Crime and was a New York Times Bestseller for 12 weeks. Brian Denehey stars as the bully in the movie version. “In Broad Daylight” became available as an e-book July 2012.
MacLean’s second book was “Once Upon A Time, a True Story of Memory, Murder and the Law.” Also published by Harper Collins, it tells the true story of a man on trial for murder based solely on his daughter’s “repressed memory” of witnessing him murder her playmate 20 years earlier. “Once Upon a Time” was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Basic Books published his third book, “The Past Is Never Dead, The Trial of James Ford Seale and Mississippi’s Search for Redemption,” which was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Award, given by Stanford University.
MacLean released “About In Broad Daylight, the Story Behind the Book,” in the fall of 2014.
MacLean’s first career was as a lawyer. He graduated from the University of Denver College of Law, magna cum laude, and also received a master’s degree in Law and Sociology from DU. He worked as a trial lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission and as a magistrate in Denver Juvenile Court. He taught as an Adjunct Professor at DU Law. He served as First Assistant Attorney General for the state of Colorado, and as General Counsel of the Peace Corp during the Carter Administration.
For the past twenty years he has worked as a labor arbitrator and author.
His next effort, a memoir, will tell the story of his year working undercover as a prison guard in a maximum security prison in Delaware.
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January 7, 2024
“Behind the driver’s seat, the rear window had been blown out. The driver’s door hung open, its window shattered. There obviously had been a hell of a lot of shooting, probably from more than one rifle, and much of it had been wild…Teeth and pieces of bone lay scattered on the dashboard in front of the steering wheel. Blood splotched the seat and formed a deep puddle on the floor; it had run over the edge of the doorjamb and collected in a purplish, jelly-like pool on the ground. The air was dead still…”
- Harry N. MacLean, In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri
Harry N. MacLean’s In Broad Daylight is a quintessential American crime story, calling to mind the famous observation by D.H. Lawrence about this country’s essential soul being “hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer.” It is about systems that break when they are not properly maintained, or respected. It is about vigilantism, and vengeance. It is – alas –about the resort to gun violence to solve problems that have other solutions.
The villain of the tale is Ken Rex McElroy, a hulking, illiterate son of a hog farmer who terrorized the town of Skidmore – an appropriately unappealing name – racking up twenty-one felony charges, and escaping convictions on all but one.
On July 10, 1981, McElroy’s mind-boggling crime spree ended when he was shot to death on main street in front of roughly forty-five witnesses. None of those witnesses pointed to a shooter, and despite grand jury inquiries, an FBI investigation, and national notoriety, no indictments were ever issued.
In Broad Daylight takes these elements and turns them into a minor, messy epic about all the many ways that justice can fail.
***
When it occurred, McElroy’s execution became national – even international – news. As tends to happen when complex news events are broken down into digestible, thirty-to-sixty second clips, the Skidmore shooting was reduced to its most shocking and sordid elements.
In Broad Daylight presents the whole story, sometimes exhaustively. MacLean spent years on this book, living in the area, embedding himself, interviewing as many of the reticent denizens as he could. He also spoke in-depth to McElroy’s wives, in order to weave his side of the story into the narrative.
***
MacLean begins his story at the end, thrusting the reader into the final minutes of McElroy’s wasted life, as he is ambushed sitting in his truck, with his wife by his side. From there, we move back in time, meeting Ken McElroy and learning of his hardscrabble upbringing. The fifteenth child of poor tenant farmers, he dropped out of school in eighth grade, embarking on a lengthy career as a statutory rapist – he met the last of a string of wives when she was twelve – a thief, and a rustler. He also found time to attempt to murder two of his neighbors. For all that, he mostly escaped punishment, the result of a fancy Kansas City lawyer, a cowardly judge, indecisive prosecutors, and unconvinced juries.
***
Though I’m a huge fan, I can acknowledge that true crime is a somewhat disreputable literary genre. By its very nature it is exploitative, capitalizing on the tragedies of others, bemoaning the senselessness of violence even while describing it in graphic, sometimes salacious detail. Despite a rather silly title, In Broad Daylight is at a whole other level. It is ambitious, with a wide scope, and a keen sense of place. Indeed, there are times when MacLean spends as much time on the setting as he does on the death of Ken McElroy. He marks time – as a local farmer would – by the turning of the seasons.
MacLean pays close attention to these details, many of them mundane. By the time I finished, I had the physical layout of the town well-formed in my mind. I felt like I could walk the streets; I believed I could spot the various stores and watering holes on sight.
Eventually, some of the detail becomes overwhelming, and the book feels longer than necessary. There is a lot of repetition, because Ken McElroy’s life was a cycle: commit a crime; get arrested; get released on bail; intimidate the witnesses; wait for the charges to be dropped. This wheel kept turning until someone – perhaps Del Clement, identified by McElroy’s wife – blew him away.
***
Aside from chronicling McElroy’s harmful existence, MacLean does a great job exploring a widespread communal breakdown. We often speak of systemic flaws, but the biggest flaw in any system is the people. As a lawyer, MacLean proves a knowing guide to all the ways that the justice system could be abused by a sophisticated operator.
The irony, of course, is that Missouri is absolutely notorious for over-incarcerating its citizens. Numerous lawsuits have been filed over the practice of jailing non-violent traffic offenders for unpaid fines. Meanwhile, McElroy sticks a gun in a police officer’s face and doesn’t even get charged.
Had the courts worked as they were supposed to work – keeping the innocent out, and the guilty in – then McElroy wouldn’t have been free to break countless laws and scare the hell out of a whole town. He also wouldn’t have been shot down on the street, extralegally sentenced to capital punishment for non-capital crimes.
***
It is hard to feel bad for Ken Rex McElroy, and I will admit to a dark, momentary thrill when this bully finally came up against someone willing to punch back. That thrill receded, though, with the knowledge that this wasn’t John Wick, and that actually ending a person’s life is the gravest act on earth.
To hear the people of Skidmore tell it, this was their only choice. But that is simply not true. McElroy’s fate was a consequence of Skidmore’s values. If you don’t believe in civil institutions, then they will inevitably fail. If you elect a weak prosecutor or an unqualified judge, then you are going to watch criminals go free, or the innocent wrongly punished. If you create a town in which everyone lives in their own bubble, caring only for their own selves, then you are susceptible to falling one by one. The Skidmore mentality meant that small problems were ignored until they became big problems, by which point their was no mechanism able to deal with it.
The citizens of Skidmore deeply resented the media invasion following McElroy’s death. They felt that they were being unfairly maligned, and that all the facts hadn’t been told. Having read MacLean’s comprehensive take, I think all the facts are out. And Skidmore had good reason to resent the media. I wouldn’t want the rest of the world to know this is my town either. They were embarrassed. They should have been.
- Harry N. MacLean, In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri
Harry N. MacLean’s In Broad Daylight is a quintessential American crime story, calling to mind the famous observation by D.H. Lawrence about this country’s essential soul being “hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer.” It is about systems that break when they are not properly maintained, or respected. It is about vigilantism, and vengeance. It is – alas –about the resort to gun violence to solve problems that have other solutions.
The villain of the tale is Ken Rex McElroy, a hulking, illiterate son of a hog farmer who terrorized the town of Skidmore – an appropriately unappealing name – racking up twenty-one felony charges, and escaping convictions on all but one.
On July 10, 1981, McElroy’s mind-boggling crime spree ended when he was shot to death on main street in front of roughly forty-five witnesses. None of those witnesses pointed to a shooter, and despite grand jury inquiries, an FBI investigation, and national notoriety, no indictments were ever issued.
In Broad Daylight takes these elements and turns them into a minor, messy epic about all the many ways that justice can fail.
***
When it occurred, McElroy’s execution became national – even international – news. As tends to happen when complex news events are broken down into digestible, thirty-to-sixty second clips, the Skidmore shooting was reduced to its most shocking and sordid elements.
In Broad Daylight presents the whole story, sometimes exhaustively. MacLean spent years on this book, living in the area, embedding himself, interviewing as many of the reticent denizens as he could. He also spoke in-depth to McElroy’s wives, in order to weave his side of the story into the narrative.
***
MacLean begins his story at the end, thrusting the reader into the final minutes of McElroy’s wasted life, as he is ambushed sitting in his truck, with his wife by his side. From there, we move back in time, meeting Ken McElroy and learning of his hardscrabble upbringing. The fifteenth child of poor tenant farmers, he dropped out of school in eighth grade, embarking on a lengthy career as a statutory rapist – he met the last of a string of wives when she was twelve – a thief, and a rustler. He also found time to attempt to murder two of his neighbors. For all that, he mostly escaped punishment, the result of a fancy Kansas City lawyer, a cowardly judge, indecisive prosecutors, and unconvinced juries.
***
Though I’m a huge fan, I can acknowledge that true crime is a somewhat disreputable literary genre. By its very nature it is exploitative, capitalizing on the tragedies of others, bemoaning the senselessness of violence even while describing it in graphic, sometimes salacious detail. Despite a rather silly title, In Broad Daylight is at a whole other level. It is ambitious, with a wide scope, and a keen sense of place. Indeed, there are times when MacLean spends as much time on the setting as he does on the death of Ken McElroy. He marks time – as a local farmer would – by the turning of the seasons.
The Great Planting Debate began in March and was in full swing by early April. The discussions went on continuously in the café, at the gas station, in the tavern, in the grocery store, on the sidewalk outside the post office, over the dinner table, inside the farmers’ heads. An early spring intensified the debate, because the farmers could start planting earlier, and the earlier they planted, the more time the corn would have for growing, and the bigger the yield would be.
MacLean pays close attention to these details, many of them mundane. By the time I finished, I had the physical layout of the town well-formed in my mind. I felt like I could walk the streets; I believed I could spot the various stores and watering holes on sight.
Eventually, some of the detail becomes overwhelming, and the book feels longer than necessary. There is a lot of repetition, because Ken McElroy’s life was a cycle: commit a crime; get arrested; get released on bail; intimidate the witnesses; wait for the charges to be dropped. This wheel kept turning until someone – perhaps Del Clement, identified by McElroy’s wife – blew him away.
***
Aside from chronicling McElroy’s harmful existence, MacLean does a great job exploring a widespread communal breakdown. We often speak of systemic flaws, but the biggest flaw in any system is the people. As a lawyer, MacLean proves a knowing guide to all the ways that the justice system could be abused by a sophisticated operator.
The irony, of course, is that Missouri is absolutely notorious for over-incarcerating its citizens. Numerous lawsuits have been filed over the practice of jailing non-violent traffic offenders for unpaid fines. Meanwhile, McElroy sticks a gun in a police officer’s face and doesn’t even get charged.
Had the courts worked as they were supposed to work – keeping the innocent out, and the guilty in – then McElroy wouldn’t have been free to break countless laws and scare the hell out of a whole town. He also wouldn’t have been shot down on the street, extralegally sentenced to capital punishment for non-capital crimes.
***
It is hard to feel bad for Ken Rex McElroy, and I will admit to a dark, momentary thrill when this bully finally came up against someone willing to punch back. That thrill receded, though, with the knowledge that this wasn’t John Wick, and that actually ending a person’s life is the gravest act on earth.
To hear the people of Skidmore tell it, this was their only choice. But that is simply not true. McElroy’s fate was a consequence of Skidmore’s values. If you don’t believe in civil institutions, then they will inevitably fail. If you elect a weak prosecutor or an unqualified judge, then you are going to watch criminals go free, or the innocent wrongly punished. If you create a town in which everyone lives in their own bubble, caring only for their own selves, then you are susceptible to falling one by one. The Skidmore mentality meant that small problems were ignored until they became big problems, by which point their was no mechanism able to deal with it.
The citizens of Skidmore deeply resented the media invasion following McElroy’s death. They felt that they were being unfairly maligned, and that all the facts hadn’t been told. Having read MacLean’s comprehensive take, I think all the facts are out. And Skidmore had good reason to resent the media. I wouldn’t want the rest of the world to know this is my town either. They were embarrassed. They should have been.
September 14, 2020
In 1981 Ken McElroy was shot dead in his pick-up truck while parked on a main street of Skidmore, Missouri. At least two people fired on him, and dozens of people were nearby and witnessed the shooting. Yet not one person checked on McElroy, and his body sat there for an hour until the authorities had finally been called. No one has ever been charged with the murder because nobody in the crowd would tell the police who did it.
Think about that the next time you hear how polite and nice people in the heartland of America are.
What In Broad Daylight does brilliantly is explain how some ordinary people were driven to murder, and why an entire community would refuse to tell the cops who did it. The simple answer is that Ken McElroy was an asshole.
This is a guy who for years had stolen livestock, grain, equipment, supplies, antiques, and anything else he could get his hands on from farmers all around northwest Missouri and other nearby states. Despite being arrested and charged multiple times for various crimes he kept getting away with it by keeping a very good criminal lawyer from Kansas City on retainer as well as intimidating any potential accusers or witnesses.
McElroy would do things like park for hours outside the homes of those he was angry with, and there were several incidents of him threatening people with guns. He also committed multiple acts of statutory rape, and when one underage girl’s parents made too much of a fuss about McElroy 'dating' their daughter, he burned their house down. He shot three men who all lived to testify against him in court, but McElroy escaped conviction on the first two incidents. It was only the shooting of the last man, elderly grocery store owner Bo Bowenkamp, which finally convinced a jury to say that McElroy was guilty of a crime. It was McElroy’s extended campaign of harassment of several locals before and after the shooting of Bowenkamp that made the town’s fear and frustration with the bully boil over.
I grew up in a small Kansas town just about an hour from Skidmore, and I was 11 when McElroy died so I remember a lot of talk about the incident. However, after reading this I realized that I hadn’t known many details, and that I had some fundamental misunderstandings about what happened there.
I didn't comprehend just what a total sonofabitch that Ken McElroy was. He got referred to as the town bully, but that doesn’t really tell you the scope of his criminality, how bad his intimidation tactics were, and how easy it was to get on his bad side.
As an example, McElroy’s beef with Bo Bowenkamp began over a simple misunderstanding when McElroy’s four year old daughter tried to walk out of the store without paying for a few pieces of candy. This minor incident drove McElroy into an extended rage that had him harassing the Bowenkamps for months by parking outside their store and home. He’d frequently fire shotguns over their house in the middle of the night. People stopped shopping at the store out of fear that McElroy would see them and start coming after them, too. Eventually, McElroy shot and nearly killed Bowenkamp one night in back of the store.
McElroy even pulled this stuff on cops and got away with it. One state trooper had regular clashes with him, and he arrested McElroy for the Bowenkamp shooting. While on trial and out on bail for that crime he began parking outside that cop’s home and once pointed a shotgun at his wife. McElroy only stopped after the trooper used a friend of his to deliver a message that if McElroy didn’t quit that the trooper was going to catch him out on a gravel road one dark night and deliver some instant justice.
So if cops were that threatened, imagine how the citizens of Skidmore felt. I’d always been under the impression that the killing of McElroy was simple mob justice by organized vigilantes. However, the people of Skidmore had endured years of Ken McElroy’s reign of terror. Time and again someone would turn to the law for help only to be told that nothing could be done, or even if he got charged his lawyer would get him off while McElroy made the life of anyone involved a living hell.
The crowd there the day that McElroy was killed was even due to continued efforts to do things legally because they’d gathered as solidarity and security for four men who were going to testify about McElroy’s brandishing a rifle in the bar while threatening to kill Bowenkamp. This was part of an effort to get McElroy’s bail revoked while his appeal of the conviction was pending. However, they were enraged when McElroy’s lawyer got yet another postponement, and this turned into an impromptu meeting about options and organizing themselves to watch and protect the four men until the court date. That’s when McElroy, who had heard about the gathering, decided to show his ass yet again by driving into town and having a beer.
That turned out to be the final straw that drove a couple of people to take advantage of the opportunity to finally be rid of the guy. Then the town closed ranks because they felt that the shooters had finally dealt with a problem that the legal system had failed to resolve time after time. This wasn’t frontier mob justice done in haste, it was a bunch of frightened and angry people pushed far past the breaking point.
I’ll give a lot of credit to Harry MacLean for the way he depicts this part of the world. As I stated before, I grew up in a small town like Skidmore in that area during the same time frame, and he absolutely nails life in farm country during the ‘80s. From describing the landscape to the weather to the depictions of the local people, this really took me back. In fact, my home town is even mentioned, and one of the cops who crossed paths with McElroy was a man I knew.
My one complaint is that MacLean goes a little easy on the people of Skidmore although I generally agree that this was a failure of the system, not a bad town. While MacLean does touch on the local Midwest farmer mentality of people-should-take-care-of-their-own-problems and how that was part of how McElroy managed to isolate his targets, he also kind of lets them off the hook for not looking out for each other more until McElroy was finally convicted of shooting Bowenkamp. That’s when people started to finally push back. Obviously, the main problem was McElroy and how he manipulated the legal system, but if the town had collectively stood up to him sooner it might not have come the bloody end it eventually did.
So who killed Ken McElroy? The book gives the most likely candidates, but as MacLean points out, knowing who actually pulled the trigger doesn’t really matter. The story here is in how Ken McElroy was allowed to behave the way he did for so long, and how he managed to push an entire town of people so far that almost every one of them felt like he had it coming.
Think about that the next time you hear how polite and nice people in the heartland of America are.
What In Broad Daylight does brilliantly is explain how some ordinary people were driven to murder, and why an entire community would refuse to tell the cops who did it. The simple answer is that Ken McElroy was an asshole.
This is a guy who for years had stolen livestock, grain, equipment, supplies, antiques, and anything else he could get his hands on from farmers all around northwest Missouri and other nearby states. Despite being arrested and charged multiple times for various crimes he kept getting away with it by keeping a very good criminal lawyer from Kansas City on retainer as well as intimidating any potential accusers or witnesses.
McElroy would do things like park for hours outside the homes of those he was angry with, and there were several incidents of him threatening people with guns. He also committed multiple acts of statutory rape, and when one underage girl’s parents made too much of a fuss about McElroy 'dating' their daughter, he burned their house down. He shot three men who all lived to testify against him in court, but McElroy escaped conviction on the first two incidents. It was only the shooting of the last man, elderly grocery store owner Bo Bowenkamp, which finally convinced a jury to say that McElroy was guilty of a crime. It was McElroy’s extended campaign of harassment of several locals before and after the shooting of Bowenkamp that made the town’s fear and frustration with the bully boil over.
I grew up in a small Kansas town just about an hour from Skidmore, and I was 11 when McElroy died so I remember a lot of talk about the incident. However, after reading this I realized that I hadn’t known many details, and that I had some fundamental misunderstandings about what happened there.
I didn't comprehend just what a total sonofabitch that Ken McElroy was. He got referred to as the town bully, but that doesn’t really tell you the scope of his criminality, how bad his intimidation tactics were, and how easy it was to get on his bad side.
As an example, McElroy’s beef with Bo Bowenkamp began over a simple misunderstanding when McElroy’s four year old daughter tried to walk out of the store without paying for a few pieces of candy. This minor incident drove McElroy into an extended rage that had him harassing the Bowenkamps for months by parking outside their store and home. He’d frequently fire shotguns over their house in the middle of the night. People stopped shopping at the store out of fear that McElroy would see them and start coming after them, too. Eventually, McElroy shot and nearly killed Bowenkamp one night in back of the store.
McElroy even pulled this stuff on cops and got away with it. One state trooper had regular clashes with him, and he arrested McElroy for the Bowenkamp shooting. While on trial and out on bail for that crime he began parking outside that cop’s home and once pointed a shotgun at his wife. McElroy only stopped after the trooper used a friend of his to deliver a message that if McElroy didn’t quit that the trooper was going to catch him out on a gravel road one dark night and deliver some instant justice.
So if cops were that threatened, imagine how the citizens of Skidmore felt. I’d always been under the impression that the killing of McElroy was simple mob justice by organized vigilantes. However, the people of Skidmore had endured years of Ken McElroy’s reign of terror. Time and again someone would turn to the law for help only to be told that nothing could be done, or even if he got charged his lawyer would get him off while McElroy made the life of anyone involved a living hell.
The crowd there the day that McElroy was killed was even due to continued efforts to do things legally because they’d gathered as solidarity and security for four men who were going to testify about McElroy’s brandishing a rifle in the bar while threatening to kill Bowenkamp. This was part of an effort to get McElroy’s bail revoked while his appeal of the conviction was pending. However, they were enraged when McElroy’s lawyer got yet another postponement, and this turned into an impromptu meeting about options and organizing themselves to watch and protect the four men until the court date. That’s when McElroy, who had heard about the gathering, decided to show his ass yet again by driving into town and having a beer.
That turned out to be the final straw that drove a couple of people to take advantage of the opportunity to finally be rid of the guy. Then the town closed ranks because they felt that the shooters had finally dealt with a problem that the legal system had failed to resolve time after time. This wasn’t frontier mob justice done in haste, it was a bunch of frightened and angry people pushed far past the breaking point.
I’ll give a lot of credit to Harry MacLean for the way he depicts this part of the world. As I stated before, I grew up in a small town like Skidmore in that area during the same time frame, and he absolutely nails life in farm country during the ‘80s. From describing the landscape to the weather to the depictions of the local people, this really took me back. In fact, my home town is even mentioned, and one of the cops who crossed paths with McElroy was a man I knew.
My one complaint is that MacLean goes a little easy on the people of Skidmore although I generally agree that this was a failure of the system, not a bad town. While MacLean does touch on the local Midwest farmer mentality of people-should-take-care-of-their-own-problems and how that was part of how McElroy managed to isolate his targets, he also kind of lets them off the hook for not looking out for each other more until McElroy was finally convicted of shooting Bowenkamp. That’s when people started to finally push back. Obviously, the main problem was McElroy and how he manipulated the legal system, but if the town had collectively stood up to him sooner it might not have come the bloody end it eventually did.
So who killed Ken McElroy? The book gives the most likely candidates, but as MacLean points out, knowing who actually pulled the trigger doesn’t really matter. The story here is in how Ken McElroy was allowed to behave the way he did for so long, and how he managed to push an entire town of people so far that almost every one of them felt like he had it coming.
February 12, 2022
Ken Rex McElroy was a bully. He terrorized the small town of Skidmore for years. He raped young girls, stole the townspeople livestock, burned down their houses, and stalked anyone who dared to stand up to him. Even after shooting a neighbor in cold blood, the justice system did nothing. Ken had been arrested on numerous occasions, only to get off by intimidating witnesses and threatening their families. Not to be outdone, he recruited his wives, girlfriends, and children to help him maintain his reign of terror over the residents. Emotions reach a boiling point when Ken gets convicted for shooting a grocer and remains free on bond until his sentencing. The townspeople call a meeting, which ends in a showdown outside the local tavern. Bullets fly, killing Ken McElroy dead, in front of half the residents. Everyone claims they didn't see who pulled the trigger. The town closed ranks and to this day it remains a mystery. Good for them. I don't blame them one bit.
February 20, 2024
4.25 🌟 — There are some truly compelling True Crime reads around in this time and age, so much so that one is able to be very specific and as I did in this instance, wait for one that either has a case of known interest, or that’s even extremely highly recommended. This one had both for me and I have to say it surpassed my expectations not only in detail, research and compelling content, but the fact it reads so utterly well, offering a nice turn from my current deep-dive into 19th century Classics that I’m currently in, culminating in a great read that had me hooked from go-to-whoa!
In the case of Ken Rex McElroy — Skidmore, Missouri, brutally murdered in 1981 whilst sitting inside his truck with his young wife — intrigue, distinctiveness & speculation are all at an exceptionally high level, largely because it is seen as a town-murder, of the local bully or the term I heard and much prefer, ‘Rural Terrorist’. Ken Rex was by any measure, not a hero nor even what you’d deem a ‘decent fellow’ and the intrigue of this case comes from the multiple facets that set it apart from any other murder I can ever recall. Not only was there some 30-65 ‘witnesses’ but he was shot whilst his wife sat in the passenger seat, saying she could ID the shooter - or one of them at least - the town held a meeting that very morning on how to deal with this town-bully whom was terrorising many throughout Skidmore, that was attended by the town sheriff and some half the town.
So much has happened in this case over the decades since, that it has become synonymous with never being prosecuted, despite the aforementioned particulars. The author Maclean does a terrific deal of research in covering the details of this case, be it in terms of theories, facts, history and especially the character of Skidmore itself. The town is brought to life with real panache, grit and vibrancy thanks to numerous examples of the violent history - especially considering the town has a population of 200-450 total people throughout the decades - all of which are full of strange and pulpy details themselves. But it is the shooting on the day in 1981 itself that steals the show, alongside the quite bizarre, violent and disturbing personality of Ken Rex himself — I constantly felt confused and fluctuated in various states of morass and judgment on whether the murder itself was indeed a ‘Some people need killing’ moment or more of an overkill with cowardice given he was shot from behind, surrounded by 30-60ppl without any chance to defend himself — again even now it’s hard not to throw in the fact that he was guilty of many cases of ‘cheap-shots’ himself — but either way it is an ‘unsolved’ homicide that will always be shrouded in mystery, mystique & morbid fascination nonetheless!
In the case of Ken Rex McElroy — Skidmore, Missouri, brutally murdered in 1981 whilst sitting inside his truck with his young wife — intrigue, distinctiveness & speculation are all at an exceptionally high level, largely because it is seen as a town-murder, of the local bully or the term I heard and much prefer, ‘Rural Terrorist’. Ken Rex was by any measure, not a hero nor even what you’d deem a ‘decent fellow’ and the intrigue of this case comes from the multiple facets that set it apart from any other murder I can ever recall. Not only was there some 30-65 ‘witnesses’ but he was shot whilst his wife sat in the passenger seat, saying she could ID the shooter - or one of them at least - the town held a meeting that very morning on how to deal with this town-bully whom was terrorising many throughout Skidmore, that was attended by the town sheriff and some half the town.
So much has happened in this case over the decades since, that it has become synonymous with never being prosecuted, despite the aforementioned particulars. The author Maclean does a terrific deal of research in covering the details of this case, be it in terms of theories, facts, history and especially the character of Skidmore itself. The town is brought to life with real panache, grit and vibrancy thanks to numerous examples of the violent history - especially considering the town has a population of 200-450 total people throughout the decades - all of which are full of strange and pulpy details themselves. But it is the shooting on the day in 1981 itself that steals the show, alongside the quite bizarre, violent and disturbing personality of Ken Rex himself — I constantly felt confused and fluctuated in various states of morass and judgment on whether the murder itself was indeed a ‘Some people need killing’ moment or more of an overkill with cowardice given he was shot from behind, surrounded by 30-60ppl without any chance to defend himself — again even now it’s hard not to throw in the fact that he was guilty of many cases of ‘cheap-shots’ himself — but either way it is an ‘unsolved’ homicide that will always be shrouded in mystery, mystique & morbid fascination nonetheless!
August 2, 2022
This is an exhaustive look (perhaps too exhaustive considering how concisely the case has been covered in various true crime TV shows) at the 1981 killing of Ken McElroy, whose career as a thief and bully ended when the town he tormented finally fought back. Although the mystery of who did it really isn't much of a mystery after all -- as author Harry N. MacLean writes, McElroy's wife's identification of the gunman was clear-cut and consistent -- the story of how he came to terrorise a town, and how at least some of Skidmore, Missouri's inhabitants saw no release except in his death, is a strange and fascinating one. By rigorously documenting McElroy's reign of terror, Harry N. MacLean compels the reader to ask themselves what they might have done in the same situation, and whether they would have held their tongues as gamely as the Skidmore townsfolk have in the years since McElroy's death. What's undeniable is that McElroy's death was a cathartic moment for the dying town, although not one that seemed to slow its own decline. In Broad Daylight provides a compelling portrait of a town on the edge and a career criminal who, if we're being brutally honest, got what was coming to him.
October 8, 2011
I bought this book because I remember watching the movie back in the late 80's , but not completely. Ken McElroy was a menacing person, had a lawyer with great influence, and thought he was invincible. But things happen to people who go around riding on other peoples' last nerves. His lawyer could not help him in the end and the law was lax about his crimes. People have the right to live their lives peacefully and they just got fed up with his crap! A great book, well written!!!
May 21, 2023
I am not, as a rule, a fan of true-crime. It's too often poorly written and more interested in sensationalizing human suffering than in reporting fairly the events it covers. This book defies those stereotypes. The writing is quite good, especially for the genre. There are a few bits that seem a little--poetic (usually descriptions of nature)--and he does go on a bit about the seasons, but perhaps I'm less interested in such things because I know when the crops get planted and harvested around here and how much it matters when and how heavy the rain comes. For readers who've not been exposed to midwest US farming culture, this aspect of the book would be very important to the story.
I am familiar with the part of the world in which the book takes place and MacLean does a very good job of evoking the ethos, both natural and social. If you want to know what it feels like to live in a small agricultural town in Missouri, he gets it right.
Unlike many true crime writers, MacLean does not resort to gruesome descriptions and emotional language. His reporting is, if anything, understated. Some of the events described could easily be fodder for the yellowest of journalism, but MacLean simply presents them with the same calm matter-of-factness he describes everything else.
Most people are familiar with the story of Ken McElroy and Skidmore, Missouri, even if they don't remember the names. Thanks to the limited series on the Sundance Channel in 2019, McElroy's death has been back in the public consciousness lately. The TV series was interesting, especially the interviews with those who were there, but it veers into a weirdly moralistic ending that really tarnishes what would otherwise be decent reporting.
MacLean's book, although thirty years older than the documentary, does a far better job of exploring the precursors to the killing and the effects on the town in its wake. It is clear that he took a lot of time getting to know the people involved and really listening to them before he wrote about them. He refrains from pronouncing judgement, leaving the reader to their own conclusions. The detail and accuracy of his reporting is far superior to the film's, as well.
What struck me most about this book is how strongly I felt the sense of oppression, fear, and frustration that the people of Skidmore endured for years. It was, at points, nearly unbearable, and here I am merely reading about it nearly forty years later and knowing how it all comes out. Having to live it must have been absolute hell.
I also really appreciated MacLean's even-handed treatment of Trena McElroy. She's a frightening example of what can happen when a child knows no one will protect them from abuse and of just how strong trauma bonding can be. MacLean allows the reader to be horrified at what happened to her and yet also despise what she became, even as we know *why* she behaved as she did. He doesn't give easy answers or allow us to put her into a comfortable box as either victim or perpetrator.
Finally, perhaps the most impressive part of the book is the final section, which addresses the effects on the town, not so much of the killing, but of the ways the media distorted and misrepresented what happened. It's a powerful indictment of lazy journalism, levied by a member of the press.
If you can find a copy of this book (I believe it's on Kindle now), I highly recommend it, even for those who would normally never pick up a true crime book.
I am familiar with the part of the world in which the book takes place and MacLean does a very good job of evoking the ethos, both natural and social. If you want to know what it feels like to live in a small agricultural town in Missouri, he gets it right.
Unlike many true crime writers, MacLean does not resort to gruesome descriptions and emotional language. His reporting is, if anything, understated. Some of the events described could easily be fodder for the yellowest of journalism, but MacLean simply presents them with the same calm matter-of-factness he describes everything else.
Most people are familiar with the story of Ken McElroy and Skidmore, Missouri, even if they don't remember the names. Thanks to the limited series on the Sundance Channel in 2019, McElroy's death has been back in the public consciousness lately. The TV series was interesting, especially the interviews with those who were there, but it veers into a weirdly moralistic ending that really tarnishes what would otherwise be decent reporting.
MacLean's book, although thirty years older than the documentary, does a far better job of exploring the precursors to the killing and the effects on the town in its wake. It is clear that he took a lot of time getting to know the people involved and really listening to them before he wrote about them. He refrains from pronouncing judgement, leaving the reader to their own conclusions. The detail and accuracy of his reporting is far superior to the film's, as well.
What struck me most about this book is how strongly I felt the sense of oppression, fear, and frustration that the people of Skidmore endured for years. It was, at points, nearly unbearable, and here I am merely reading about it nearly forty years later and knowing how it all comes out. Having to live it must have been absolute hell.
I also really appreciated MacLean's even-handed treatment of Trena McElroy. She's a frightening example of what can happen when a child knows no one will protect them from abuse and of just how strong trauma bonding can be. MacLean allows the reader to be horrified at what happened to her and yet also despise what she became, even as we know *why* she behaved as she did. He doesn't give easy answers or allow us to put her into a comfortable box as either victim or perpetrator.
Finally, perhaps the most impressive part of the book is the final section, which addresses the effects on the town, not so much of the killing, but of the ways the media distorted and misrepresented what happened. It's a powerful indictment of lazy journalism, levied by a member of the press.
If you can find a copy of this book (I believe it's on Kindle now), I highly recommend it, even for those who would normally never pick up a true crime book.
January 7, 2013
I'll put the bottom line right at the top - If you enjoy reading true crime, In Broad Daylight will not disappoint you.
Now, if you're interested, I'll tell you my opinion of the book. Harry N. MacLean put together an obviously well-researched account of the events leading up to, and surrounding the death of Ken McElroy.
I have to say, I have the e-book which is riddled with typos and major formatting errors. It honestly looks like it was type-set by a beginning publishing student. But that's the publisher's fault, and not the writer's. I wanted the e-version because it has an epilogue to the epilogue which updates the story after 25 years. For me, it was worth wading through the horrendous formatting for that update, because my voyeuristic tendencies make me wonder about the long-term aftermath of something like this.
For the most part, MacLean's narrative reads factually, but at times does feel a little like gossip passed over the neighbor's fence. He's an attorney, so I'll leave it to you to decide if that lends more or less credibility to his style. There are places where he breaks into long detailed description of the weather, land, wild life and crops. The exposition is lovely and evocative, but completely extraneous. When you see a weather or crop report coming on, you can scan until you see the name of a person or place and pick up reading from there without missing anything relevant.
The case itself is a fascinating one. It's a very interesting study of the psychology of a bully and his victims. You don't have to be a true crime fan to see the significance of the story or to appreciate the book.
Now, if you're interested, I'll tell you my opinion of the book. Harry N. MacLean put together an obviously well-researched account of the events leading up to, and surrounding the death of Ken McElroy.
I have to say, I have the e-book which is riddled with typos and major formatting errors. It honestly looks like it was type-set by a beginning publishing student. But that's the publisher's fault, and not the writer's. I wanted the e-version because it has an epilogue to the epilogue which updates the story after 25 years. For me, it was worth wading through the horrendous formatting for that update, because my voyeuristic tendencies make me wonder about the long-term aftermath of something like this.
For the most part, MacLean's narrative reads factually, but at times does feel a little like gossip passed over the neighbor's fence. He's an attorney, so I'll leave it to you to decide if that lends more or less credibility to his style. There are places where he breaks into long detailed description of the weather, land, wild life and crops. The exposition is lovely and evocative, but completely extraneous. When you see a weather or crop report coming on, you can scan until you see the name of a person or place and pick up reading from there without missing anything relevant.
The case itself is a fascinating one. It's a very interesting study of the psychology of a bully and his victims. You don't have to be a true crime fan to see the significance of the story or to appreciate the book.
November 6, 2021
A well researched real-life murder thriller and a town's (Skidmore Missouri) vigilanteism. It is almost impossible to take issue with the town's actions here.
I would have liked the story to have been more linear and suspenseful.
3.5 stars
I would have liked the story to have been more linear and suspenseful.
3.5 stars
May 28, 2013
A crushing disappointment. Years ago I bought his previous book and it was superb so I was chuffed to find this one available on my Kindle. However, it was clearly never edited or checked once it was formatted as an e-book.
There were these strange big gaps in the text on almost every other page and then these random headings would appear on the following page such as In Broad Daylight 11 or 12 Harry N Maclean. Very, very annoying. Words were replaced by the wrong ones such as be when it should have been by. The number 450 was replaced by 4S0, the word one was repeated for no reason. I got 7% in and 175 was replaced by 17S and it was enough for me.
Authors, PLEASE look at your work when it's been formatted to check what you're releasing in your name is up to the standard of the printed word because this was clearly not checked.
There were these strange big gaps in the text on almost every other page and then these random headings would appear on the following page such as In Broad Daylight 11 or 12 Harry N Maclean. Very, very annoying. Words were replaced by the wrong ones such as be when it should have been by. The number 450 was replaced by 4S0, the word one was repeated for no reason. I got 7% in and 175 was replaced by 17S and it was enough for me.
Authors, PLEASE look at your work when it's been formatted to check what you're releasing in your name is up to the standard of the printed word because this was clearly not checked.
January 21, 2022
This books could've been so so much better. Yet it was what it was. I'm not going to lie - I started skimming through paragraphs after I reached 1/3 of the book because the book contained just so much information that was not needed whatsoever. I understand that author tried to do what "In Cold Blood" has done (which is the book I also didn't enjoy at all) and I would say he succeeded in very much same ways. Except those things that made me dislike "In Cold Blood" didn't get better here. I understand that author put a considerable amount of research and leg work into this book, and wrote the timeline of what happened while also trying to make it a story, with conversations included that I have no clue if they happened or indeed happened that way; events that are also described in tedious detail and people with their entire backstories down to what they were wearing. I am extremely doubtful if such tiny bits of information were even available to author and so I doubt the validity of some information presented in this book.
The case is interesting enough so that I picked up the book, but the labor of reading every single detail, multiple backstories to everyone even a little bit involved in a case, and just overall an unnecessary amount of information presented made me resent reading this book pretty soon. I do have to admit that author did a good job writing. I loved his style in and on itself and I understand that he wanted to give all the information available but this was way too much. This book could've been half shorter and still it would've been an excessive coverage of this particular case.
My hat is off to MacLean for being an inspired and passionate writer and it definitely reflects in his book - except the book needed heavy editing and someone somewhere didn't do their job.
I'm give two stars because I truly see that MacLean gave his all with the book and I do like his writing style as I mentioned, but he crams too much boring detail that has nothing to do with the crime itself into this book.
So unless you want to read about people in and around Skidmore at the time of Ken McElroy in excruciating detail - skip on this.
The case is interesting enough so that I picked up the book, but the labor of reading every single detail, multiple backstories to everyone even a little bit involved in a case, and just overall an unnecessary amount of information presented made me resent reading this book pretty soon. I do have to admit that author did a good job writing. I loved his style in and on itself and I understand that he wanted to give all the information available but this was way too much. This book could've been half shorter and still it would've been an excessive coverage of this particular case.
My hat is off to MacLean for being an inspired and passionate writer and it definitely reflects in his book - except the book needed heavy editing and someone somewhere didn't do their job.
I'm give two stars because I truly see that MacLean gave his all with the book and I do like his writing style as I mentioned, but he crams too much boring detail that has nothing to do with the crime itself into this book.
So unless you want to read about people in and around Skidmore at the time of Ken McElroy in excruciating detail - skip on this.
April 10, 2022
It's hard to say that Ken McElroy didn't have it coming. Among other things, he: rustled cattle; stole and sold farm equipment, furniture, anything that was not glued down; abused and killed animals; raped and abused young girls; shot two men, including a 70 year old, who was hit in the neck but survived; continually threatened any witnesses to his crimes, including police officers and their families. McElroy was more than just a town bully. Everyone knew he was a ticking time bomb who would escalate to murder if given the opportunity, and the law did nothing about it.
Time and time again, despite numerous arrests and court cases, McElroy smugly slipped through the legal system and avoided punishment. He was continually being released on bail, which allowed him to prowl the town and point guns at people, scaring most of them from testifying at trial. At one point, the people of Skidmore decided that they had had enough. If the justice system would not help them, the only option was to help themselves.
This book gives a very thorough rundown of McElroy's crimes and, on some level, of McElroy himself. Having grown up in poverty, McElroy harbored a lifelong hatred of wealthy farmers and of anyone he suspected of looking down at him. I came to understand that beneath his bravado, McElroy was insecure, paranoid, and cowardly. Sure, he could act like a "badass" when he was beating his women or pointing a rifle at an elderly man, but when dared to carry out his numerous threats against the public, McElroy always backed down. He felt brave and in control when he had his victim isolated and at a disadvantage, but McElroy could never truly face up to an equal opponent.
I guess instead of "did McElroy deserve it?" the real question should be, how did he get away with it for so long?
Time and time again, despite numerous arrests and court cases, McElroy smugly slipped through the legal system and avoided punishment. He was continually being released on bail, which allowed him to prowl the town and point guns at people, scaring most of them from testifying at trial. At one point, the people of Skidmore decided that they had had enough. If the justice system would not help them, the only option was to help themselves.
This book gives a very thorough rundown of McElroy's crimes and, on some level, of McElroy himself. Having grown up in poverty, McElroy harbored a lifelong hatred of wealthy farmers and of anyone he suspected of looking down at him. I came to understand that beneath his bravado, McElroy was insecure, paranoid, and cowardly. Sure, he could act like a "badass" when he was beating his women or pointing a rifle at an elderly man, but when dared to carry out his numerous threats against the public, McElroy always backed down. He felt brave and in control when he had his victim isolated and at a disadvantage, but McElroy could never truly face up to an equal opponent.
I guess instead of "did McElroy deserve it?" the real question should be, how did he get away with it for so long?
April 30, 2024
I do like the occasional true crime novel. I remember Helter Skelter and that was an incredible read on Charles Manson. This book is well written and almost sounds like fiction, how could one man do so much and not be convicted? It was an enjoyable book and highly recommended as I fact checked and this book was a true story.
January 6, 2013
Going to college in Marysville and minoring in criminal justice, the case of Ken Rex McElroy is bound to come up and it's fascinating.
McElroy was a bully. No question about it. He terrorized the citizens of Skidmore for years, raping women, stealing, brandishing a gun and taking advantage of their impressionable youth. He was accused of many crimes, but always managed to avoid the consequences. One day in 1981, the citizens of Skidmore had had enough and McElroy was shot in broad daylight while sitting in his truck.
With more than 50 witnesses to the killing, not a one claimed to see or know anything about it. And to this day, no one has been arrested, no indictments were ever issued and no one is telling what they know.
MacLean takes an unbiased look at the case and while he's a little critical of law enforcement (as he should be), and a little too fascinated with the landscape, this book explores the legacy of the bully and the town who'd had enough in a compelling and insightful way.
A good read for anyone who has heard of the "vigilanty" town of Skidmore and it's reaction to the horrors that one man exposed them too.
McElroy was a bully. No question about it. He terrorized the citizens of Skidmore for years, raping women, stealing, brandishing a gun and taking advantage of their impressionable youth. He was accused of many crimes, but always managed to avoid the consequences. One day in 1981, the citizens of Skidmore had had enough and McElroy was shot in broad daylight while sitting in his truck.
With more than 50 witnesses to the killing, not a one claimed to see or know anything about it. And to this day, no one has been arrested, no indictments were ever issued and no one is telling what they know.
MacLean takes an unbiased look at the case and while he's a little critical of law enforcement (as he should be), and a little too fascinated with the landscape, this book explores the legacy of the bully and the town who'd had enough in a compelling and insightful way.
A good read for anyone who has heard of the "vigilanty" town of Skidmore and it's reaction to the horrors that one man exposed them too.
April 21, 2015
I read this book because my mom and dad always told me about the Skidmore bully that stole our livestock. We lived 20 miles from Skidmore where this bully took over and ran rampant through the town. This book was so well detailed that I didn't need it because I drove through this town for 4 years on my way to college in maryville and I always thought it creepy that a man was murdered in cold blood on the street and left for dead. Good book and I'm glad I read it since it hit so close to home for me!
June 14, 2013
Hooks you right from the beginning. Heard about this case but none of the details so what I found in here was definitely a shock. Crime/True Crime is definitely my favorite genre and this book doesn't disappoint. It's hard to come to terms with what a community will do to protect themselves because they feel law enforcement is failing them, but it is a reality we have to deal with every day. Good read!
October 10, 2018
Vigilante justice is not always without justification.
February 1, 2024
Unbelievable what this small town went through - how much one person was feared by all.
December 15, 2023
Excellent book. A very good read.
November 29, 2017
This book details the events that led up to the killing of Ken Rex McElroy in Skidmore, Missouri on July 10, 1981. Ken was a bully who had terrorized the town for over 20 years. He stole livestock and possessions from other people's houses and anything he could resale. He also had a penchant for young girls. He had sex with them and was also extremely abusive. He had children by st least three young girls. Every time he was charged with a crime he managed to intimidate the wittiness so they wouldn't testify against him. It's believed he successfully escaped punishment on 57 felony charges. Finally convicted for shooting a store owner, he was released pending appeal. He then violated his bond by carrying a gun in public. When his bond revocation hearing was postponed the people of the town resorted to fatally shooting him.
His wife was in the truck when he was shot in broad daylight. From the start she identified the shooter, but he was never charged with the crime. Although there were probably 50 wittiness to the shooting no one would talk. A coroner' s hearing and two grand juries failed to indict anyone. The story made national news and a movie was made about the case. It was labeled as vigilante justice.
The author not only details the crime, but also describes the reaction of the town and why they remained silent. An interesting look at the small community and why it felt that killing McElroy was their only option. Even those that didn't agree with the killing remained silent about the perpetrators. Well researched and insightful.
His wife was in the truck when he was shot in broad daylight. From the start she identified the shooter, but he was never charged with the crime. Although there were probably 50 wittiness to the shooting no one would talk. A coroner' s hearing and two grand juries failed to indict anyone. The story made national news and a movie was made about the case. It was labeled as vigilante justice.
The author not only details the crime, but also describes the reaction of the town and why they remained silent. An interesting look at the small community and why it felt that killing McElroy was their only option. Even those that didn't agree with the killing remained silent about the perpetrators. Well researched and insightful.
July 7, 2010
A case study of the vigilante style death of Ken McElroy in 1981 in Skidmore, Missouri. - library catalog description
Wow! Intersting, true story...frustrating too. Not a very positive commentary on our judicial system.
Review from Publisher's Weekly:
Ken Rex McElroy terrorized the residents of several counties in northwestern Missouri for a score of years. He raped young girls and brutalized them after they went to live with him or even married him; he shot at least two men; he stole cattle and hogs, and burned down the houses of some who interfered with his criminal activities. Thanks to the expert efforts of his lawyer and the pro-defendant bias of state laws, he served no more than a few days in jail, the author shows. In 1981, sentenced for the shooting of a popular grocer and free on bail, he was killed by the men of Skidmore, the center of his felonies; they closed ranks against all attempts to identify those who had pulled the triggers. Written by a first-time author, this is an engrossing, credible examination of the way vigilante action can take over when the law appears to be powerless.
Wow! Intersting, true story...frustrating too. Not a very positive commentary on our judicial system.
Review from Publisher's Weekly:
Ken Rex McElroy terrorized the residents of several counties in northwestern Missouri for a score of years. He raped young girls and brutalized them after they went to live with him or even married him; he shot at least two men; he stole cattle and hogs, and burned down the houses of some who interfered with his criminal activities. Thanks to the expert efforts of his lawyer and the pro-defendant bias of state laws, he served no more than a few days in jail, the author shows. In 1981, sentenced for the shooting of a popular grocer and free on bail, he was killed by the men of Skidmore, the center of his felonies; they closed ranks against all attempts to identify those who had pulled the triggers. Written by a first-time author, this is an engrossing, credible examination of the way vigilante action can take over when the law appears to be powerless.
October 20, 2024
There abides a kinship among us farmers that I reckon most civilians cannot fully comprehend. A brotherhood that makes the mafia oath of silence look like a drunken vow made with an Elvis preacher at that multi-level marketing convention you went to back in '89. There's a word in Spanish that translates as a friend that you would kill or die for, but in English we simply call that a farmer. Which is how in a town of 400 no one saw a thing when a local terrorist, whom the media euphemistically labeled a bully, was gunned down in broad daylight with at least 60 witnesses or co-conspirators. In these parts, we simply call that a good old fashioned, behind the woodshed, St. Joe ass kicking. Now, I hope you will excuse me but I need to mosey on down the road a piece and pick up some more buck shot for the impending war with those devils north of the 38th parallel or the demon pedocrats North of the Mason-Dixon line.
March 22, 2016
Interesting story about some modern frontier justice. I might be the only anarchist I know that enjoys true crime. Guilty pleasure I guess, this is the first one I've read in a long time though. It was great for wading back into those waters by reminding me about what I enjoy about well written true crime. One thing I love and that this book did well is paint a backdrop for the drama playing out. Wasn't the best, but its worth a read if you like the genre.
September 23, 2010
Really liked it. I can see that some people thougth the story was slow, maybe it was but i did not mind that so much. I wanted to know a bit more about trena though. Nobody confronted her about what she did and she got away with money as well. grrrrr
Nice book.
Nice book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2014
DNF
I didn't finish this. After I'd read about a third I gave up.
It didn't hold my interest. I found it boring and repetitive.
I googled to find out what happened and I have to say, he got his just desserts. Well done Skidmore!
December 17, 2016
I've read this book many times over the years and highly recommend it. Some true crime authors throw their books together from news clippings and Wikipedia, but MacLean obviously spent a lot of time in Skidmore, Missouri and researched this work thoroughly--it shows.
September 10, 2022
Excellent book about the unsolved murder of Ken McElroy who bullied, raped, shot, stalked and terrorized the tiny town of Skidmore, MO.
January 23, 2019
Incredibly disturbing and fascinating.
July 26, 2019
Look out for my review on bestevidence.fyi. Short form: solid, unfillery, prose up to the task of explicating a story whose end is already known.
August 5, 2019
This took me a second to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I felt like it was a pretty even-handed portrayal of the events that occurred. It could have been easy for the author to just crucify McElroy, since he really was a true piece of shit person. But just presenting the facts as they happened still did not inspire any sympathy from me. In interesting case, and even more interesting when you look at future crimes in the same small town.
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