Shadow on the Hill: The True Story of a 1925 Kansas Murder

by Diana Staresinic-Deane

It was the most brutal murder in the history of Coffey County, Kansas.

On May 30, 1925, Florence Knoblock, a farmer's wife and the mother of a young boy, was found slaughtered on her kitchen floor. Several innocent men were taken into custody before the victim's husband, John, was accused of the crime. He would endure two sensational trials before being acquitted.

Eighty years later, local historian Diana Staresinic-Deane studied the investigation, which was doomed by destroyed evidence, inexperienced lawmen, disappearing witnesses, and a community more desperate for an arrest than justice. She would also discover a witness who may have seen the murderer that fateful morning.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Mystery

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Diana Staresinic-Deane is a Kansan-gone-Californian-gone-Kansan. Fascinated by little Kansas towns and their histories, she's happiest when she's digging through old newspapers and exploring old cemeteries. You can follow her Kansas adventures on her website, Diana Staresinic-Deane: Unearthing Stories on the Prairie.

Reviews

[CJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 in 3 men named john

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually enjoy the true crime genre and thought I would really like this one because it was set one county away from where I live but unfortunately this was a really dry read. Many facts were repeated over and over and there was no real resolution. I also didn't understand what the author's "dream journal" entries added to the book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fact that this takes place in my hometown made it interesting. I'm not sure if someone unfamiliar with the area and the people would enjoy the book as much.

[Alana · Rating 2 out of 5]

found it highly amusing that the author thought it was in any way appropriate to include excerpts from her dream journal and an interview she did with a with a psychic in this non-fiction book about an unsolved murder

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting true-crime story. I thought it could have been organized on a way to make the read more enjoyable, but the author still did well. I certainly ate it up!

[Tracy Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana's was a fascinating project. Shadow on the Hill tells the true story of a 1925 murder that took place just one county east of here. Florence Knoblock was brutally murdered on May 30, 1925, and her husband was tried twice, but never convicted, for the deed. It was a heart wrenching story, vividly illustrated by the author who spent nearly three years researching to pull together the facts of the case.

I downloaded the book late on a Sunday evening and began reading. After only a few chapters, I remembered what a pansy I am. I got up to lock all the doors and windows in my house and had to find some fluff to read for a few hours before I could go to bed. Still, the opening chapters stuck in my dreams for several nights!

After that, I limited myself to daytime reading so I didn't carry the story into my dreams so completely.

Though the story is factual, bringing together countless newspaper articles, trial transcripts and interviews, it is told in narrative form. I found myself examining all the characters as they were introduced. I won't tell you who I think did it, but I loved the way Diana dropped in pieces of information and clues along the way. In fact, I spent a couple more hours reviewing the evidence once I finished the book!

Aside from the gory details of the murder, I also loved the glimpses of Emporia's past. As someone who has recently adopted Emporia as a hometown, the story filled in a lot of blanks for me regarding the status and reputation of William Lindsey White (who passed away in 1973), in particular.

I highly recommend Shadow on the Hill to both the history and the mystery buffs out there. It is a stellar combination of the two.

[Charlene Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read true crime books usually but made an exception for this one written by a friend and I'm very glad that I did! While the truth about who murdered Florence Knoblock will never be known, there is a lot of information presented in this book that enables the reader to draw their own conclusions. Well written and thoroughly researched, the only drawback I found was that I would have liked the information about "party lines" to be presented earlier rather than halfway through the book as I had no idea that early telephone service was delivered this way (until I looked it up online). I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a well researched, well written, fast paced book even if you don't like true crime books this book will grab your attention! And may even make you late for work... twice!

[Katrina Yip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only true crime type book I have read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It is well written and meticulously researched. I was very engaged in the story - it's hard to put down! I find it somewhat difficult knowing that the murderer was never found and frustrating that the investigation was handled so poorly. Staresinic-Deane does offer some possiblities, and left me with the feeling that it was very unlikely that the husband (the only man ever tried for the crime) could have done this. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter passed this book on to me and I'm so glad that she did. It's very obvious that years' of research went into iit. I particularly liked the author's addition of news clippings, personal emails with relatives of people involved, and her footnotes of explanation. I hope to see future books by this author.

[Marie Carmean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent delve into a Kansas murder in 1925 of a young housewife. The author does some great detective work in trying to discover all of the facts of this case. When the crime scene is cleaned by well-meaning neighbors and relatives, in spite of signs saying KEEP OUT things go wrong in the police investigation. Rumors run rampant. Lies are told on the stand. Evidence is ignored. Her husband is charged with the murder in spite of over a dozen people seeing him in town running errands on that fateful morning. A passer-by is charged. In the end, we have a clue from Diana Staresinic-Deane about what really happened. Well-developed and a fascinating account that is hard to put down.

[Youseph Tanha · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book takes place near where I grew up. I saw a friend talking about it on facebook and so I got a copy. I am a big fan of history when it is not embellished and this book felt embellished to me. The author makes up people's personalities and physical ticks if you will. Will sometimes write about what the person in the book is thinking when where is no way she could no. I understand why she is doing this and I am sure many people have no problem with that. It's just not something I enjoy with historical pieces.

But, I still find myself thinking about this book and the people involved days after finishing it. I will be thinking about it for a long time to come for sure.

[Tim Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting account of an old unsolved murder in Burlington, KS. The story is well told. Although obviously taken from historical sources it is often told in third person with dialogue that may or may not have happened. Still it was worth reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what an interesting story. I'm amazed by how this book came about in the first place, finding a folder of newspaper clippings on a shelf.
I don't usually read true crime books, I don't think I've read any since my teenage years. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The writing is really good, it kept me interested and wanting to know the verdict.
Personally I liked the little snippets at the end of the chapters of an email, conversation, etc that the author had with someone relevant to the case.
I'd like to thank Diana for sharing this story with us, and well done for the very thorough research. I can't imagine how long was spent on the research.
A sign of a good book is wanting to know more. I want to see photos of the people, find out more about them and the case. So I'll be spending a few hours with Google later having a look around.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in crime (my mum would love it) and to those who like an interesting, nail biting story.

[Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practically every patron at the library where I work is reading or wants to read this unsolved mystery concerning a long-ago Kansas murder. On May 30, 1925, Florence Knoblock, in her early 30's, was found dead on her kitchen floor. Florence, married with a small boy named Roger, was mourned by her family, friends, while accusing fingers pointed and dastardly rumors swirled about the community. I liked how after every chapter the author included an interview or an email regarding her research on the murder, so it was like the story switched from past to present-day. Nobody was ever convicted of the Knoblock murder, but her husband, John, was put on trial twice. The author seemed to allude to a possible murderer, mentioning one or two men who walked with a limp. Other important things were mentioned in the book: bloodhound dogs, bread dough, a bloody razor found in a bedroom. This is a very compelling read, and one you won't want to put down!!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good read. I liked it mainly because it takes place near my home town and there were some familiar names in it. It does focus mainly on the trial rather than the murder. There is some great anticipation, but not like a thriller.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a free copy of this through Goodreads' giveaway. Very interesting book, although it is weakened by the inter-narrative breakup material. These include snippets from newspapers of the time (unclear as to whether they are direct quotes, edited quotes, or paraphrases) as well as interviews with family, recordings from the author's dream journal, and an interview with a psychic. Contrary to the superb narrative making up the majority of the book, these pieces seem out of place and are almost laughably irrelevant as the closest to an actual witness we get is an old woman who was 3 at the time. Still, an interesting read on an unsolved crime.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the story of how this book came about (an assistant librarian stumbles upon a folder of 85-year-old news clippings about a local murder and becomes obsessed with the case). It's obviously a sincere effort but I confess I'm not a fan of reconstructed dialogue and can't abide when authors ascribe thoughts and feelings to their real-life historical subjects (unless citing a diary entry or something similar). Snippets of emails and interviews were interspersed throughout the narrative as a stylistic device and actually moved the story forward, but I found the inclusion of a psychic reading questionable and incorporation of the author's dream journal inexcusable.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow on the Hill: The True Story of a 1925 Kansas Murder was well written grammatically and the author presents the facts in an unbiased way with just enough dramatic flair. It is an inherently confusing case to begin with set in a time when forensic science was in its infancy. The author did a pretty fantastic job considering it was an 88 year old case with little evidence left behind.

Check out my full review at my blog:
http://stacysbook.blogspot.com/2013/0...

[Alden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great, fast read. I couldn't put it down. I especially appreciate how the author raises real possibilities of other suspects but doesn't really resolve the issue. The one thing that's very certain is that there wasn't anything like a satisfactory investigation of Florence Knoblock's death at the time. If you like the true crime genre, this is a great pick!

[Olive · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting only because I lived in the area and know some of the family names in the book. I had to force myself to sit down and read it because it was slow, repetitive and tedious. Don't know if I'll be able to look at some of these people again without thinking about the murder, especially since the murder remains unsolved. Maybe Cold Case will grab onto it!

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally do not read true crime novels but thoroughly enjoyed this one. Well researched and written, the author deftly pulled together a compelling story out of what was otherwise a muddled and forgotten unsolved crime. The inclusion of the author's personal correspondence and experiences while conducting her research is a thought-provoking conclusion to each chapter.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting. I usually don't read true stories but I did find this one interesting. It was so messed up from the moment that poor woman's body was found it isn't a wonder that they never caught the real killer. The author did do a lot of investigation into the details of the story.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect combination of interesting story, meticulous research and intelligent writing makes for an entertaining read.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the journalistic approach to this book and how Staresinic-Deane added interviews, phone calls, etc. I also loved the description of Kansas counties and farmland in the late 1920s.

[Christel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to review this.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling read and interesting take on historical writing/reporting. Staresinic-Deane's done her homework and presents an engaging tale of murder and mystery in small-town Kansas.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #39 for 2013

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about a murder outside my hometown of Burlington in 1925. Familiar places and names come up.

[Jill Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I enjoyed reading this book and had a tough time putting it down. I was a fan of 'In Cold Blood' from an early age and this book is just as riveting.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's about my town and was such a scandal! Diana did such a good job of capturing the people and the environment around the trial. Definitely recommend!