Hoosier Killers: Indiana's Darkest History

by Ed Wenck

There are many varieties of killer, and in Hoosier Killers Ed Wenck breaks them down into several categories, Serial Killers, Spree Killers, Klan Killers, Gang Killers, Traveling Killers, Visiting Killers and even Would Be Killers. From the Fall Creek Massacre going back to 1820s to todays gruesome headlines, Ed Wenck takes the reader on a journey of terror they won't soon forget. Each crime is detailed with accounts from the news of the day and analysis from the author.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

220 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[Alexus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m both a Hoosier and a true crime fan, so I thought that this book would be a perfect read! It was fine, at best. There were a LOT of grammatical and sentence structure issues and a couple of spelling errors throughout. For some of the cases, it felt like the presentation was all over the place. Though I found it very informative, the delivery was severely lacking.

[Irish_I_was_reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy how they covered the history of each section, which is different types of killing. By different types, I mean the following: Serial Killers, Mass Killers, Race Killers, Gang Killers, Traveling Killers, and One-on-One Killers.

With some of the not so known killers, it talks about their history, as well to their death. I enjoyed how they also involved killers that their main kills weren’t in Indiana, they traveled around.

Reason I gave two stars:

When it came to the details of the killers, it was very choppy and seemed to bounce a lot. Also, when it came to the more famous killers, they didn’t have much coverage. It was so bad, I couldn’t sit and read the book all at once bc it seemed confusing.

For being a published book, it had A LOT of grammatical errors as well. I also feel like they could’ve covered Dillinger and Pierpont in the same section and just call it “The Dillinger Gang”, because they also mention a couple other members in the gang. Also, I was quite disappointed, since they covered those two, that they didn’t cover much on Baby Face, who absolutely loved killing FBI Agents and such.

To wrap this review up, the only reason I didn’t DNF this book is bc I noticed all this about 50% through it. I told myself if I get 50% or higher in a book, I have to finish it.

[Wayne Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covers hideous murders that occur in Indy / Indiana. As someone who lives in Indy and has become interested in true crime, this peaked my interest.

It briefly covers true crimes that are related to Serial Killers, Mass Murders / Killers, Race Killers (unfortunately this is Indy), Gang Killers, Travelling Killers and One on One Killers. Each Main Chapter has sub chapters which briefly provides some information regarding the crime, the backstory and the after effects.

It is entertaining. As someone who lives In Indy, I was aware of some of those crimes - and has visited some of these - unintentionally.

Some chapters have great detail. However, some of the chapters seem to meander. There are some that appears to end abruptly.
There are a lot of spelling errors. This didn't help.

Recommend if you are a true crime fan as to have a brief overview of this type of crimes in Indy.
Or to use to visit these areas

[Jan Agaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lived in Indiana for 3 years, which made this book more interesting than it probably would've been if I hadn't had any connection with the state lol. Although there were a handful of shocking anecdotes scattered throughout, the writing was awful & there were ENDLESS typos/grammatical & spelling errors, and I'm the type of person who gets thrown off and extremely distracted by those. I did learn a good amount from this book nevertheless, but I would never recommend it nor reread it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a hoosier native and a true crime fan, this book is a must have for your bookshelves. Mr Wenck delves into these locations and offenses with relish and decorum. There were quite a few locations of which I'd never heard. And as for the stories I thought I knew, he always had some new information for me regarding those cases. Great book!

[Darel Krieger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very good read. The author covered a lot of stories from way back to present day. Good research and he stuck to the story and how it affected Indiana. Definitely recommend this one.

[Melissa Loucks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I visit a new city I love finding books like this. I really liked how this one was formatted into different kinds of killers.

[Monica Nall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading about Indiana’s criminal history. Had to give it 4 stars for all of the grammatical and spelling errors.

[Justine Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having moved to Indiana and being a true crime fan, I absolutely had to pick this up when I found it at the library. The stories are creepy and keep you interested throughout the entire book. I would recommend as a quick read to anyone who is interested in getting to know the history of Indiana's murders.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great synopses of various killers in Indiana. Makes me look at Indiana differently......