پیاده‌روی مرگ

Bloodlands Collection #5

by Harold Schechter, بابک طهماسبی (Translator)

هر جلد از مجموعهٔ مشاهیر مرگ ماجرای قتل‌های زنجیره‌ای یک یا چند قاتل سریالی را به‌صورت وقایع‌نگاری توصیف و روایت می‌کند. برخی از این قتل‌ها و عاملانشان مشهور بوده و علاقه‌مندان به این ژانر شناختی هرچند نسبی از آن‌ها دارند. بازهٔ تاریخی شش قتل البته مختص دوران معاصر نبوده و به‌طور مثال ماجرای قتل اول به قرن نوزدهم و قتل آخر به اواسط قرن بیستم میلادی برمی‌گردد. عنصر خشونت بالا و مشکلات روانی قاتلان از درون‌مایه‌های اصلی این مجموعه هستند. در این جلد، شرح ماجرای کشتار خیابانی هاوارد آنرو در نیوجرسیِ ۱۹۴۹ را می‌خوانیم. آنرو یک روز به‌طور ناگهانی از خانه بیرون رفته و در جریان قدم زدنش در خیابان، سیزده نفر را به گلوله می‌بندد. این واقعه، که از آن با نام «پیاده‌رَوی مرگ» یاد می‌شود، به‌عبارتی نخستین ظهور پدیدهٔ قتل‌عام‌های آمریکایی بوده و باعث شد آنرو را نماد و چهرهٔ قتل‌عام‌های نوین آمریکایی بدانند.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Audiobook, Short Stories, Historical

88 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2018

About the author

Aka Jon A. Harrald (joint pseudonym with Jonna Gormley Semeiks)

Harold Schechter is a true crime writer who specializes in serial killers. He attended the State University of New York in Buffalo, where he obtained a Ph.D. A resident of New York City, Schechter is professor of American literature and popular culture at Queens College of the City University of New York.

Among his nonfiction works are the historical true-crime classics Fatal, Fiend, Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved. He also authors a critically acclaimed mystery series featuring Edgar Allan Poe, which includes The Hum Bug and Nevermore and The Mask of Red Death.

Schechter is married to poet Kimiko Hahn. He has two daughters from a previous marriage: the writer Lauren Oliver and professor of philosophy Elizabeth Schechter.

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

His infamous “walk of death”

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an age where mass shootings seem to dominate the news, the story of the man often referred to as the father of the modern mass murder was an interesting and disturbing one. In 1949, Harold Unruh finally cracked after years of simmering frustration and anger. He picked up his Luger pistol, walked out into his Camden, NJ neighborhood and gunned down 13 of his neighbors. He kept diaries listing his frustrations and anger. His homosexuality was often the cause of gossip and verbal abuse by neighbors as it was not accepted behavior at the time. He felt ostracized and victimized because he lived with his mother and was unemployed. Nobody thanked him for his service in WWII, nobody asked him if he was okay....he felt they all laughed at him behind his back. Until the day he reached his limit....and calmly, methodically walked through the streets shooting people.

Rampage is the final story in the Bloodlands Collection, a collection of six true crime stories. This one definitely had me thinking about present day events as Unruh's story unfolded. He kept diaries of the enemy soldiers he killed during the way, methodically listing information about the kill and how their bodies looked, etc. Then he came home from war....obviously mentally strained by the experience....and received no mental health care. He endured bullying about his inability to keep a job and his homosexuality. And then killed those who he felt victimized him. He was a ticking time bomb for years. And nobody noticed. Or, nobody cared. Or even worse....maybe everyone figured he was a worthless enough person that his rage, hurt, mental illness didn't matter. Maybe they felt he was defenseless...so an easy target? Who knows.... But it is undeniable that Harold Unruh's ramage through the streets of Camden that day in 1949 started a slide down a very slippery slope that we still deal with today. Gun violence. Mass shootings. Rage, victimization, and mental illness do not mix well with guns.

I found this story interesting, informative and disturbing. I had never heard of Harold Unruh before I listened to this audio book. I thought the problem was a more modern issue....but it's been around a long, long time. Soldiers came home from the world wars broken men......and re-entered society with no mental health care to help them deal with what they experienced and did during war. Yikes. My father fought in WWII and refused to talk about it. He told me very few stories, but mostly said it was too horrific to discuss. As I listened to this story, I wish my father had been able to talk to someone about his experiences so that he could get that weight off him. It was obvious the experience had a huge emotional impact on him...but he was unable to even speak of it.

All in all, an informative, interesting story. Very thought provoking. It talked about Unruh's crime, his arrest, and incarceration in a mental asylum. After listening to these six true crimes stories by Harold Schechter, I'm definitely going to read more of his writing. He has written other true crime novels about notorious killers H.H. Holmes, Ed Gein and Belle Gunness. I think I need a bit of a break before delving into his other stories though....I need to read some light fiction before venturing into the dark again. I have his book about Belle Gunness waiting on my TBR list for when I'm reading for more.....can't wait to read it!

[Roya · Rating 4 out of 5]

توی این جلد، پرونده‌ی "هاوارد آنرو" بررسی میشه که در سال 1949 به عنوان "پدر قتل عام مدرن" شناخته شد.
ماجرای این جلد خیلی جالب‌تر از جلدهای دیگه بود برای همین در ادامه خلاصه‌ای ازش می‌نویسم که قطعا اسپویل داره:


اولین چیزی که توجه خواننده رو جلب میکنه، چهره‌ی آنروئه که شبیه بچه‌های دبیرستانی درس‌خونه و همه به اتفاق اون رو پسرِ باادب و قابل اعتمادی می‌دونستن که هیچ‌وقت رفتار ناپسندی نداشته.
اغلب جنایتکاران و بزهکاران، توی کودکی‌شون والدین بدرفتار داشتن اما آنرو خانواده‌ی خوبی هم داشته.
اون مرتبا به کلیسا می‌رفت و اکثر اوقات مشغول مطالعه‌ی انجیل بود.
تنها خصیصه‌ای که در اون زمان عیب می‌دونستند، روابط همجنسگرایانه‌ش بود.
آنرو یک سال بعد از ورود آمریکا به جنگ جهانی دوم، در ارتش نام‌نویسی کرد و سه سال بعد به خونه برگشت و عده‌ای دلیل این جنایتش رو حضور در محیط خشونت‌آمیز جنگی می‌دونن.
دلیل قتل‌عامی که آنرو به راه انداخت، شک بیش از حد اون بود. به طوریکه حس می‌کرد همه‌ی افراد محله پشت سرش حرف می‌زنند و از روابط همجنسگرایانه‌ش خبر دارند و عامدانه با کارهاشون اون رو آزار میدن.
برای همین یک صبح بعد از صرف صبحانه، تفنگی که از جنگ به عنوان یادگاری آورده بود رو برمی‌داره و به پیاده‌رو میره و جمعا 13 نفر رو که حس می‌کرده پشت سرش حرف می‌زنند و عده‌ای صرفا چون در زمان و مکان اشتباه بودند می‌کشه و به خونه برمی‌گرده و روی تخت دراز میکشه.
پلیس اون رو بازداشت میکنه و آنرو با بی‌حسیِ تمام اعتراف میکنه که قتل گناه بزرگیه و لایق صندلی الکتریکی‌‌‌ئه ولی از کارش پشیمون نیست و اقرار میکنه که اگر فشنگِ بیشتری داشت، هزار نفر دیگه رو هم به قتل می‌رسوند. آنرو تنها به دلیل اینکه اشتباهی چند کودک رو کشته متأسف بود.
همچنین اعتراف کرد که قصد داشته مادرش رو هم بکشه چون می‌دونست این جنایت درد بزرگی برای مادرش در پی خواهد آورد اما مادرش از خونه فرار کرد.
وقتی آنرو از روی صندلی بازپرسی بلند میشه، مقدار خون زیادی روی صندلی جمع شده بوده که متوجه میشن آنرو طی درگیری، به لگنش شلیک شده و در تمام این مدت، اون بدون بروز احساس درد به شرح جزئیات جنایتی که انجام داده مشغول بوده.
اون تحت آموزه‌های کاتولیک، قتل رو گناه می‌دونسته و برای همین خودش رو لایق درمان گلوله نمی‌دونست.
پنج دکتر، آنرو رو از لحاظ روانی معاینه می‌کنند و چهار نفرشون اعلام می‌کنند که این فرد از لحاظ روانی مشکل داره و دادگاه به جای اعدام، حکم بستری شدن در بیمارستان روانی رو اعلام میکنه که موجب نارضایتی همه مخصوصا خانواده‌ی قربانی‌ها میشه.

در نهایت، هاوارد آنرو در سال 2009 توی 88 سالگی در آسایشگاه با مرگ طبیعی فوت می‌کنه!

[Amin Tuysserkani · Rating 4 out of 5]

جالب و دردناک
اینکه یک جنایت هولناک با دیدی وسیع و همه‌جانبه روایت می‌شود و تا سرنوشت جانی و قربانیان حتی بعد از شصت سال پیگیری می‌شود، کتاب را بسیار خواندنی کرده است.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!! How had I never heard of this before!?!? Unruh was the definition of cold blooded killer, his literal rampage was heinous and swiftly carried out.

[Laur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sometimes hard to rate a book about horrendous subjects that involve true-crime... keeping in mind, my rating is not the subject itself, but on how well told, organised, and thoroughly depicted, the subject content is presented.

This true-crime audio account, "Rampage", bares the resemblance of a milestone in history of which we see more of this type of crime unfortunately in our times .... a "Lone-Wolf Rampage Killer", a single mass murderer, that has an apocalyptic rage, seeking to kill as many as he can, in the shortest time possible. In the USA, think: Stephen Paddock (killed 60), Devin Kelley (killed 25), James Huberty (killed 21), with countless more injured from their attacks.

This is the story of Howard Unruh, who managed to kill 13 people in 13 minutes (12 immediately + 1 died a short time later). His attack was brutal, with no mercy, killing men, women, a 9 yr old boy, and a 2 yr old toddler that was looking through a window.

"In 1949, things like this just didn’t happen: A quiet New Jersey resident took a morning walk with a 9 mm Luger pistol". It's claimed from that day, things were never the same, and many people were outraged that Unruh, never got what he deserved. First degree murder or mental illness? After his obsessive diaries were discovered with journals of people on his list—he catalogued simmering rage, petty grievances, and sexual repression, all of which lead him to a desire, a thirst, that he MUST RETALIATE.

The succeeding decades would confirm that Unruh’s “Walk of Death” was just the beginning. The prototype for the modern mass murderer, he would usher in a new age of violence in America.

[Martin, I stand with ISRAEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book is about a mass murderer named Howard Unruh. In 1949, Unruh went a killing spree in his hometown of Camden, New Jersey where he killed 13 people. At the time it was, perhaps, one of the most notorious mass murders of modern history.

His excuse was that it was payback fo all those people who had wronged him over his life. Unfortunately, he happened to kill children and onlookers who got in his way. As he was winding his way down on his killing spree, someone shot him. He seem unfazed and still managed to kill two more people.

He was eventually arrested and gave a full confession of his shootings. Unruh showed no remorse while giving his monotone account of his day to the police. Four psychiatrists assessed his mental state at different times. Three felt he was psychotic and one felt he was fully competent to stand trial. Eventually, Howard Unruh was sentenced to life in a mental institution.

I truly enjoy this and many of the other shorts stories the authors writes about.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short story from the Amazon Bloodlands Collection, this is the story of Harold Unruh of Camden, NJ. He is often referred to as the first modern mass murderer.

One thing I found really interesting was that after this rampage, the NRA was instrumental in getting legislation passed (or maybe it wasn't a law but just a public initiative - I was reading it late and can't recall exactly) regarding "souvenir" weapons - foreign-made guns the soldiers brought home from overseas when the war was over. (Unruh used a Luger he brought home from Germany). The push was for people to bring them in and have them disabled so they couldn't be fired. I doubt the NRA would push for that today.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rampage takes a look at the mass shootings in our American history. Although there were not as many as we have now, it is still a devastating event that shakes the whole community. This book covers some of the events and shooters and why they say they did it.
Narration was good and appropriate.

[Julie Young Buckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening and Frightening

"The tipping point came when Unruh had returned from his outing to Philadelphia at around three o’clock that morning and discovered that his backyard gate had been torn from its hinges." .... and so he shot up the town.

[Kaveh Rezaie · Rating 4 out of 5]

از مجموعه «مشاهیر مرگ»(Bloodlands Collection) نوشته شکتر که استاد ادبیات در امریکاست و تخصصش داستان‌های جنایی مستند است. این مجموعه شش جلد کم‌حجم در قطع پالتویی است که در هرکدام به جنایت و قاتلانی مشهور در تاریخ امریکا می‌پردازد. تمامی اتفاق‌هایی که در هر کدام آورده شده مستند است و مرجع آن در انتهای کتاب آورده شده است. شکتر استادانه این فکت‌ها را کنار هم چیده و به شکل داستان‌هایی جذاب درآورده است.

داستان «پدر قتل مدرن» تاریخ امریکا که فکر می‌کنم در تقریبا بیست دقیقه، سیزده نفر را کشت...بچه و زن و ... همگی در همسایگی منزل‌اش...

[Nikolas Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rampage is the story of Howard Unruh, a man who, in 1949, would murder thirteen of his neighbors (and people passing through his neighborhood) before returning to his apartment and returning to bed because he'd run out of ammunition. As the killer himself indicated during an interview, he'd have killed a thousand if he'd had sufficient ammunition.
Repressed homosexuality, experiences during the conflict of WWII, and assorted petty grievances against his neighbors simmered for years until finally exploding in a cold, meticulous series of killings that would thoroughly destroy the relative peace of Camden, NJ.
Considered the face of modern mass murder, Unruh had no apparent interest in committing suicide at the end of his bloody rampage, nor any plan to be killed by the police. He simply wanted to kill the people he perceived as being aligned against him or of having committed one slight or another, and once Unruh started, he didn't seem interested in stopping until he had no choice but to do so.
The descriptions of the murderer's flat affect and calm demeanor both during the rampage and during the subsequent questioning, while a bullet remained lodged in his thigh, were unnerving in a way I can't quite put into words.
Steven Weber's narration was as high quality as it has been for the rest of the Bloodlands stories, and I would love to hear him narrating further true crime audiobooks and even documentaries.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 An interesting road trip listen (hey, Curveball!), about a mass murderer and homicide history.

[rose ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“every historical period seems to produce its own signature crime, one that mirrors the darkest anxieties of the moment.”

serving as a conclusion to the entire collection as well as its own story, rampage focuses on the man known as “the father of modern mass murder,” who picked up his gun, went for a walk, and murdered thirteen people on september 6, 1949. this was one of the stronger works in the bloodlands collection, neatly wrapping up the thread running through all six narratives: that humanity hasn’t changed as much as we think it has.

rating: 4/5 stars

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick profile on a man who became the face of modern mass murder. Interesting but I wish there was more on Unruh throughout the years. I would’ve liked to see more psychological profile details as psychology progressed as a practice.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rampage wraps up the impressive Bloodlands Collection by true crime bad ass Harold Schechter, and he wraps it up with a phenomenon important to all of us in the twenty-teens -- the spree killing.

There is more than a little of Rampage that ties back to the fourth volume in the series -- Panic -- where a criminal behaviour suddenly seems more prevalent than ever before, and can easily be blamed on something ugly in society, as though that ugly thing is new and easily definable.

We look around today and see rampages happening every month or so. We hear words like Sandy Hook, Columbine or El Paso and we can instantly see the horror of mass shootings, and we feel like it is new and terrible and unprecedented. Schechter wants us, however, to face the fact that this moment -- this spree killer panic -- is nothing new, that there is a long history of spree killing, and that the only thing that is different is the weapons in use rather than the motivations that underlie the phenomenon.

Today's pundits point to toxic masculinity or white supremacy as the root causes of our current spree killer "explosion," but Schechter convincingly muddies those waters, morphing our new found "spree panic" into something less gender or race oriented and more culturally driven by those peculiarities that "make America (USA?) great" -- war, militarism, insufficient mental health care, and on and on.

Rampage is an excellent finish to an excellent series, and it may be my favourite volume of the bunch, even if it doesn't have a title that can even begin to compete with Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie.

[Maria Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Unruh’s killing spree on the morning of September 6, 1949, in Camden, New Jersey—at the time, the worst massacre of its kind on record—earned him lasting infamy as “The Father of Modern Mass Murder.”

This whole case was so bizarre, Howard Unruh apparently kept putting aside everything that he hated and found not pleasing from his neighbors or anything close to his apartment. After a couple of year, one morning he wakes up and simply decided to kill everyone that gets in his way. It kind of feels that he really had no motive at all, he just did it because he felt like it?

Did he kill the people he had an issue with? Yes. Did he killed kids or anyone else just because they were "wrong place, wrong time" and not even think about it? Absolutely. I think at some point he even said 'I didn't want to shot the kid but I just did it, he was in the way'.

The whole thing took less than 20 minutes... entirely bizarre.

These are some of the extra readings that I'm going to consider later from the Notes section:
● Berserk!: Motiveless Random Massacres by Graham Chester
● The Story of the First Mass Shooting in U.S. History by Patrick Sauer
● The Strange Case of Howard Unruh by Robert M. Yoder
● Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine by Andrew Scull

[Jason Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

First case of a mass murderer. Unbelievable that he knew what he was doing and showed no remorse

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when Amazon groups these books all together, would enjoy seeing why and how they decide to do this?? all these are by: Harold Schechter? that is a 1st, right?? don't they usually have book by different authors? i made a list of my most favorite and in which order!! (I apparently did not read them in order, just jumped around and listen/read what i wanted to, that is how i roll!!!) 1. Rampage, 2. Brick Slayer, 3. Panic, 4. Pied Piper, 5. Little Slaughterhouse, & 6. Pirate (auto and books Kindle Unlimited, Bloodlines (okay, I realize how that I have been typing the wrote word it is Bloodlands!! OOPS!!!)) I definitely think you have to have both the listen and read ...'cause there are so many awesome must see stuff. I love the narrator. "Steve Weber". then when you read the books .. u get like these amazing visuals. so cool! i will say these are not always pleasant stories ...they are pretty harsh ...but I would imagine that was well known before you starting reading?? right??! i mean these are not romances ... but i wonder ... i guess i could read some of the reviews (have yet to do that. some reviewers get kind of weird about certain things??!) I really enjoyed it ...and glad i found these. i know i wanna see more from Harold soon enough!! way cool! I do wonder ... can you really lump killers or folks who commit similar crimes into one box??! i recall when i was in college my teacher said we all have similar thoughts or feelings ...but the ones who go about carrying out the evilness ...that is what makes us different. it makes you wonder what sends them over the edge or make them so mean?? hateful?? have they been hurt in their past? treat wrong when raised ...what is it?? can you just narrow it all down to 1,2, and 3 ..and these reasons make you so to carry out evil ways??! i wonder??!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rampage is the fifth book in the Bloodlands series. It covers mass murderer Howard Unruh, who went on a “walk of death” and killed 13 people in his neighborhood.

This might have been my favorite in the series, as I know a little about his case. He was found insane after the crimes and spent the next 60 years locked in mental health facilities. Some of his victims were pre-determined, and others were just people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

His own family speculated that his time serving in WW2 changed him forever and could have led to this horrible incident. I think that since he was in his late 20’s and that is when certain mental illnesses raise their heads, it was unfortunate timing.

He never fully explained why, just made statements to things he believed they did and said about him and that was enough reason for him. His mental stability decreased over the years and he finally passed away in 2009, after 60 years of confinement.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally avoid True Crime because it creeps me out, and this one reminded me why. I can read (and write) about fictional evil and monsters all night long, but as has been stated before the real monsters are human.

This volume (there are six books in the series) is about what is considered the first shooting spree killing in the states which happened in Camden NJ in 1949. What's even more unsettling is after shooting and killing 13 people, the perpetrator was still around 60 years later. The murderer was also a WWII vet who saw a lot of combat, so the idea of undiagnosed PTSD is brought up as a possible factor, but that's just speculation.

There are photos and documents shown, but really this is more a long magazine article rather than a book. However, I think that works best in this case as this tells us all we really need to know. Very timely read I'm sad to say. If you are a True Crime fan this series is probably going to be for you.

[yAsAmAn · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب توی لیستم نبود هدیه گرفتمش، با یه جلد دیگه از همین مجموعه و نمیدونستم درمورد داستانا و قاتلای واقعیه، کتاب جمع و جورو جالبیه اگر به قتل و جنایت علاقه دارید مثل من😁 توی یه روز میشه خوندشون تقریبا، حالا برم سراغ قتل روی عرشه ببینم اون قاتلو بیشتر میپسندم یا هاواردو!
یه نکته‌ی جالبی که زندگیش داشت این قضیه بود که معمولا قاتل‌های سریالی و یا اینجور قاتلا بچگی مزخرفی داشتن، والدین سمی، نشونه‌های حیوان آزادی و آنرو هیچکدوم رو نداشت و خیلی زندگی نرمالی داشته تا قبل از رفتن به جنگ...
ولی جدی چند نفر از ماها ممکنه یه روز صبح از خواب بیدار بشیم و تصمیم بگیریم خیلی رندوم ادم بکشیم؟
مثلا اون جمله‌ای که گفته بود خشاب یا فشنگ کم داشتم وگرنه به هزاران نفر شلیک میکردم به نظرم خیلی مووود بود🦦
پ.ن: بعدا اگه مرتکب جنایت بشم قطعا از این ریویم به عنوان مدرک استفاده میکنن😂

[Steve Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first American spree killer

Decades before the killings in Columbine and other places one man killed over a dozen men, women and children one morning in Camden, NJ. Howard Unruh, a WWII veteran took a 9mm Luger pistol and methodically went out to kill neighbors he felt had insulted or wronged him. His spree lasted about 12 minutes until he ran out of ammunition.

Using court records and newspaper articles of the time, Schechter reveals the elements that led up.to the rampage and the eventual fate of Unruh.

[Nyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about Howard Unruh, who, after killing 13 victims and injuring five others, was dubbed "The Face (or Father) of Modern Mass Murder."

While mentioning a few peculiarities, the story outlines interesting differences between Unruh and the universally accepted profile of a mass murderer; namely, 1) Unruh came from a loving and somewhat stable home (although his parents divorced), and 2) Unruh was not suicidal.

The essay also gives a detailed account of the crime(s), most of which came directly from interviews of Unruh himself; the aftermath of his arrest, and it includes a brief history of "signature crimes."

1949 sounds like a very long time ago, but Unruh, outliving many of those affected by his killing spree, passed away only 13 years ago.

[Avid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold blooded killer

Void of an empathy. Calmly recounts his blind rampage spree of killings. Callously plotted and stewed over, killing many people for years, keeping notes about it until one day he snapped and acted out. This is definitely someone who needed to be kept away from the general public. Whether or not life in prison or a mental institution was the correct placement for him, I was not a witness to his behavior nor his crimes, so I can't judge if the punishment fit his crimes. I feel bad for all those left behind to grieve and his family.

Recommended 👍
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[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. This man went on a killing spree killing 13 people who basically annoyed him and did the busy body thing to him. While he was deemed unfit for trial after the mass murders he spent the rest of his days in the asylum. Great short read giving a glimpse into the mind of a psychopath.

[Dee Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th book I've read in the Bloodlands series & I can say it was a quick read. The author did a good job describing Howard B. Unruh's mental status before and after the massacre. Storyline flowed well as Unruh went to & fro each location causing death & destruction. His sentence did surprise me especially for the nature of the crime.

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally thought that it was not so much a portrait of a first American mass murderer but the first victim of a severe case of a post-war PSTD - the term, which didn’t even exist at that time. Throughout the whole narration, I kept asking myself: if Unruh hadn’t been to war, would he eventually turn into a violent sociopath who would wake up one day and go on a killing spree, executing thirteen people in cold blood, some of them children? He definitely had sociopathic tendencies but would they actually have awoken without such traumatic influence as the war? A fascinating study of character - highly recommended to all fans of the true crime genre!

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fine entry in Schecter's Bloodlands Collection; this one deals with case of spree killer Howard Unruh in 1949 New Jersey. I'd like to read Bob Considine's account, which is quoted extensively here.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what I needed: a short book about a heinous individual. What a creep!