The Man from the Train
The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery
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The Man from the Train
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Narrated by:
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John Bedford Lloyd
About this listen
Using unprecedented, dramatically compelling sleuthing techniques, legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applies his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history.
Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Jewelry and valuables were left in plain sight, bodies were piled together, faces covered with cloth. Some of these cases, like the infamous Villasca, Iowa, murders, received national attention. But few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station.
When celebrated baseball statistician and true-crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then, after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter, Rachel, made an astonishing discovery: They learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal. In turn they uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America.
Riveting and immersive, with writing as sharp as the cold side of an axe, The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the 20th century, when crime was regarded as a local problem and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history.
©2017 Bill James & Rachel McCarthy James. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Man from the Train
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-07-21
Best crime book I’ve nearly read in years
Great unknown mystery solved with logic and a little bit of humour. Narrator was fantastic. I hope Bill James (and Rachel) sound just like him.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Miss Z Boulton
- 08-02-24
Researched
Really interesting, a very impressive amount of research.
My only real complaint was some of the authors own profiling on one of the Villisca suspects.
The authors personal opinion on the suspect did not appear to be based on any expert professional opinion, and certain illegal and very concerning behaviours that involve this suspect are downplayed, minimised and flat out dismissed.
I was left worry that the author felt these sexual behaviours were perfectly innocent and that a man of slight build would be harmless. It makes for uncomfortable listening.
This section felt out of place, considering the level of detailed research that was taken for the book overall.
There also appears to be a glitch in the last chapter, the story seemed to skip forward quite a bit.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mrs_v
- 13-10-17
Fascinating unknown story.
Really interesting, frightening and atmospheric book about a series of axe familcides across North America at the beginning of the 20th century. Well researched and perfectly captures rural, small town life in the US at that time. Very frustrating at times, partly down to lack of available information and the attitude of law enforcement at the time. I also think there is too much repetition, I get it for linking the crimes, but certainly phrases or information was unnecessarily repeated again and again. However this was a fascinating story and I couldn't stop listening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr G.
- 01-01-19
Intriguing and persuasive argument
All the components of a good book here. All the evidence presented seems well researched and thought out. The suspect presented seems plausible if not probable. I was inspired to explore aspects further and re explore the arguments and evidence a second time.
The book opened up an area of American crime history to me in a very accessible manner and I am left in no doubt that there was more of a sequence to the murders of 1911/1912 than previously thought.
A thoroughly enjoyable read/ listen!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- TonyG
- 25-01-24
Repetitive
What did I expect? By the time I read about the eleventh murder situation in this book it had become boring. The modus operandi was the same. Details about the victims differed, but not significantly. The pictures painted seem to rely upon historic newspaper reports, and the research seems one dimensional. Was the weapon an axe or a lead pipe? Who cares? If readers like this genre, go for it. But it's not a Jack the Ripper of American railroads.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Dee Cartwright
- 30-06-19
It really goes on with nothing fresh to add
struggled to maintain the will to live. this really is a well researched book... yet honestly, never really managing to capture my interest. It turned into a test of endurance.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-02-19
Complete conjecture. An utter waste of time.
Do not waste your time and money on this boring and pointless book. The only good thing was the narrator; everything else was extremely poor.
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