Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland

This book is a superbly researched account of the murder of John Hossack on Dec. 2, 1900, in Warren County, Iowa, and of the events that followed that murder. After you have read the book you will want to read the opinion of the Iowa Supreme Court in State v. Hossack, 116 Iowa 194, 89 N.W. 1077 (1902). I have never seen better research and insight into the legal events connected with a crime--actually more authentic than Capote's In Cold Blood. And it also throws light on the early life of Susan Glaspell as well--she was a reporter covering the trial of the accused murderer. You will not soon forget this well-written book.

This book grabbed my attention from the start. The authors have captured the details of a mysterious tragedy, extracting from the historic record the perceptions and experiences and the breathing presence of the participants, and woven a narrative fabric that is compelling and evocative. During the description of the hours and days immediately following the murder, the story line is particularly vivid, and several pages into this section I realized that information derived from witness testimony had been ingeniously interleaved in the real-time hour-by-hour description of who saw and noticed what. For example, the handing around of the family axe among visiting neighbors, and observation of hair and blood on the axe, prior to its being secured by the sheriff, is told with an immediacy that is truly striking in its verisimilitude. This retelling of the witness testimony as it was chronologically experienced by the witnesses prepares the reader for the drama of the courtroom scene, while tightening its narrative. The climactic description of the display of the murder bed by the prosecution lawyer, pulling aside the bloodied covers to reveal the "mass of blood showing where John Hossack's body had lain," highlights the conviction conveyed by this state attorney, who temporarily persuaded me of the wife's guilt, in the heat of his closing statement. The best writing does not depend on surprising turns of plot to carry a tale, but comes to life in the reader's re-living the events in empathy with its characters. Rarely have I seen this successfully executed in a book of non-fiction: hats off to Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf! What's your next book?

I first encountered this book simply because the cover caught my eye in a local bookstore. I had never heard of the book, or its authors. When I picked it up and read the back cover I realized this book was about an Iowa murder. Being from Iowa, I was greatly intrigued. I think this is an interesting topic because it's not exactly like murder trials today. Taking place in the early 1900s, mass media is not what it is today. A murder trial of this caliber would be inundated with Court TV and other news outlets today. Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf do an incredible job of investigating this gruesome murder. They also do an excellent job of retelling this relatively unknown story. This is a big piece of Iowa history, at least in my mind, and it is not a popular topic of conversation. I really enjoyed the family aspect, how a family will back one another and only they know the truth. All in all, this is an excellent read, especially if you are an Iowan. However, it is also an excellent read for anyone who thinks our Criminal Justice System is perfect. The authors tell the story like it is, they show the gender differences that existed over 100 years ago, and perhaps still exist today. It was unheard of for a wife to brutally murder her husband then, and for the most part, it still is today.

In their exploration of the murder of Iowa farmer John Hossack in 1900, Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf examine not only the question of who killed Hossack, but the difficulties of farm life during that time, and the roles women played on the farm and elsewhere in society. They also provide readers with a fascinating description of the trials of Hossack's wife, Margaret, for his murder. So this single volume is an unsolved mystery, an eye-opening piece of cultural history, and a real courtroom drama. That it's well written and engrossing in its details, with all the legal issues explained in a comprehensible and appealing way, just adds to its appeal. Bryan and Wolf also discuss the career of writer Susan Glaspell (who wrote about the Hossack murder herself when she was a reporter for the "Des Moines Daily News"), what prison life was like during the early part of the 20th century at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, and (my favorite part of the book) the markedly inferior CSI-like techniques used for criminal investigation during that period. This book isn't just an assemblage of dry facts. The events in it actually happened and the people actually lived, so plenty of facts are reported, but Bryan and Wolf's descriptions make the scenes, whether of the Hossack farmhouse or of the courtroom, vivid and memorable. And the main players in this story are so finely drawn that you genuinely care what happens to them. I expected this book to be interesting and informative, but it was also a pleasure to read. I always looked forward to returning to it.

This book was a great read! It felt like I was reading fiction but was haunted knowing it was a true story. I couldn't put it down as I kept developing new theories about the who might have killed John Hossack or why -- thinking surely I could figure it out by the end. But I couldn't. The issues about women's rights, family violence, and the how the medical, mental health, and legal systems (or lack of systems) operated in 1900 are fascinating and made me think about what has and hasn't changed. The clear descriptions let me visualize the farmhouse and imagine every drop of blood and where it landed.