The Bloodlands Collection by Harold Schechter
A collection of true crimes from America's early history, told by one of my favorite non fiction true crime authors, Harold Schechter.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Pros: one of my favorite nonfiction true crime authors, dark history, short, well written and researched, can be read as stand alones.
Cons: it's not necessarily a con but I want more. I would read 100 of these.
TW: Murder, Incest, Racism, Rape, Child Abuse, Death, Gun Violence, Child Death, Violence, Torture
This was a great little collection of nonfiction novellas documenting some of the lesser known aspects of America's dark history. Harold Schechter is one of my favorite true crime authors and he did a great job with each of these. Each book covers a different crime thoughtfully with great detail and research provided, plus the occasional pop culture tie in. I really enjoyed all of these on their own and as a collection.
A few things: I will be reviewing them individually and in order below. These are also available through Prime Reading and you can get the ebook versions and the audio narration included with your Prime membership. I highly recommend getting both so you can read along with the narration!
The Pirate - in 1860, a blood soaked oyster boat is found floating in the New York harbor with no one onboard.
I really liked this one but since it was my first taste of this collection, I gave it a tentative 3 star rating initially. After completing the series, I believe it is a tad closer to 4. Schechter just does a really great job of answering any questions the reader may have while telling these stories. I honestly can't believe this guy didn't get away with it! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .75
Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie - distant neighbors of Laura Ingals Wilder who ran an inn where the guests who checked in, never checked out.
This was the first book I saw when I was going down a list of Schechter's work. This is also how I found out that Laura Ingals Wilder was a real person - yes, I know. I'm a moron. I kinda just thought Laura was a pen name for a persona. I don't know, leave me alone. Needless to say, I got a lot from this book aside from the horrific, well written story. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5
The Brick Slayer - 1937 Los Angeles, a string of brutal home invasions where the weapon of choice was a brick.
This one had me so frustrated by the end because this story was clearly so tainted with the racism of the time, I am not sure they ever caught the right man but the racism was not shied away from in order to tell the story in a more palatable way and that, I appreciate. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .75
Panic - during The Great Depression, a series of child murders causes a nationwide panic.
This story really showcases the way that hysteria can spread in a time of high stress. It felt a little too familiar with our recent pandemic. I can't imagine how bad everything would've been if they'd had 24 hour news coverage back then. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5
Rampage - 1949, Howard Unrah goes on a shooting spree down the main street of his quiet New Jersey town.
I think this was my favorite of the bunch. I can't say exactly why but it's probably the same reason I like reading about John List and Ed Gein. The idea of the quiet, seemingly harmless loner who one day snaps is just so morbidly fascinating.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
The Pied Piper - a 1964 weird, wannabe greaser amasses a small cult following to help him with his murders.
This one was also so freaking fascinating and weird. Charlie Schmid was so dumb and ridiculous looking, I'm confused how he ever got anyone to like him, let alone help him murder people and dispose of bodies. Then again, I feel the same way about Charles Manson but I digress. The best part of this story was a little fun fact involving the short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates - which I also read. It was inspired by Schmid and I never knew that! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Collectively, I give this collection 5 stars. I think it was a great little collection, filled with morbid history, interesting anecdotes and solid research that collectively told a bunch of great stories. Schechter does it again! If you are looking to try out the genre of true crime non fiction, I think this collection would be a great place to start since they are well written/researched but also pretty short!