Midnight Assassin

Starred review from February 14, 2005
Historical whodunit devotees who have devoured all the literature on famous real-life mysteries will delight in this stirring and evocative account of an obscure turn-of-the-century Iowa murder. Law professor Bryan and her husband, Wolf, a writing consultant, vividly bring to life the baffling events of the night of December 1, 1900, when a well-to-do farmer named John Hossack was fatally attacked with an ax while sleeping in his bed. Suspicions soon focused on his long-suffering wife, Margaret, who claimed to have been asleep by her husband's side when the assault took place. A history of domestic strife convinced the local authorities that she had finally snapped after years of threats and verbal abuse. As the evidence against her was only circumstantial, her guilt was a matter of dispute, even after her conviction (eventually reversed on appeal). Alternate theories of the crime, accusing the Hossacks' children, disgruntled neighbors or a "mysterious horseman," should have been a little more fleshed out by the authors. Nonetheless, they vividly portray the era's attitudes toward women (indicated by a tolerance of domestic abuse) while crafting a tale that reads like a good novel, complete with clues—like a dog that failed to bark—that feel straight from Perry Mason The tale is given heightened immediacy by the authors' description of how alive the case still is in the minds of local townspeople even a century later—Bryan and Wolf were even warned they might be in danger if they got too close to the truth. Agent, Gary Morris at David Black Literary Agency.

April 15, 2005
Bryan (law, Univ. of North Carolina) and coauthor Wolf present a true-life, turn-of-the-century courtroom drama set in Iowa farm country. On December 1, 1900, Indianola farmer John Hossack was axed to death in his home. The initial investigation pointed to Hossack's wife, Margaret, as the attacker. She was eventually arrested, tried, and convicted of murder and imprisoned. However, the conviction was overturned on a technicality, and the second trial ended in a hung jury. Throughout the process, Margaret denied murdering her husband. However, it was common knowledge in the region that John was an abusive man who had threatened to harm his family and that Margaret feared for her life. Though she was never retried, much of the evidence points to Margaret as the culprit. The authors use trial transcripts and period newspaper accounts to tell this story, offering not only an interesting trial drama but also a look into social attitudes of rural America at the beginning of the 20th century, especially toward women. Recommended for academic and public libraries. -Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg

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