I had the special opportunity to be able to review an e-copy of this novel compliments of NetGalley, Author Peter Kaufman, and University of Iowa Press. All opinions are my own despite receiving an e-copy at no cost in exchange for this review.
Skull in the Ashes
By Peter Kaufman
On a February night in 1897, the general store in Walford, Iowa, burned down. The next morning, townspeople discovered a charred corpse in the ashes. Everyone knew that the store’s owner, Frank Novak, had been sleeping in the store as a safeguard against burglars. Now all that remained were a few of his personal items scattered under the body.
At first, it seemed to be a tragic accident mitigated just a bit by Novak’s foresight in buying generous life insurance policies to provide for his family. But soon an investigation by the ambitious new county attorney, M. J. Tobin, turned up evidence suggesting that the dead man might actually be Edward Murray, a hard-drinking local laborer. Relying upon newly developed forensic techniques, Tobin gradually built a case implicating Novak in Murray’s murder. But all he had was circumstantial evidence, and up to that time few murder convictions had been won on that basis in the United States.
Others besides Tobin were interested in the case, including several companies that had sold Novak life insurance policies. One agency hired detectives to track down every clue regarding the suspect’s whereabouts. Newspapers across the country ran sensational headlines with melodramatic coverage of the manhunt. Veteran detective Red Perrin’s determined trek over icy mountain paths and dangerous river rapids to the raw Yukon Territory town of Dawson City, which was booming with prospectors as the Klondike gold rush began, made for especially good copy.
Skull in the Ashes traces the actions of Novak, Tobin, and Perrin, showing how the Walford fire played a pivotal role in each man’s life. Along the way, author Peter Kaufman gives readers a fascinating glimpse into forensics, detective work, trial strategies, and prison life at the close of the nineteenth century. As much as it is a chilling tale of a cold-blooded murder and its aftermath, this is also the story of three ambitious young men and their struggle to succeed in a rapidly modernizing world.
Praise For Skull in the Ashes:
“Not a perfect crime, but a perfect page-turner by a skilled storyteller.”—Lester V. Horwitz, author, The Longest Raid of the Civil War
“Peter Kaufman has pulled off an impressive piece of historical detective work, digging deep into the archives to uncover a remarkable murder mystery and sleuthing adventure that stretches from Iowa to the Klondike and back. The captivating story opens a window on American life in the beguiling 1890s.”—Robert Loerzel, author, Alchemy of Bones: Chicago’s Luetgert Murder Case of 1897
“From Iowa to the Klondike and back again, Peter Kaufman scatters clues as he draws upon the actual words of dogged reporters and legal aces, a crack detective and a parade of witnesses. Just as the chain of events packed a courtroom a century ago, this real-life crime story will enthrall readers today.”—Ginalie Swaim, State Historical Society of Iowa
Purchase Links: * Amazon * University of Iowa Press * Barnes & Noble *
My View:
First off I do have to say that if you are unfamiliar with the layout and towns of Iowa, this book might be harder for you to understand. As a lot of information pertaining to certain distances between towns and descriptive scenes of life within towns are prevalent throughout this book. There is also a lot of extra history that is shared about places, events, and history of certain people. It reminded me of the way “The Grapes of Wrath” is set up.
Now, because I was born and raised in Iowa I was fully knowledgeable of everything that the author was describing. This is the advantage that I had for this book being read smoothly without any confusion. I really enjoyed reading all the mystery surrounding the events of the night of the fire. I found myself constantly second guessing myself about what “really” happened and whose body was actually found. Even more intriguing was trying to answer “Why”.
The author was able to paint the story in a way that is probably as accurate as you can get, without being there in person. If you are a True-Crime freak {like I am} you are sure to fall in love with the history of this case. Keep in mind though that it could be a difficult read in some instances if you don’t know much about Iowa.