Hell's Half-Acre : The Untold Story of the Benders, America's First Serial Killer Family

Today's nonfiction post is on Hell's Half-Acre : The Untold Story of the Benders, America's First Serial Killer Family by Susan Jonusas. It is 345 pages long and is published by Viking. The cover is a picture of lone house on the open prairie and black smoke coming from the chimney. The intended reader is someone who likes historical true crime. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and some violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In 1873, the people of Labette County, Kansas, made a grisly discovery.
Buried by the trailside cabin beneath an orchard of young apple trees were the remains of countless bodies. Below the cabin itself was a cellar stained with blood. The Benders, the family of four who once resided on the property, were nowhere to be found. The discovery of their horrifying crimes sparked an epic manhunt across Kansas, Indian Territory, and beyond, and send the local community and national newspapers into a frenzy of speculation that continued for decades afterward.
The idea that a family of seemingly respectable homesteaders- one among the thousands relocating farther west in search og land and opportunity after the Civil War- were capable of operating 'a human slaughter pen' appalled and fascinated the nation. The cabin on the prairie, traditionally a place for weary travelers to seek shelter and company, suddenly became something frightening and unknowable. In this suspense filled tale of murder on the American frontier, Susan Jonusas examines who the Benders really were, why they committed such a vicious killing spree, and whether justice ever caught up to them- a mystery that remains unsolved to this day. Drawing on extensive original archival material, Jonusas introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, many of whom have been previously missing from the story. Among them are the families of the victims, the hapless detectives who lost the trail, and the fugitives who helped the murderer escape.

Review- An interesting and mostly forgotten piece of American western history. Out in the plains of Kansas and the Midwest in general, people go missing. Tragic but nothing unusual. But then travelers who had family waiting for them and friends looking for them, starting going missing. But only after they stopped at a lonely cabin between Independence and Ladore, KS. The family that lived in that cabin, the Benders, said that the travelers had been there but they had moved on per their plans. Then one day, the Benders who gone too. When investigating their cabin, the searchers discovered a grim place that smelled of blood. Jonusas does a great job in re-creating the world that the Benders lived and killed in. From primary resources like court documents and dairy entries. The writing is excellent, with not too much detail for the faint of heart but Jonusas does not disguise how horrid the murders were. In the end she gives her person thoughts on what happened to the Benders but that is also part of the mystery. I would recommend this book for old west and historical true crime fans

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.