The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders by James Presley
Summary: Set in the rowdy, often lawless town of
Texarkana shortly after WWII, The Phantom Killer is the
history of the most puzzling unsolved cases in the United States.
The salacious and scandalous murders of a series of
couples on Texarkana's "lovers lanes" in seemingly idyllic post-WWII
America created a media maelstrom and cast a pall of fear over an entire
region. What is even more surprising is that the case has remained cold for
decades. Combining archival research and investigative journalism, Pulitzer
Prize nominated historian James Presley reveals evidence that provides crucial
keys to unlocking this decades-old puzzle.
Dubbed "the Phantom murders" by the press,
these grisly crimes took place in an America before dial telephones, DNA
science, and criminal profiling. Even pre-television, print and radio media
stirred emotions to a fever pitch. The Phantom Killer, exhaustively
researched, is the only definitive nonfiction book on the case, and includes
details from an unpublished account by a survivor, and rare,
never-before-published photographs.
Although the case lives on today on television, the
Internet, a revived fictional movie and even an off-Broadway play, with so much
of the investigation shrouded in mystery since 1946, rumors and fractured facts
have distorted the reality. Now, for the first time, a careful examination of
the archival record, personal interviews, and stubborn fact checking come
together to produce new insights and revelations on the old slayings.
Angie's Comments: I had only heard a little about these murders and knew
that the murders might have inspired the urban legend of the hookman (the one
where a teenage couple is parked in lovers lane and they hear of an escaped
convict…). I really enjoyed the first half of the book. James Presley, nephew
of one of the investigators, creates an atmosphere and provides great details
about the murders and the fear that they inspired in the community. In the last
half of the book, Presley argues that one man is the murderer. He goes into
great detail about the movements and alibis of the man. The details were
slightly overwhelming. Is the man really the Phantom Killer? Presley thinks so,
although others may disagree.
This book really shows how humans
haven’t changed in the past sixty years.
The Phantom
Killer is recommended for true crime readers.
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