Book Review: ‘Eliot Ness And The Mad Butcher’ By Max Allan Collins And A. Brad Schwartz

Authors Max Allan Collins and A. Brad Schwartz had written a great look at Eliot Ness and The Mad Butcher that was the terror of Cleveland. Expertly researched it covers so much from prohibition, gambling, corruption and how Eliot Ness came to town to clean it up.

Ness became the Safety Director (in other words Police Chief) of Cleveland. He started cleaning up the city when bodies were being found. The bodies were cut up with heads being taken off and found and then the body and then maybe an arm and a leg. By 1938 the killer had stopped and reportedly was never found. Rumor has it Ness had a man in custody that could have been the Mad Butcher but never was charged and disappeared.

The book follows his exploits after The Mad Butcher and into his retirement in 1945. A time where things went downhill for him bad.

I was fascinated by this book. I wasn’t aware of any of what I read in regards to the Butcher story. Of course I knew about all the other bad things. Eliot Ness really was a bad ass and the authors have done their work in bringing the facts and story out in a realistic way.

You can pick up the book in stores on Tuesday, August 4th from William Morrow.