This was a quick read and is the first in the Bloodlands series by Harold Schechter. I had never heard this story before but it was fascinating how even in the 1860s they were able to track and find the killer fairly quickly. The legwork put in was absolutely outstanding.
It is a mix of history, true crime and a bit on the macabre side.

The story is about Albert Hicks, who murdered the crew of a oyster sloop and stole what money and belongings they had. The bodies were never found, as he dumped them at sea, but they were still able to get a conviction and sentence him to death, but not for the murders! He was sentenced to death due to piracy, and one of the last people executed for that in the United States. He was executed in front of a crowd of 10 thousand witnesses anchored in the waters off of Bedloe's Island (now Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty resides). It was an absolutely fascinating story.

This is the first thing I have read by Schechter and I am looking forward to the rest of the Bloodlands series.