Several years before Jack the Ripper began preying on London women, a serial killer—perhaps the first in the U.S.—terrorized Austin, TX. Between 1885 and 1887 this so-called Midnight Assassin slaughtered 14 women, breaking into their bedrooms soundlessly and getting out before anyone knew what was happening. Skip Hollandsworth does an excellent job of contextualizing the murders and the city’s response, in a time before blood typing, fingerprinting, and other investigative techniques. Although Hollandsworth had no hope of solving the crimes, his obsessive study resulted in a fascinating book.