This book covers the life and activities of Robert George Irwin. Irwin was the son of Reverend Benjamin Irwin, a preacher in the Holiness Movement. (I have family members who grew up in this Holiness Movement, and having first hand experience with some of these believers makes this make a lot of sense.) His father married his mother, while already married, and abandoned this second family. Irwin subsequently spent fifteen months in a reformatory, where he learned to sculpt. He was actually a proficient sculptor, making wax figures and commercial busts of notable people. He was in and out of mental institutions for various behaviors, including trying to emasculate himself with a razor and suicidal thoughts. He had enrolled in school, and was dismissed due to his unstable nature...a few days later, he carried out his murders. He killed three people on Easter Sunday, 1937.

The book also covers relevant crimes and locations of the area, which slightly confused me at first. I wasn't really sure how it tied in. I love Harold Schechter, who was originally recommended to me via a podcast I listen to. (The Last Podcast On The Left- they reference his works on other killers several times.) All of his work is well researched, and he does give outside context instead of just laying out the facts of the case, which I like as a historian. This book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited and in the Audible Plus catalogue.