Books Received

Abstract

Books Received Tobin T. Buhk. Pardonable Matricide: Robert Irving Latimer, from Michigan’s “Most Dangerous Inmate” to Free Man. Jefferson, NC: Exposit/McFarland (McFarlandBooks.com), 2019. Pp. 216. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. Notes. Paper: $19.99. On January 25, 1889, as newspaper headlines screamed over the “Jack the Ripper” murders in London, a gruesome killing in Jackson, Michigan, on that date caused a similar stir. The demise of pious Mary Latimer was attributed to her handsome wastrel of a son, Robert Irving Latimer, and the shocking matricide angle fueled national interest. Despite R. L.’s claim of a “perfect” alibi, he was sent (just up the road from his home) to the state prison. This hardly diminished public fascination in the case, with Latimer being compared to Frankenstein’s monster and Mr. Hyde as the subject of debate over Michigan’s implementation of the death penalty. Latimer’s ignominy actually grew after he entered prison, and we are reminded that American public furor over heinous acts hardly began with the Lindbergh kidnapping or O. J. Simpson. Buhk relies mainly on primary sources, particularly newspapers and state records, in his account. B. J. Hollars. Midwestern Strange: Hunting Monsters, Martians, and the Weird in Flyover Country. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2019. Pp. 208. Bibliography. Illustrations. Paper: $19.95. Even with its semi-lurid title, Midwestern Strange aspires to be more than an unsolved-mysteries rehash. With his base in the region where he was raised, B. J. Hollars recounts “My Year of Living Strangely”—during which he investigated some of the Midwest’s most-perplexing supernatural/scientific happenings. There are the cases of the “Beast of Bray Road,” a werewolftype creature of Wisconsin; rumored alien sightings in Minnesota and North Dakota; and, among others but perhaps most famously, the “Mothman” flying-humanoid incidents along the West Virginia-Ohio border that inspired a Hollywood movie. Michigan figures in, albeit briefly, as Hollars writes about a controversial piece of film once said to authenticate what many know as the “Dogman” legend. Hollars is a professor of English at the Universityof Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and his part-memoir, part-journalism project aims for reflection on what these mysteries mean in a “post-truth” world in which reality can be as elusive as UFOs and folkloric monsters. Edwin M. Bradley Central Michigan University ...