Title: The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer
Author: Skip Hollandsworth
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle
Published: 2015
My Rating: 
The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Fall 2016); reprinted with permission.
For nearly a year in the mid-1880s, the “midnight assassin” tormented the city of Austin, Texas. This lesser-known crime spree may very well be America’s first encounter with a serial killer. For over a decade, Skip Hollandsworth, a journalist for Texas Monthly, combed through historical records in an attempt to piece together the story of the midnight assassin and perhaps untangle the mystery to determine a plausible motive and maybe even the identity of the killer. The result of his painstaking research is a true-crime, nonfiction work The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer, which is a detailed accounting of the events that took place between December 31, 1884 and December 24, 1885 in Austin, Texas.
The murders took place during a time when Austin was starting to prosper. It all began in the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve day in 1884, when Mollie Smith, a black servant girl, was brutally murdered and mutilated. Similar horrific murders occurred for nearly a year; all black servant women. But by Christmas Eve 1885, the murderer turned to prominent white women. Accusations flew, trials were had, political careers ruined, and yet the true identity of the midnight assassin still eludes us today.
The storyline of the murders, told chronologically, is interesting because this is notably the first serial killer in America, something that was unheard of at the time. What makes this book fascinating, particularly to genealogists and history buffs, is how Hollandsworth weaves in tidbits of historical information and paints the picture of life in Austin while the terrifying events were taking place. Readers are introduced not only to the victims, but also the players in law enforcement and government, families of the victims, possible suspects, and others representing all levels of the social ladder. Readers learn about the state’s lunatic asylum, construction of the new state capitol, the perception of race, and the daily doings of the city’s residents. Readers are immersed in the narrative, feeling like they are there, witnessing all the good and the bad. If you want to know what life was like in Austin during the late 1800s, this book, based on various resources including newspaper accounts, is a good place to start. With Midnight Assassin, you get a history lesson and a murder mystery all in one!
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