Publisher's Weekly Review
Edgar winner MacLean (In Broad Daylight) delivers a magisterial study of the infamous murders committed by 19-year-old Charles Starkweather across Nebraska and Wyoming in the 1950s. From November 1957 to January 1958, while accompanied by his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, Starkweather killed 11 people (primarily in Lincoln, Nebr.) including Fugate's mother, stepfather, and two-year-old sister. The reverberations of those murders, MacLean asserts, helped create the concept of the serial killer and provided inspiration for Bruce Springsteen's song "Nebraska," Oliver Stone's film Natural Born Killers, and other works of pop culture. MacLean, who grew up in Nebraska and whose older brother had been Starkweather's classmate, remained haunted by the killings and fascinated by unanswered questions about Fugate's involvement for much of his life, poring over articles and trial transcripts for insights. Using that research--plus an in-person interview with Fugate that he conducted in 2022 after tracking her down in a Nebraska nursing home--MacLean pieces together a propulsive account that nails down concrete details from the "ten different versions" of events Starkweather provided in official documents, and presents crucial context about his and Fugate's early lives. The result is an instant true crime classic. Agent: Paul Bresnick, Paul Bresnick Literary. (Nov.)
Kirkus Review
A new examination of "the first modern-day mass killer." MacLean, author of In Broad Daylight, has a personal interest in the case: Like Charles Starkweather (1938-1959) and Caril Fugate (b. 1943), Starkweather's girlfriend, he is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska. They were 19 and 14 respectively when the crimes occurred, and the author was 15. Before the eight-day rampage in January 1958, "Lincoln was a large rural town of peace, predictability, and relative prosperity." The book's chronological sections, from "The Setup" through "The Killings" to "Impact," are bookended by an introduction and epilogue. The couple's spree began after an argument, and he borrowed a rifle and murdered her mother, stepfather, and 2-year-old sister. Starkweather hid their bodies in an outbuilding, telling Fugate her family was alive, tied up. By Jan. 28, MacLean writes, they had "left a trail littered with bodies young and old, male and female, poor and wealthy." In contrast to Starkweather's claims that she was "free to leave," Fugate said she was "a hostage." The author presents "two versions of each killing: one from Charlie's point of view, the other from Caril's." Before their arrest, 11 people had been slaughtered, including a gas station attendant Starkweather killed weeks earlier. Although his version of events repeatedly changed, Starkweather confessed to the murders; Fugate admitted nothing. "The question of Caril's participation in the killings," MacLean concludes, "will likely never be settled once and for all." Both were convicted; Starkweather was executed, and Fugate served 18 years before her parole. Their infamous story "kicked off a blaze of storytelling," including movies, music, and books. Given this fact, it's hard to see the need for MacLean's adequate retelling; true-crime readers will have encountered this notorious case in one of the many other accounts in print or on screen. A thorough true-crime saga that breaks little new ground. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Nebraska teenager Charles Starkweather always felt he was an underdog. In school, he was picked on for his physical shortcomings until he learned to fight back. He drifted aimlessly until, at 19, he met 14-year-old Caril Ann Fugate, who had emerged from an abusive household and become something of a teenage rebel. Starkweather's love for Fugate consumed him--and alarmed Fugate's family. Their attempt to break up the pair unleashed a torrent of bloodshed, a brief but brutal crime spree in January 1958. The number of victims and the killers' methods shocked the nation. The couple's arrest and trial would garner innumerable headlines, while pop culture would enshrine the pair's name in infamy via books, movies, and music, including Bruce Springsteen's album, Nebraska. Edgar Award--winner MacLean (The Joy of Killing, 2016) offers an absorbing reconstruction of the tragic events that transpired in Lincoln, providing logic and reasoning along with testimony in debating Fugate's culpability. With the potential to change minds about long-ago crimes, this is all but destined to become a genre classic.
Library Journal Review
Covering a true crime that inspired the film Natural Born Killers, MacLean's (The Story Behind "In Broad Daylight") book sheds new light on the case. Charles Starkweather is best known for his involvement at the age of 19 in the January 1958 killing spree that took the lives of 10 people in Lincoln, NE. The first murder victims were the parents and younger sister of Starkweather's 14-year-old girlfriend. The girlfriend was believed to be Starkweather's accomplice as he went on to kill others they encountered, including a farmer he robbed and teenagers who stopped to help him fix his broken-down car. The killing spree and resulting trial were shocking at the time; Nebraskans were reported to have stood outside with rifles to protect their homes and families in the event the killer was near. Readers will appreciate that MacLean brings this time period, this case, and its lasting impact to life, while comparing it to similar issues society has faced in recent years. VERDICT Though the subject matter is bleak, this book is expertly written. Crime aficionados will enjoy.--Mattie Cook
