The phantom killer: unlocking the mystery of the Texarkana serial murders: the story of a town in terror

Pulitzer Prize-nominee Presley (A Saga of Wealth) effectively conveys the fear that gripped Texarkana in 1946 in the wake of a series of murders-and goes on to offer a persuasive solution to the unsolved crimes. The killer first struck on February 22, assaulting a young couple who managed to survive the brutal assault but were unable to give much of a description beyond noting that the perpetrator wore a white mask. About a month later, another man and woman were attacked, this time fatally. The murderer ended up taking five lives and seriously injuring three other people before his rampage stopped. The search for the so-called phantom killer was hampered by some police missteps in preserving evidence and the lack of certain forensic tests available today. Diligently researched, this gripping, page-turning account would be a standout true-crime narrative even without the material Presley gathers to buttress his identification of the serial killer. Agent: Mickey Novak, Writers House. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Starred Review. In 1976, the film The Town That Dreaded Sundown was released; it was loosely based on the mayhem in Texarkana, TX, in 1946. Now comes the authoritative book by Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Presley (A Saga of Wealth), who provides the details of the crime that held the city in fear. Eight people were brutally assaulted by a criminal the media dubbed the Phantom Killer, with five dying of their injuries. Since Texarkana was a city in two states (Texas and Arkansas), both state police forces and the FBI joined in the investigation. Law enforcement suspected Youell Lee Swinney but did not have enough evidence to get a conviction. Instead, Swinney was arrested for stealing a car and tried as a habitual offender in Texas, which would give him a life sentence and get him off the street. However, in 1972, Swinney convinced the appeals court to overturn his conviction, claiming that he was indigent and not advised of his rights. He was later convicted of counterfeiting money. When paroled for the last time, he was 72 and later died from lung cancer. Because Swinney was never found guilty of the Texarkana crimes, as a group they remain Texas's no. 1 unsolved case. VERDICT Well researched and solidly written, Presley's book brings a forgotten crime to the forefront. Readers will be spellbound and want to consume it in one sitting. This book belongs in all true crime collections and will attract a general audience, not just fans of true crime. With a remake of the 1976 movie due for 2014 release, expect demand. Michael Sawyer, Pine Bluff, AR (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An examination of the spasm of violence popularly dubbed the "Texarkana moonlight murders."Texas historian Presley (A Saga of Wealth: The Rise of the Texas Oilmen, 1978) doesn't much like that name, since the eight murders of late winter and spring 1946 took place in different moon phasesbut always deep in the night. As the author notes, Texarkana, split between two states, was a town where crime was constant and violence frequent; still, serial murder was quite another thing. Presley writes portentously of the windup to this savage, strange episode: "The snow melted. The weather grew cooperative. Fears of a roving mad dog evaporated. The war was over. What could happen next?" What could happen did happen: A sociopath scared the town into near-paralysis, drawing the attention of law enforcement officials and the press nationwide. Presley's narrative takes us through the cat-and-mouse chase that served up dozens of suspects before narrowing in on several likely cases, and he concludes that justice was eventually served, if it wasn't quite as neat and evidentially definitive as in these days of forensic analysis and DNA testing. Much of the narrative is given over to showing where the investigation was rightsurprisingly often, given the paucity of clues and evidenceand where it was wrong, as well as to looking at the key players. The asides into criminal psychology, however, are too plentifule.g., "The offender failed to develop a conscience at the critical age and never will"; "He probably didn't think of it in the way normal persons would have, insuring tragedy for everyone, himself included." The inexpert prose diminishes the compelling interest of the story itself, though anything with Texas Rangers in it is likely to hold the attention of readers. A thoroughgoing but occasionally plodding story that awaits a better writer. For now, though, this is the best available account of a crime that, though a cold case, still has people talking. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In 1976, the film The Town That Dreaded Sundown was released; it was loosely based on the mayhem in Texarkana, TX, in 1946. Now comes the authoritative book by Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Presley (A Saga of Wealth), who provides the details of the crime that held the city in fear. Eight people were brutally assaulted by a criminal the media dubbed the Phantom Killer, with five dying of their injuries. Since Texarkana was a city in two states (Texas and Arkansas), both state police forces and the FBI joined in the investigation. Law enforcement suspected Youell Lee Swinney but did not have enough evidence to get a conviction. Instead, Swinney was arrested for stealing a car and tried as a habitual offender in Texas, which would give him a life sentence and get him off the street. However, in 1972, Swinney convinced the appeals court to overturn his conviction, claiming that he was indigent and not advised of his rights. He was later convicted of counterfeiting money. When paroled for the last time, he was 72 and later died from lung cancer. Because Swinney was never found guilty of the Texarkana crimes, as a group they remain Texas's no. 1 unsolved case. VERDICT Well researched and solidly written, Presley's book brings a forgotten crime to the forefront. Readers will be spellbound and want to consume it in one sitting. This book belongs in all true crime collections and will attract a general audience, not just fans of true crime. With a remake of the 1976 movie due for 2014 release, expect demand.—Michael Sawyer, Pine Bluff, AR

Pulitzer Prize–nominee Presley (A Saga of Wealth) effectively conveys the fear that gripped Texarkana in 1946 in the wake of a series of murders—and goes on to offer a persuasive solution to the unsolved crimes. The killer first struck on February 22, assaulting a young couple who managed to survive the brutal assault but were unable to give much of a description beyond noting that the perpetrator wore a white mask. About a month later, another man and woman were attacked, this time fatally. The murderer ended up taking five lives and seriously injuring three other people before his rampage stopped. The search for the so-called "phantom killer" was hampered by some police missteps in preserving evidence and the lack of certain forensic tests available today. Diligently researched, this gripping, page-turning account would be a standout true-crime narrative even without the material Presley gathers to buttress his identification of the serial killer. Agent: Mickey Novak, Writers House. (Nov.)