It’s hard to discuss this book without spoilers (the back of the book spoils the entire story btw) but it centers around an immigrant family in rural Kansas and a bunch of bodies found buried on their property. The meat of the book is the bundling chase lawmen and private investigators give to try and catch the murderous family. The case itself was well documented at the time, but little was known about the Benders so there isn’t much detail to provide about them and their actions. In its place, Jonusas fills the pages with details and descriptions of life on the American frontier in the 1870s. Her writing is fine, but not enough to maintain the suspense it should hold (but perhaps that’s hurt by the spoilers on the back). If you’re interested in the Old West you’ll most likely enjoy this book, if not for the story of the Benders then for the story of the time in which it happened. If this book intrigues you because you like true crime, you might be disappointed as it doesn’t hold the mystery or detective aspect of other true crime stories.