It’s no secret I adore graphic novels and true crime (ask the staff at the local Borders and Barnes & Noble). And it’s also no secret that upon spying another installment of Rick Geary’s A Treasury of Victorian & 20th Century Murder series I let out a little yelp of excitement and stuffed the slender tome in my book bag so quick I almost ended up wearing my Whole Foods small hot chocolate no whip. By now the local librarians are used my antics and didn’t even turn their heads. Now, the good people of West Hartford on the other hand…oh well…at least crazy girl read books right? Whatever…

Telling the true story of axe murders that rocked New Orleans at the turn of the twentieth century, The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans hits all the classic Geary highlights. A true, unsolved crime, meticulous research, and the spare yet compelling drawings that both make the people almost real and draw you right into the story no matter the time or place.

A hundred years later and the Axe-Man’s crimes are still unsolved. Geary’s treatment doesn’t sensationalize the murders but lays out the known facts, giving an almost forgotten true story a much deserved exposure. At the end you’re left wanting to know more and what case will be brought back to life by Geary’s pen.