Ken Rex McElroy terrorized the residents of several counties in northwestern Missouri. He raped young girls and brutalized them after they went to live with him or even married him; he shot at least two men; he stole cattle and hogs, and burned down the houses of some who interfered with his criminal activities. Thanks to the expert efforts of his lawyer and the pro-defendant bias of state laws, he served no more than a few days in jail, the author shows.

In 1981, sentenced for the shooting of a popular grocer and free on bail, he was killed by the men of Skidmore, the center of his felonies; they closed ranks against all attempts to identify those who had pulled the triggers. This is an engrossing, credible examination of the way vigilante action can take over when the law appears to be powerless.

The author:

Harry M. MacLean is a lawyer and writer living in Denver. In law, he has worked as a juvenile court magistrate, first assistant attorney general, associate professor of law, general counsel of the Peace Corps, and labor arbitrator.

His first book, In Broad Daylight, won an Edgar for Best True Crime and was a New York Times best seller for twelve weeks. The book was made into a movie of the same name, starring Brian Denehey, Cloris Leachman and Chris Cooper. The book tells the story of the reign of terror of Ken Rex McElroy, his killing at the hands of Skidmore, Missouri residents, and the subsequent cover-up of the killing.

His second book, Once Upon a Time: A True Story of Memory, Murder, and the Law, tells the story of the 1990 trial of George Franklin for the murder of Susan Nason 20 years earlier. Eileen Franklin, his daughter, claimed to recover a repressed memory of the murder. Franklin was convicted on nothing but her repressed memory. His conviction was subsequently overturned, as explained in an audiobook version of the book. This book was selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times.

MacLean's third book is The Past is Never Dead, the Trial of James Ford Seal and Mississippi's Struggle for Redemption. It tells the story of Seale's trial for the murder of two Black youths in southwest Mississippi in 1964. It explores Mississippi's struggle for redemption by bringing these elderly Klansmen to trial for racial murders in the 60s. The book was shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize, offered by Stanford University.