This Father-Daughter Duo Solved a Century-Old Murder Mystery

Photo credit: Kansas City Star

On this chilling episode of Write About Now, Bill James and his daughter, Rachel McCarthy James, tell the fascinating and tragic story behind The Man from the Train, their true crime thriller that ties together a series of horrific murders that occurred across America from 1898 to 1912.

Through extensive research and some good old-fashioned detective work, the father-daughter writing team makes the compelling case that the murders were all the handiwork of one of the most prolific serial killers ever.

Journey back in a time machine to rural America—before the FBI, before serial killers were even a thing—when a small, ugly man would arrive in a town on a train, find a house near the tracks, slaughter an entire family with the blunt side of an axe, and disappear back onto the train without a trace. Co-author

Bill James is a famed sportswriter and baseball stats guru, whose work has been widely influential. He even appeared as himself on an episode of The Simpson. After getting the idea to write The Man from the Train, he tapped his daughter, Rachel, to research the book. It was Rachel who eventually cracked the case, identifying the man from the train by name.