Gilded Age Murder & Mayhem in the Berkshires

by Andrew K. Amelinckx

Murder and dark deeds shadowed the extravagance of the Gilded Age in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. In the summer of 1893, a tall and well-dressed burglar plundered the massive summer mansions of the upper crust. A visit from President Teddy Roosevelt in 1902 ended in tragedy when a trolley car smashed into the presidential carriage, killing a Secret Service agent. Shocking the nation, a psychotic millworker opened fire on a packed streetcar, leaving three dead and five wounded. From axe murders to botched bank jobs, author Andrew Amelinckx dredges up the forgotten underbelly of the Berkshires with unforgettable stories of greed, jealousy and madness from the Gilded Age.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2015

About the author

Andrew Amelinckx is a freelance journalist who has previously written three historical true crime books. He held down a variety of jobs, from bartending in New Orleans to burlesque dancing in New York City, before spending a decade as an award-winning investigative crime reporter for several news organizations, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Berkshire Eagle. His work has appeared in Business Insider, Smithsonian, Men’s Journal, Modern Farmer, Grunge.com, and elsewhere. He's represented by Jeff Ourvan of the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency. Andrew grew up in Louisiana and now lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his wife and dog.

Reviews

[Linda Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting True Crimes

Some of the crimes in the book are interesting, and I like the way the author puts today's equivalent of money in parentheses next to prices of the times. The writing style was a little folksy for me, but some people might not mind. The police used the tools they had at the time but if they had the forensics they have today, some of these criminals may not have been sent to prison.

[Kivrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up on vacation. I like to pick up books by local or regional authors when I travel. Interesting collection of true crime stories from the late 1800's to the early 1900's. The author did a lot of research, and it's interesting to read how differently crimes were investigated and prosecuted back in the day. It's very fact based writing, almost like reading old newspaper articles. Enjoyed it.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lifted from the newspapers and reporters of the times, the writing style is sometimes as convoluted as those old accounts. So it can be a bit of a slog keeping track of who did what to whom. But sort of interesting because I know that area a little. Conclusion: people were just as crazy and trigger-happy as today.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short newspaper articles of events that occurred mostly in the late 1800 early 1900. Nothing extremely unique or noteworthy about the events except they occurred in the Berkshires. I wish they had more pop or legend. Not a real page turner or book of significance.

[Courtney Llewellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saying "Berkshire murder" is amusing.
I was surprised to find this in a LFL in New Orleans until I saw who the author was.
This was an easy read about my old stomping grounds (that could've done with a little more proofreading), and I learned about some cases I'd never heard of before.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Interesting

This was a good little book, if you like history and true crime. I like both, and thought this book was well written and very informative. The stories blend a little since they are from the same area and grab your attention.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have been far more interesting a read. The writing seem stoogy and while I like true crime, these crimes bored me.

[Miss Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

All new cases to me; which is a bit rare, lol. There are a few grammatical mistakes throughout the book.

[Jim Swike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Thought I would learn about the Gilded Age, not much. Maybe you will feel differently. Enjoy!

[Phil Bayly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining history of sensational events hitting newspaper headlines in the Berkshires of Massachusetts during the Gilded Age, the later 1800s to the early 1900s.
From Teddy Roosevelt's deadly crash in a presidential carriage to lethal lovers quarrels to botched bank robberies to Berkshire Coumty's last hanging.
Author Andrew Amelinckx culls his stories of uncouth behavior from newspapers of the day to deliver a blood-stained description of a time that wasn't all gold and gilding.

[Nolaexpat7435 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings to life lost episodes of the Gilded age, full of scandal and murder and set in the playgrounds of the 19th century American rich and famous.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovers of both history and suspense will enjoy this well written book of essays!