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Under a Full Moon: The Last Lynching in Kansas
This true crime history recounts the shocking murder of an eight-year-old girl which in turn led to the last mob lynching in Prohibition Era Kansas. In April of 1932, eight-year-old Dorothy Hunter was abducted while walking home from school. Her mutilated body was later found hidden in a haystack. Not long after, police reported that a local farmer named Richard Read confessed to Dorothy’s rape and murder. But his arrest was not enough for the citizens on Northwestern Kansas. Removing him from his jail cell in Cheyenne County, a mob bound and hanged Read from a tree in what would be the state’s final lynching. In Under a Full Moon, Alice Kay Hill chronicles these grim events, vividly weaving the stories of the victims and the families involved. Taking a deep dive into the psycho-social complexities of the time, the narrative spans from the late nineteenth century to the beginning of the Dust Bowl, revealing how mental and physical abuse, social isolation, the privations of homesteading, strong dreams and even stronger personalities all factored into Read’s life and crimes.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2020
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712 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 24, 2020
This is a true crime story of the abduction and death of an 8-year-girl. This took place in 1932 ... by a repeat offender.
BOOK BLURB: Based on true events, this account takes a deep dive into the psycho-social complexities of pioneer times and their impact on this particular crime and the justice meted out to the perpetrator.
Starting with year 1881, the stories of the victims and the families involved, it showcases how abuse .. both mental and physical ... personalities .... social distancing all factored into the criminal and his crimes. Historic events are lived as daily news by the seven families whose lives become intertwined.
Written in chronological order, I found it hard to get into the meat of the story. There are so many lives involved, it was somewhat difficult to follow ... sort of like Genesis' who begat who that goes on and on and on Its a tragic story in that the victim is so young. In some ways the killer is also a victim. That is for the reader to decide ...
Many of the things that happened in the book were based on newspapers of the time and not conjecture. Actual events formed likely and probable scenarios that were used to bring the story to life, but the telling was meant to be personal, not through a blow by blow factual method. The family stories were true and drawn from research and interviews.
Many thanks to the author and WildBlue Press for the digital copy of this historic narration of a true crime. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
BOOK BLURB: Based on true events, this account takes a deep dive into the psycho-social complexities of pioneer times and their impact on this particular crime and the justice meted out to the perpetrator.
Starting with year 1881, the stories of the victims and the families involved, it showcases how abuse .. both mental and physical ... personalities .... social distancing all factored into the criminal and his crimes. Historic events are lived as daily news by the seven families whose lives become intertwined.
Written in chronological order, I found it hard to get into the meat of the story. There are so many lives involved, it was somewhat difficult to follow ... sort of like Genesis' who begat who that goes on and on and on Its a tragic story in that the victim is so young. In some ways the killer is also a victim. That is for the reader to decide ...
Many of the things that happened in the book were based on newspapers of the time and not conjecture. Actual events formed likely and probable scenarios that were used to bring the story to life, but the telling was meant to be personal, not through a blow by blow factual method. The family stories were true and drawn from research and interviews.
Many thanks to the author and WildBlue Press for the digital copy of this historic narration of a true crime. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
July 3, 2020
I love books on history, so I really appreciated this one. It brings the world of turn of the century Kansas to life as it tells the stories of several of the pioneer families. The action is described in a series of short tales about members of the early families, including a title to define the subject. The action is never directly described, with the events shown in the narrative about specific individuals or families. It certainly is the best documentation of early pioneers on the prairies that I have seen. From my perspective the author seemed to go out of her way to explain and justify the horrible acts of the rapist-killer who is the last person to be lynched in Kansas. In an epilogue she suggests that isolation and ill treatment had caused him to act on his insane impulses In the book, he is only one of many pioneers said to be insane, including one of the lawmen. The book provides an example and rich insight into the forces that act on an individual who is thought to be different. The story is well-researched, but includes an inordinate amount of detail that can only be conjecture on the part of the writer. Conversations are reported between individuals that were never observed. These details add to the flavor of the book, but they certainly may reflect false images of the individuals involved. All but one of the horrid acts of violence are not covered in detail. The one described in detail involves an assault on a young boy that can only be conjecture. The style of writing manages to stir up emotion, despite being an historical narrative.
Read
August 2, 2020Good book about a bad man - but lots of bloat!
Very long and slow, with not much about the crime itself. Takes a really, really long time to get to it and needs X-Ray more than any other book I've ever read - although there is a cast of characters in the beginning of the book.
There are a TON of people to keep track of, and I don't think they're all listed in that cast of characters. There are 8 families, beginning in about 1881, and the crime doesn't happen until 1932. It does give you great background on how the man who did the murders became who he is, but there's just WAY too much information in the book that doesn't need to be here.
If you like history AND true crime then this would be great for you, but I'm not into history or how people came to America and settled, or farming, the dust bowl, how drought affected the farmers and rotating crops, and the advancement in farm equipment. It just didn't interest me.
Plus...each family (remember, there are 8), has about 13 children who get married and have children. So by the time the book is over, you're knee deep in three generations of each family. It's just head spinning.
It's more, IMO, a family diary for the author. If I were her I'd cut out all but the immediate family of the killer and publish that. But...some may like all of this historical stuff. I just feel it's bloated. JMHO though, and I'm just one person out of millions!
Very long and slow, with not much about the crime itself. Takes a really, really long time to get to it and needs X-Ray more than any other book I've ever read - although there is a cast of characters in the beginning of the book.
There are a TON of people to keep track of, and I don't think they're all listed in that cast of characters. There are 8 families, beginning in about 1881, and the crime doesn't happen until 1932. It does give you great background on how the man who did the murders became who he is, but there's just WAY too much information in the book that doesn't need to be here.
If you like history AND true crime then this would be great for you, but I'm not into history or how people came to America and settled, or farming, the dust bowl, how drought affected the farmers and rotating crops, and the advancement in farm equipment. It just didn't interest me.
Plus...each family (remember, there are 8), has about 13 children who get married and have children. So by the time the book is over, you're knee deep in three generations of each family. It's just head spinning.
It's more, IMO, a family diary for the author. If I were her I'd cut out all but the immediate family of the killer and publish that. But...some may like all of this historical stuff. I just feel it's bloated. JMHO though, and I'm just one person out of millions!
July 25, 2020
Under a Full Moon is about the last lynching in Kansas of a repeat offender released from prison early due to good behavior. Richard Read, the offender had a hard life was a loner and was considered odd due to possible brain damage alluded to in the book. Author Alice Kay Hill's research of the time (1881-1932) is unbelievable. She did an excellent job of pulling me into that time period. Her book is an excellent piece of history and the story of Richard Read's difficult and heartbreaking early life. This doesn't excuse his crimes but it does tug at your heart when you learn about his young life. The research used included newspapers, journals and interviews of residents of the time. The writing style had each primary character telling their own story which was interesting. Under a Full Moon is a well written, engaging book covering the hardships and heartbreak of life on the plains and a true crime.
September 8, 2020
Under a Full Moon: The Last Lynching in Kansas is not your typical historical read, as it switches point-of-views many (and I mean many) times throughout its entire length. (FYI: It’s 356 pages for those who need to know.) I vaguely remember learning about the lynching of Richard Read in a High School history class many years ago. I live east of Kansas City, so any history book about Missouri and Kansas always piques my curiosity.
Overall, Under a Full Moon: The Last Lynching in Kansas is a well-written true-crime tale. Like I already mentioned, it’s not our typical non-fiction read, and because of the dark subject matter, it might not appeal to some readers. Though, if you're a true-crime buff, then I recommend reading it.
Overall, Under a Full Moon: The Last Lynching in Kansas is a well-written true-crime tale. Like I already mentioned, it’s not our typical non-fiction read, and because of the dark subject matter, it might not appeal to some readers. Though, if you're a true-crime buff, then I recommend reading it.
May 6, 2023
This was an interesting book yet not highly compelling. Richard Read’s life was horrible from the beginning when he almost killed his mother at birth. His father never showed him love and put him to work almost from day one. His harshness and neglect probably made this person into a madman. Life in Kansas was extremely hard. I can’t imagine living in a sod house.
January 10, 2021
‘I don’t have a plan. Each step seems to follow the one before.’
This book is presented as a true crime history: the shocking murder of an eight-year-old girl in 1932 which led to the last mob lynching in Prohibition Era Kansas. While this murder is part of the book, it is more widely a history of Kansas from the late nineteenth century told through the lives of several different families, starting in 1881.
I was interested to read that the impetus for writing this book, which took Ms Hill sixteen years around her other life commitments, was the restoration of the 1907 Shirley Opera House in Atwood, Kansas. Ms Hill and her husband bought the Shirley Opera House in 2003, and research into its history led Ms Hill to a reference to the Owl Café, a business within the building in the 1930s. The Owl Café was the last place eight-year-old Dorothy Parker was seen alive.
In April 1932, Dorothy Parker was abducted while walking home from school. Her body was later found hidden in a haystack. A local farmer, Richard Read, confessed to Dorothy’s rape and murder. A mob removed him from his jail cell and hanged him.
Those are the bare bones around which Ms Hill constructs a narrative, starting in 1881 two years after Pleasant Richardson Read (Richard) was born.
I struggled with parts of this narrative: I am ambivalent about having Richard Read narrate (in first person) part of the story. On one hand, we cannot know what he was thinking, on the other hand it served to describe some of the challenges of homesteading in Kansas during this period. For me, this book works better as an account of life of several families in Kansas between 1881 and 1932 than it does as an account of Dorothy Parker’s murder.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This book is presented as a true crime history: the shocking murder of an eight-year-old girl in 1932 which led to the last mob lynching in Prohibition Era Kansas. While this murder is part of the book, it is more widely a history of Kansas from the late nineteenth century told through the lives of several different families, starting in 1881.
I was interested to read that the impetus for writing this book, which took Ms Hill sixteen years around her other life commitments, was the restoration of the 1907 Shirley Opera House in Atwood, Kansas. Ms Hill and her husband bought the Shirley Opera House in 2003, and research into its history led Ms Hill to a reference to the Owl Café, a business within the building in the 1930s. The Owl Café was the last place eight-year-old Dorothy Parker was seen alive.
In April 1932, Dorothy Parker was abducted while walking home from school. Her body was later found hidden in a haystack. A local farmer, Richard Read, confessed to Dorothy’s rape and murder. A mob removed him from his jail cell and hanged him.
Those are the bare bones around which Ms Hill constructs a narrative, starting in 1881 two years after Pleasant Richardson Read (Richard) was born.
I struggled with parts of this narrative: I am ambivalent about having Richard Read narrate (in first person) part of the story. On one hand, we cannot know what he was thinking, on the other hand it served to describe some of the challenges of homesteading in Kansas during this period. For me, this book works better as an account of life of several families in Kansas between 1881 and 1932 than it does as an account of Dorothy Parker’s murder.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
August 12, 2020
Intrigued by the q&A session I saw sessionaya
I found this book by watching a session with the author Ms Hill.She was so interesting to listen to her telling about the research involved in writing this book.
I was completely wrapped up I in the lives of these families who struggled to make a living in Kansas for so many years.
I must admit I had compassion for Richard,
I found this book by watching a session with the author Ms Hill.She was so interesting to listen to her telling about the research involved in writing this book.
I was completely wrapped up I in the lives of these families who struggled to make a living in Kansas for so many years.
I must admit I had compassion for Richard,
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews