Susan Elmore

A very compelling true crime story from the Illinois of the 1880’s!

I really enjoyed this book! A young schoolteacher, left alone in the schoolhouse at the end of the day, is subjected to “nameless indignities” by persons unknown. What follows is a gripping tale of neighbor against neighbor, shoddy investigations, attempted lynchings, pompous lawyers and the ruination of a young woman’s life.

The research that it took for Susan Elmore to put together this story is mind-boggling! Using family stories, newspaper accounts and court records, she has constructed a clear, interesting and realistic portrait of what happened in the small settlements in rural Illinois. As a person who loves to do genealogy research, I’m thrilled to see how in-depth the research can be. As a person with roots near the locations in Illinois, I love the historic picture she presents of the area. As a lover of mysteries, this sets one’s imagination racing.

There is a lot of detail and some people may find that it moves too slowly for them but for me, all the detail just helped me immerse myself in the people, the setting and the time period. I loved it from start to finish.

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads program and I really appreciated the opportunity to read and review this book.… (más)

Elmore’s longtime passion for genealogy, history, and true crime was the driving force behind her investigation of this case. As a veteran genealogist with over 30 years’ experience in deciphering the past, author Susan Elmore was determined to get to the bottom of the Emma Bond case(Nameless Indignities)in which her great-great aunt was the victim.

I can’t even image what Emma Bond thru being brutally gang-raped and left for dead in her rural, central Illinois schoolhouse in June 1882, going thru a trail; people doubted her statement as if it never happened. The police only finding three of the men who did this unthinkable act out of six suspects. I am so proud of Susan Elmore going forth to find out the truth about what really happened to her great-great aunt.

While well written and a true page turner, this book is not for the faint of heart. I would prefer to fight a pack of hungry wolves before facing the men Emma fought with on the night of her gang-raped and left for dead. Author Elmore delves into the complex details surrounding this horrific crime and presents them in a clear, concise manner. From the onset, the reader is impacted by the vicious brutality inflicted on Emma Bond.

Riveting. . . .In a way that makes for compulsive reading, Elmore has exposed the substrata of evil in a seemingly idyllic town. Most troubling of all, you come away with the realization that what happened in rural, central Illinois could happen anywhere.… (más)