The American Sweeney Todd: Inside the Mind of a Terrifying Serial Killer

Marilyn J Bardsley

American Sweeney Todd - Marilyn J. Bardsley

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Released: 01/02/2017

In Brief

An award-winning, true-crime thriller from the best-selling author of After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

“The story is at once enthralling and horrifying, heartbreaking and spine-chilling” – Catherine Langrehr, Indie Book Reviews, Mystery/Thriller

Can anyone uncover the secret identity of THE AMERICAN SWEENEY TODD—the surgeon who became the most terrifying serial killer of his time?

This is the question author Marilyn Bardsley asked herself as she unraveled the investigation first led by Eliot Ness, the famous, incorruptible crime fighter who took down Al Capone.

Through extensive reporting, research, as well as interviews with the killer’s friends and relatives, the detectives who investigated him, and Eliot Ness’ inner circle, Marilyn Bardsley takes you inside the mind of a real-life serial killer: the brilliant, highly educated surgeon—The American Sweeney Todd. As Marilyn’s own investigation follows the tracks left behind by Ness, you will find yourself drawn into the cat-and-mouse game between a brilliant, twisted mind, who murdered more victims than Jack the Ripper, verses a legendary law enforcement agent.

But something isn’t quite right—why did Eliot Ness closely guard the identity of THE AMERICAN SWEENEY TODD for over forty years? And why was Sweeney so fascinated with Ness that he would call and write to taunt him? Was it because the killer wanted to be more famous than the man who brought down Al Capone? Or could it have been because the murderous surgeon and the famous investigator were both in love with the same woman?

Finally, why was the author’s life repeatedly threatened while investigating the gruesome crimes of decades past?

Read THE AMERICAN SWEENEY TODD to find out the answers to these questions, as well as the killer’s real identity, revealed by Marilyn Bardsley for the first time in over forty years.

Buy THE AMERICAN SWEENEY TODD for a fascinating, true-life, thrill-ride today.

IndieReader’s Best Reviewed Books in 2017–Highest Indie Reader Rating 5.0

Amazon Best Seller

Editorial Reviews IndieReader’s Best Reviewed Books in 2017Highest Indie Reader Rating 5.0 “Verdict: True-crime aficionados will be delighted by THE AMERICAN SWEENEY TODD, a disturbing, intimate look through the eyes of one of America’s cleverest and most dangerous serial killers…extremely well-written and powerful.
…it is very difficult to put it down until it is finished, and it is haunting. The story is at once enthralling and horrifying, heartbreaking and spine-chilling.–Indie Book Reviews, Mystery/Thriller/by Catherine Langrehr”

Psychology Today The G-Man and the Serial Killer.
…Since Bardsley has written extensively about many different serial killers, her background provides authentic dimension…The creepiness factor is prominent, but so is the painstaking work to take readers back to a past time when a vicious serial killer in town was truly terrifying. For both of these reasons, this novel is a page-turner. –Dr. Katherine Ramsland, author of Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer

Fact or fiction–it’s so good it hardly matters
This book reads like the fine fiction it is, but is even more chilling given that it’s based on fact. The author, who is the best-selling author of After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, shows that she richly deserves kudos as one of the best writers of fact-based crime books in America today.–Charles A. Ray, Book Reviewer

Here is what people are saying about The American Sweeney Todd:

One of the most riveting and psychological crime dramas I have read, mainly from the viewpoint of the killer himself. I loved it! — Goodreads reviewer

Had no idea this is a true story
Reading this book was very disturbing….Pj

Could not put it down!!
OH MY WORD! I enjoyed this book a great deal… To say that I was captivated by The American Sweeney Todd would be putting it lightly. Great Read!!

When Fiction Meets Reality
Some of the best stories ever written are intertwined with real events. This story is written by the oracle on all types of crime and is always believable (as well as scary).–Anthony Muller

Gripping!
I found this book very gripping. I couldn’t put it down. Keeps you reading into the night. A great read.–Cheryl Pump

One of America’s most horrible unsolved crimes
This is a very smooth and exciting read. The author has thoroughly researched the material and applied the historical evidence into a very frightening book…A highly recommended read for history and crime buffs.–Al

Great historical murder mystery
If you like historical murder mystery, then here’s the book you want to read.Well written by an expert in sleuthing, this book keeps you spellbound page after page. —Lynne

About Marilyn J Bardsley

Marilyn J Bardsley is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and the CEO of Crimescape®. She is the former executive editor and founder of Time Warner’s Court TV Crime Library, the premier true crime site on the Internet for more than a decade. Bardsley has written extensively on true crime and is an expert on serial killers. She also appears frequently on news programs and documentaries for the History Channel, The Learning Channel, Carolina Public Television and other television shows. Her feature story on the Atlanta child murders was required reading for the Green River serial killer police task force. Her novel The American Sweeney Todd: Inside the Mind of a Terrifying Serial Killer was one of three 2017 best reviewed thrillers by Indie Reader.

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