The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run terrified the Cleveland, Ohio area of the US in the 1930s, claiming at least 13 victims, who were butchered with surgical precision. The victims were often beheaded. Despite the attentions of Eliot Ness, who worked on the case for a short period, the killer was never identified, although the killings stopped after one of the main suspects, Frank Sweeney, was committed to hospital.

The True Crime Shorts series is intended to give the reader a short, concise account of some of the most gruesome crimes in modern times. Each book provides the reader with the essential facts concerning a serial killer, along with analysis that tries to comprehend their motives; no distractions, just the essential facts, allowing the reader to master the case in the shortest time possible.