Customer Comments

From the extinction of native peoples to the eradication of leftist union organizers J.D. Chandler shows that there is a history of the city of Portland that has largely been forgotten��"shoveled into the dustbin of forgetfulness. This is a well-written and engaging book that will keep the reader fascinated as it unveils little known events that have shaped the history and character of this city. This book should hold the interest of those who have never read a book of local history as well as those who (like me) think that they know it all. It is thorough, but still accessible, and very well done��"a great read for anyone interested in the hidden currents that made Portland what it is today.

It is easy to see that J.D. Chandler’s two great passions are crime and Portland, and in this book the two come together in a delicious “true crime” concoction. It may be that each generation of Portlanders largely imagine themselves as decent people living in an honest society��"J.D. Chandler intends to blow the lid off this fantasy. Each gristly murder is laid out for the reader with the chilling detail of an autopsy. I recommend this book for anyone interested in hearing true stories of blood spilled in Portland’s sordid past.