“Offers an interesting and detailed picture of Virginia journalism. . . . [Trotti] does a particularly effective job at putting the Madison case in its larger context, comparing the coverage of her murder with that found in other regions at other times.” — Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
“Fascinating. . . . An engaging, rich, and imaginative work and a valuable contribution to the study of American history.” — Journal of Southern History
“Helps illuminate Richmond’s gendered and racialized cultural history. . . . Recommended.” — CHOICE
“Meticulously researches the coverage given to sensational crimes by individual newspapers compared to that of other journalistic venues, thus revealing which stories and at what moments southern newspapers opted for sensationalized accounts of crime, thus revealing the evolution of sensationalism.” — American Journalism
“Accessibly and often compellingly written and will appeal to academic and popular audiences. . . . Will be required reading for students of the history of southern journalism, crime, and American print culture.” — American Historical Review
“Contributes original insights.” — Journal of American History
“Refreshingly written . . . Trotti’s work is deeply researched [and] its conclusions are well supported by its evidence.” — Virginia Magazine
“In the South’s effort to stay neck and neck with the North during the race for modernization, there is a shadowy underbelly of lurid crime and criminals not often exposed. Trotti brings this part of human history and criminal behavior into the daylight.” — ForeWord Magazine
“A cultural history of sensationalized murder coverage in Richmond, Virginia, from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era, Michael Trotti’s judicious study refines our understanding of American crime journalism and reveals some fascinating southern variations on national trends. The Body in the Reservoir also challenges a number of facile assumptions about violence, race, gender, and popular culture in the New South. Don’t think you know ‘who dunnit’ — or who covered it — or why — until you've read this book.” — Daniel A. Cohen, Case Western Reserve University
