''In Broad Daylight'' is a 1988

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

book by award-winning writer Harry N. MacLean, detailing the killing of town bully Ken Rex McElroy in 1981 in

Skidmore Skidmore may refer to: Places United States * Skidmore, Kansas * Skidmore, Maryland * Skidmore, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Skidmore, Missouri, a city * Skidmore, Texas * Skidmore, West Virginia * Skidmore Fountain, a public fountai ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. The book won an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

for best true crime writing in 1989, was a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' bestseller for 12 weeks (charting at number 2) and was adapted into a television movie of the same name. The book was reissued in 2007 by St. Martin's Press with a new epilogue.

Overview

''In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri'' details the case of Ken Rex McElroy and his 21-year reign of terror throughout four counties in northwest Missouri, and the ultimate murder of McElroy, who was shot to death as he sat in his pickup truck on the main street of the town. Although there were more than 45 witnesses to the killing, and three grand juries considered the case, no one has been prosecuted for the killing. McElroy was indicted 21 times and acquitted 20 times for his life of crime – due in large part to the keen legal abilities of his Kansas City attorney Richard Gene McFadin. MacLean carefully details the background history of McElroy's childhood, early and later life, the endurance of the farmers and victims of McElroy's two decades of crime and terror, the failure of the criminal justice system to even superficially respond to McElroy's crime spree, the State of Missouri's bemused reaction to McElroy's death, the federal government's sudden interest in pursuing McElroy's death as a civil rights violation, and ultimately the skewed and misinformed coverage of the story by the national and international press and media. Critics have praised MacLean's lyrical depiction of rural, bucolic agricultural life in America's heartland – contrasted with a methodical and chilling description of the actions, causes and consequences of an ongoing nightmare of domestic terror. The book, as well as the movie, chronicles the story of McElroy’s crimes, his killing on July 10, 1981, and the alleged coverup by the town of the identity of the killers for more than 30 years.

References

Sources: *Eberhart, John Mark, "Silence prevails In Broad Daylight: Book’s new epilogue offers details in 1981 fatal shooting of man in Skidmore, Mo." ''The Kansas City Star'', January 14, 2007. *"Skidmore still hush on killing of town bully," ''Columbia Daily Tribune'', January 7, 2007. *Martin, Claire, "Town's shame, without blame," ''Denver Post'', December 31, 2006. *Peterson, Iver, "Missouri Town Is Silent Over Shooting Of The County Bully," ''New York Times'', July 17, 1981. *Marshall, Thom, The town that killed a bully: Was it vigilante action?", ''Houston Chronicle'', January 1, 1989. {{Ken McElroy 1988 non-fiction books Edgar Award–winning works Non-fiction books about murders in the United States Missouri culture Crime in Missouri