Sometimes truth is darker than fiction—and the past more terrifying than memory allows. In Madman, M.F. Gross unearths a real-life crime that once gripped Florida’s Gulf Coast, then all but disappeared from history.
In Madman, M.F. Gross delivers a gripping work of historical true crime that reads with the intensity of a thriller and the depth of a cultural study. Set in the simmering summer of 1949, the book follows the harrowing aftermath of a brutal home invasion and murder in the sleepy town of Crystal Beach, Florida. The suspect—John Calvin “Rastus” Russell—was an escaped convict and former asylum patient whose violent rampage would spark a sprawling, chaotic manhunt that lasted over a month and spread fear across the Gulf Coast. But this is far more than a tale of crime and capture. Through richly textured scenes, deep research, and an unflinching eye, Gross reconstructs the mood of a town pushed to the brink and the lives of those caught in the crosshairs of history. It’s a story of resilience, vulnerability, and how one moment of violence can ripple through time.
Amazon: bit.ly/47jCHui
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235731573-madman
Excerpt:
Context: It's August of 1949, Crystal Beach, Florida. A handsome, charismatic, young stranger has entered the house of Norman and Anne Browne - a retired couple from New Yorkmy Review. The stranger claims he is interested in seeing the Browne's house - as it is for sale. The Browne's invite him in for coffee. It's early on a Sunday morning. The following transpires...
Rattlesnake Road has not been named arbitrarily.
The climate and landscape of Florida’s Gulf Coast offers ideal living conditions for the venomous reptiles. The animals thrive in the area’s warm, subtropical environment and diverse ecosystem. The abundant availability of prey and variety of ample hiding spots makes Norman Browne’s backyard – and, in fact, most of Pinellas County, a prime habitat for rattlesnakes to call home.
For residents of Crystal Beach in 1949, this most often means Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes or the tiny but potent Pygmy Rattlesnake. The former is the largest venomous snake in North America, with specimens in the South often reaching six feet or longer.
While residents rarely see the slithering reptiles, a thriving population infests the wooded area around Norman Brown’s secluded home. Also inhabiting the woods around Crystal Beach are ample populations of raccoons, opossums, and coyotes.
As such, Norman keeps two shotguns on hand for encounters with unwelcome wildlife on his property. In fact, the retiree recently killed a six-foot Diamondback not far from the house. Inside the female snake, he found twenty-two eggs*
On this day, one of the weapons leans innocuously in a corner of the Browne’s bathroom. Rastus Russell has just disappeared behind the bathroom door. When he emerges, the visitor is gripping Browne’s loaded .12-gauge shotgun in his rugged, farm worker hands. And he’s not examining it for purchase. He raises the weapon and points it at Norman Browne’s chest.
“What’s the idea?” Browne demands, seated at the dining room table.
Irritated, Russell smashes the coffee cup and saucer out of Browne’s hands with the butt of the weapon. The cup crashes to the table, breaking off a piece of porcelain and staining Mrs. Browne’s white tablecloth with hot, dark coffee.
“I’m a desperate man!” he tells Browne as he explains his situation.
He tells the terrified couple that he is connected to a Chicago drug smuggling gang looking for a hideout. He threatens that if anything happens to him, his gangster pals will “take care of it.” He then demands to know where the Brownes keep their money.
When the Brownes state they have no money, Russell becomes agitated. He continues to argue with the couple, repeatedly asking about the money. The Brownes try to convince Russell they are telling the truth.
Rastus Russell isn’t buying it. He tells Mr. and Mrs. Browne he is going to tie them up while he looks for it. He asks if they prefer to be tied up in the bedroom or their garage. Apparently making the decision himself, the lifelong criminal marches the couple out to the back porch, down the steps, and takes them on the short walk through the yard to the garage.
The Brownes obediently comply – the powerful weapon pointed at their backs.
Inside the tiny, wooden, dirt floor structure, the Brownes breathe the trapped, familiar air smelling of earth, mildew, and mouse droppings. The intruder finds some spare rope. Between old cardboard Crisco boxes, light wood bushel baskets, and Norman Browne’s push-powered grass cutter, Rastus Russell binds the couple by the hands and feet. He then tosses the rope over the wooden beam in the ceiling, pulling the couple’s hands over their heads, tying the rope tight. Leaving the Brownes restrained in the garage, Russell closes the dual, barn-like doors and locks them with the outside deadbolt, securing a steel hasp.
He vanishes into the house.
Norman and Anne Browne hear their captor rustling through their home, searching for money he is convinced is inside. After a short time, Rastus Russell exits the house and, unexplainedly, climbs back into the Ford and drives away.
Traumatized but relieved, the Brownes believe their ordeal is over.
My Review:
I dived into this book without knowing anything about this crime, the criminal, or the author of this book. It is not my usual genre, I tend to gravitate towards fiction, but this caught my interest and I was eager to read it.
I have missed feelings about the book itself. It was nit a writing style I am accustomed to, so it took me a while to get into the story. I came across a sentence that needed some kind of punctuation to make it understandable. I had to read it several times before it made sense and my brain was hung up on it for much longer than it should’ve been.
That aside, the story itself is intense and quite interesting. It boggles my mind that there are people out there that can do this type of thing. I understand it was a different time, but I still can’t believe the way the man was in and out of jail, prison, and mental health facilities repeatedly before this horrible crime was committed by him. The fact he broke out of places multiple times, but still was not locked up more securely, just doesn’t make sense to me at all.
I have not finished the book yet due to my work schedule being crazy revelry, but it am enjoying the read and can’t wait to get back to it. Even without having finished it, I can highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading about true crime. The book draws you in and really makes you wonder what exactly goes on in the minds of the people around you.
And the scene with the baby almost made my heart stop. Spoiler: it is a short scene and ends without the worst happening. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
If I had to give it a star rating, I would say 4 out of 5 stars. It’s difficult for me to rate a nonfiction book because it isn’t my typical genre and I often am not a big fan of the writing style in nonfiction. This book is gripping though and, while there are things I don’t particularly like about how it is written, I am quite enjoying the book, even though it is about a crime committed by a madman.
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