Learn more about "The Crack City Strangler" and the Benjamin ("Tony") Atkins case

He roamed Detroit's historic Woodward Ave -- known for having the nation's first mile of concrete paved road. But he wasn't behind the wheel; he was on foot. Nevertheless, he certainly had his foot on the gas: Benjamin Atkins, homeless, so young in his early 20s, and addicted to crack, was known to have killed 11 women in a short time span -- between six and nine months. That earned him the moniker of the nation's fastest serial killer after he was arrested in August 1992.

"The Crack City Strangler: The Homicides of Benjamin Atkins" takes you through the case from start to finish, from Atkins' very troubled beginnings through his arrest, trial, incarceration and death in 1997. Most importantly, the book opens with a look at each and every one of his victims -- not only the 11 who lost their lives but also the one known survivor at the time, and an additional survivor who has never told her story until now. I was blessed to not only speak with that additional survivor, but also several family members of the women who were killed, plus police who worked the case and the attorney who represented Atkins. I tracked down whoever I could find -- unfortunately, several people, such as the prosecuting attorney and some of the law enforcement folks, have passed on in the years since the case. But I was thankful to have a lot of source material for this project, including many, many case files.

The book releases on March 11, and the Kindle edition is available for preorder now. It's the second book in the Murders in the Motor City series. I think you will be as fascinated by this case as I was. There are a lot of elements in Atkins' background that could make you shake your head and say, yeah, that was it right there. But really, the mystery of why he killed includes all kinds of crazy factors and is up to your own interpretation. You can tell me what you think!