Overview

The Butcher Baker: Robert Hansen's Deadly Hunt in AlaskaA quiet baker. A bush plane. Twenty-one X's on a hand-marked map. In late-1970s Anchorage-flush with pipeline money and crowded with transients-Robert Hansen blended in as a shy small-business owner and prize hunter. By night, he weaponized Alaska's wilderness, abducting women from Fourth Avenue and flying them to remote riverbars to terrorize and kill. The Butcher Baker is a rigorous, victim-centered investigation of how a soft-spoken neighbor became one of America's most calculating serial killers-and how a handful of investigators, a courageous survivor, and stubborn evidence finally exposed him. Linda Davidson rebuilds the case from the ground up: from the first unidentified remains near Eklutna Lake to the escape of Cindy Paulson; from Trooper Glenn Flothe's quiet task-force work to the search warrants that cracked open Hansen's basement and uncovered a trove of jewelry, firearms, and a hunting chart dotted with graves. Drawing on Alaska State Troopers files (1983-84), court records, contemporary reporting, and interviews, Davidson separates myth from record-dispelling the lurid lore to reveal the real methods, decisions, and mistakes that shaped the case. This is true crime without spectacle: precise, humane, and anchored in the lives Hansen tried to erase. Inside you'll find: A clear, date-by-date timeline of disappearances, discoveries, the task force, confession, and sentencing. How Anchorage's boomtown economy and geography enabled predation-and how investigators used mapping, ballistics (.223 Mini-14), and behavioral analysis to connect scattered scenes. The pivotal role of survivor Cindy Paulson and why her testimony changed the trajectory of the case. The ""X Marks the Ice"" evidence: what the basement cache, trophies, and aviation chart proved-and what remained unresolved. Respectful portraits of identified victims (including ""Eklutna Annie"") that restore names, context, and dignity. ""Myth vs. Reality"" callouts that correct popular claims about ""human hunts"" and media distortions. Aftermath and reform: how the case reshaped missing-persons coordination and attitudes toward crimes against marginalized women in Alaska. Curated bibliography for further study. Why this book: Davidson's narrative is propulsive yet restrained-meticulous with facts, candid about uncertainties, and unwaveringly centered on victims and the professionals who refused to look away. If you value evidence over embellishment, this account gives you the real case: methods, maps, and measured conclusions. Perfect for readers of Michelle McNamara, Ann Rule, John E. Douglas, and David Grann-and for anyone who wants true crime that honors the record as much as the story.

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