A Sensational True Crime That Terrified 1940s Florida
In the sweltering summer of 1949, a gruesome crime shattered the peace of Crystal Beach, Florida. What followed was a month-long manhunt that turned small towns into war zones and everyday people into survivors.
MADMAN by M.F. Gross is the haunting, true account of John Calvin “Rastus” Russell—an ex-con, asylum escapee, and the face of a manhunt that rocked Central Florida to its core.
✔ Historical True Crime
✔ Small-Town Terror
✔ Real-Life Manhunt
✔ Criminal Psychology
Don’t miss the true story that’s stranger—
and more terrifying than fiction.
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” – William Faulkner
M.F. Gross is a historical true crime author with a deep-rooted passion for revealing the dark and untold stories hidden in America’s past. A former financial writer turned investigative storyteller, Gross spent over a year uncovering the mystery and fear that surrounded the 1949 Crystal Beach manhunt.
A Florida Gulf Coast resident, Gross brings personal knowledge of the region’s landscape and character to MADMAN. With each sentence, he revives a story that might have otherwise been lost to time.
“M.F. Gross has crafted one of the most gripping true crime narratives I’ve ever read. Every page crackles with tension, and the level of historical detail is astounding. MADMAN doesn’t just tell the story of a horrifying crime—it immerses you in a time and place that feels eerily relevant today. Fans of Erik Larson and Truman Capote will devour this.”
“You better keep your damn mouth shut about this! If you go running to the newspaper, I’ll come back here and kill you too!” ~ Rastus Russell (threatening Anne Browne)
