Fargo and the history of true crime in the Midwest

Every week, Fargo opens by reminding the audience that this is a true story -- a device borrowed from the original Coen brothers film, and faithfully recreated for the TV series. But this week's "The Castle" -- the penultimate episode of the FX drama's second season -- adds a fascinating new wrinkle to the now-familiar opening. As the episode begins, a beat-up hardcover titled The History of True Crime in the Midwest is pulled from an overstuffed bookshelf. The pages flip open to reveal that the...