Joe Pompeo

While this was an entertaining read, there is a question in my mind whether the incident of the double murder actually “hooked America on true crime.” It may have hooked America on this crime for a while, but the book provides no evidence that this crime created or changed America’s fascination with murder or celebrity or the pursuit of justice.

Certainly the involvement of the media in the process of the courts was novel in this case but not unprecedented. Newspaper editors and show more publishers - most famously William Randolph Hearst — had been manipulating public sentiment for newspaper profits for some time.

This case was a little more egregious than some others.

I find it also humorous that the photo used for the cover jacket does not contain either of the victims, but the murdered woman’s husband and daughter. show less

An unsolved mystery makes for a great basis for a book and this one is no exception - centered around a 1920s murder than remains unresolved to this day. In addition to all the lurid details of murder, this book also chronicles the interactions between the murder case and the press, each influencing the trajectory of the other. A fascinating book and I appreciated the author's concluded thoughts, as he attempts to give the best resolution to this case as possible.