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Title details for Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming - Available

Murder Among Friends

How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime

by Candace Fleming
Angela Dawe
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
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2 of 2 copies available
How did two teenagers brutally murder an innocent child...and why? And how did their brilliant lawyer save them from the death penalty in 1920s Chicago? Written by a prolific master of narrative nonfiction, this is a compulsively readable true-crime story based on an event dubbed the "crime of the century."
In 1924, eighteen-year-old college students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb made a decision: they would commit the perfect crime by kidnapping and murdering a child they both knew. But they made one crucial error: as they were disposing of the body of young Bobby Franks, whom they had bludgeoned to death, Nathan's eyeglasses fell from his jacket pocket.
Multi-award-winning author Candace Fleming depicts every twist and turn of this harrowing case—how two wealthy, brilliant young men planned and committed what became known as the crime of the century, how they were caught, why they confessed, and how the renowned criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow enabled them to avoid the death penalty.
Following on the success of such books as The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh and The Family Romanov, this acclaimed nonfiction writer brings to heart-stopping life one of the most notorious crimes in our country's history.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 29, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593506585
      • File size: 212480 KB
      • Duration: 07:22:39

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 850
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      With the talents of narrator Angela Dawe, the author's excellent research and strong writing propel listeners through this account of the 1924 murder committed by teenagers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. Dawe reveals the step-by-step plotting of two bright, privileged boys who kidnap, ransom, and murder a 14-year-old. Their purpose? To pull off a perfect crime. The details are not terribly graphic, but listeners may feel discomfort at the amoral attitude of the antiheroes, their troubled pasts, and their complex relationship. Dawe's narration of how the crime was solved is gripping and provides context of the era. Listeners will certainly feel stirred by Dawe's portrayal of the powerful defense mounted by renowned attorney Clarence Darrow, who condemned capital punishment. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 31, 2022
      In five distinct sections, this gripping, thriller-paced true crime portrait by Fleming (The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh) centers Nathan Leopold (1904–1971) and Richard Loeb (1905–1936), who in May 1924 as University of Chicago students and on-again, off-again lovers targeted and killed Loeb’s 14-year-old second cousin Bobby Franks, in an attempt to commit the “perfect crime.” Beginning with a grisly account of the killing, the page-turning narrative next traces wealthy Leopold and Loeb’s childhoods and early friendship among Chicago’s Jewish elite, the tracking of the killers, the duo’s storied confessions, and the riveting courtroom battle involving attorney Clarence Darrow. Electrifying descriptions of the pivotal trial provide nuanced ethical and legal context around Darrow’s arguments against the death penalty. Fleming employs her usual flair for enlivening history, offering rich layers of information about the time, including the role that anti-Semitism, newspapers, and police corruption played in the case. Though Leopold and Loeb’s crime is difficult to stomach, Fleming crafts an absorbing saga sure to ensnare readers in its thrall. Black-and-white photographs and newspaper reproductions appear throughout, and an afterword and copious back matter reveal the book’s wealth of research. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Agency. (Mar.)■

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:850
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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