Meyer Levin (1905–1981)

"This was a crime for its own sake. It was a crime in a vacuum, a crime in a perfectly frozen nothingness where the atmosphere of motive was totally absent."

This is a fictionalized account of the Leopold and Loeb kidnapping and murder case from the 1920's. The author was a cub reporter for a Chicago newspaper at the time and covered the case. He was also a fraternity brother and slight acquaintance of one of the perpetrators, and so had an interest in and some inside knowledge of the case. This book was written in the 1950's and is considered a worthy predecessor of In Cold Blood and other "nonfiction novels."

The point of view in the novel alternates between the Leopold and Loeb characters (in the book Judd and Artie) and that of Sid, the reporter persona. We follow Leopold and Loeb's obsessive friendship, their planning of what they consider to be the perfect crime (due to their self-perceived super-intelligence), and then the execution of the crime. Then the media frenzy began, and all the clues they left behind despite their superior intelligence, soon led to their capture. The novel continues with a detailed description of their trial and their ultimate conviction.

At the time of the trial, Freudian theory was just beginning to gain popular acceptance, and a great number of psychiatric theories were expounded at the trial to try to explain the crime. The book went on at great length about some of the theories, and I sometimes tired of them. (I note that when the book was written in the1950's Freudian analysis was perhaps approaching the height of its popularity.)

Although perhaps slightly dated, the book is well-written, and a complete picture of this so-called "crime of the century." Recommended.

3 stars… (más)

In 1924 Chicago, two rich college students, Judd Steiner and Arthur Strauss, decide they can commit the perfect murder and get away with. They kill a young teenager, Paulie Kessler, but through the efforts of part-time reporter and fellow student Sid Brooks, a pair of glasses left at the scene is traced to the murderers. For their trial, the families hire renowned defense attorney Jonathan Wilk known for his passionate arguments against the death penalty. Both men confessed to the crime but Wilk pleads them not guilty. At the trial, they change the plea to guilty and Wilk argues passionately in favor of a life sentence rather than execution. (fonte: imdb)… (más)