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Double Play: The San Francisco City Hall Killings
The inside story of the killings of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, leader of the city's gay community, by Dan White discusses the relationship between the three men and the events leading up to the tragedy
422 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 3, 2011
Although many books and movies have been made covering the sad events that happened on that day I have not seen one, until now, that was written covering an in-depth look at the life of Dan White. Most points of view are portrayed from the story of Harvey Milk and his rise to fame as the first nationally-elected homosexual. “Double Play” not only provides an historical expose at how Moscone, San Francisco’s mayor, and Milk, a city supervisor, fit into the political stage of San Francisco thirty years ago, but gives us insight into the up-and-coming newcomer on the political arena, Dan White.
White, a hard-working, God-fearing young man of Irish descent had grown up in the Bay area and worked in both San Francisco’s police department and fire department. He was well-liked and used these relationships as a spring-board to get elected as a city supervisor. He arrived on the scene ready to take on the world, knowing he could make changes but ran head-long into the political machine that was City Hall and quickly became disenfranchised.
Weiss, a former journalist who covered the killing and trial, then leads us on a trip through White’s life and allows the reader to examine the trials and tribulations of home life, the depression that wracked Dan White that very few folks, other than close friends and family, where privy too. Weiss follows up his storyline with an unforgettable ending. As conversant as I was with the circumstances that happened that day, I was completely caught unaware with this dramatic ending as my interest in the affair waned after the trial occurred. You will want to read this highly entertaining version of the drama that is “Double Play”.
White, a hard-working, God-fearing young man of Irish descent had grown up in the Bay area and worked in both San Francisco’s police department and fire department. He was well-liked and used these relationships as a spring-board to get elected as a city supervisor. He arrived on the scene ready to take on the world, knowing he could make changes but ran head-long into the political machine that was City Hall and quickly became disenfranchised.
Weiss, a former journalist who covered the killing and trial, then leads us on a trip through White’s life and allows the reader to examine the trials and tribulations of home life, the depression that wracked Dan White that very few folks, other than close friends and family, where privy too. Weiss follows up his storyline with an unforgettable ending. As conversant as I was with the circumstances that happened that day, I was completely caught unaware with this dramatic ending as my interest in the affair waned after the trial occurred. You will want to read this highly entertaining version of the drama that is “Double Play”.
July 5, 2011
A Big Book About A Big Subject
The interested readers who look up the crime outlined in this book will fined the following description: 'The Moscone-Milk assassinations were the killings of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who were shot and killed in San Francisco City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White on November 27, 1978. White was angry that Moscone had refused to re-appoint him to his seat on the Board of Supervisors, which White had just resigned, and that Milk had lobbied heavily against his re-appointment. Because Milk was openly gay, some consider his murder a hate crime. These events helped bring national notice to then-Board President Dianne Feinstein, who became mayor of San Francisco and eventually U.S. Senator for California. White was subsequently convicted of voluntary manslaughter, rather than of first degree murder. The verdict sparked the "White Night riots" in San Francisco, and led to the state of California abolishing the diminished capacity criminal defense. It also led to the urban legend of the "Twinkie defense", as many media reports had incorrectly described the defense as having attributed White's diminished capacity to the effects of sugar-laden junk food.[1][2] White committed suicide in 1985, a little more than a year after his release from prison.'
DOUBLE PLAY by Mike Weiss is a hefty volume of 500 pages that sits as heavily on the lap as it gradually works its way to an equally heavy place in the psyche. The subtitle of the book is 'The hidden passions behind the double assassination of George Moscone and Harvey Milk' and this plethora of information is molded by author Mike Weiss into one of the most absorbing, intelligent, wise, and compelling true crime investigation books that has been before the public sense the days of HELTER SKELTER, the book that similarly minded the profundities of the Charlie Manson gang as written by Vincent Bugliosi.
The book details every aspect of the actual crime of Dan White's double murder of Moscone and Weiss, complete with newspaper articles, photographs, courtroom drawings etc, but Weiss does something that has to this time been missing from this mysterious legal case - he has explored the life of Dan White so meticulously that by the time he murders his victims we as readers feel we know him well. Mike Weiss happens to have been the journalist who covered the double murders at the time of the events and so his knowledge is first hand as well as form intensive research in his attempt to understand how White could only be convicted of manslaughter and how after his prison sentence was served he 're-joined' society with bizarre motivations and ultimately committed suicide, an act itself shrouded in mystery.
Weiss' management of the material for this book is solid, based on countless interviews and other forms of research, and the end product is a 'story' that is riveting, appalling, filled with heretofore unknown facts, and rendered in a manner that glues the reader to the massive book to the very end. THEN, as if that weren't enough, there is a DVD attached tot he inside back cover that is as fascinating as it is gut-wrenching: television interviews, unforgettable footage of Dianne Feinstein's eyewitness account of finding Harvey Milk's body, and a new recording of Dan White's confession. This book is a masterwork of journalism and a brilliant examination of a double murder that shook the world.
Grady Harp
The interested readers who look up the crime outlined in this book will fined the following description: 'The Moscone-Milk assassinations were the killings of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who were shot and killed in San Francisco City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White on November 27, 1978. White was angry that Moscone had refused to re-appoint him to his seat on the Board of Supervisors, which White had just resigned, and that Milk had lobbied heavily against his re-appointment. Because Milk was openly gay, some consider his murder a hate crime. These events helped bring national notice to then-Board President Dianne Feinstein, who became mayor of San Francisco and eventually U.S. Senator for California. White was subsequently convicted of voluntary manslaughter, rather than of first degree murder. The verdict sparked the "White Night riots" in San Francisco, and led to the state of California abolishing the diminished capacity criminal defense. It also led to the urban legend of the "Twinkie defense", as many media reports had incorrectly described the defense as having attributed White's diminished capacity to the effects of sugar-laden junk food.[1][2] White committed suicide in 1985, a little more than a year after his release from prison.'
DOUBLE PLAY by Mike Weiss is a hefty volume of 500 pages that sits as heavily on the lap as it gradually works its way to an equally heavy place in the psyche. The subtitle of the book is 'The hidden passions behind the double assassination of George Moscone and Harvey Milk' and this plethora of information is molded by author Mike Weiss into one of the most absorbing, intelligent, wise, and compelling true crime investigation books that has been before the public sense the days of HELTER SKELTER, the book that similarly minded the profundities of the Charlie Manson gang as written by Vincent Bugliosi.
The book details every aspect of the actual crime of Dan White's double murder of Moscone and Weiss, complete with newspaper articles, photographs, courtroom drawings etc, but Weiss does something that has to this time been missing from this mysterious legal case - he has explored the life of Dan White so meticulously that by the time he murders his victims we as readers feel we know him well. Mike Weiss happens to have been the journalist who covered the double murders at the time of the events and so his knowledge is first hand as well as form intensive research in his attempt to understand how White could only be convicted of manslaughter and how after his prison sentence was served he 're-joined' society with bizarre motivations and ultimately committed suicide, an act itself shrouded in mystery.
Weiss' management of the material for this book is solid, based on countless interviews and other forms of research, and the end product is a 'story' that is riveting, appalling, filled with heretofore unknown facts, and rendered in a manner that glues the reader to the massive book to the very end. THEN, as if that weren't enough, there is a DVD attached tot he inside back cover that is as fascinating as it is gut-wrenching: television interviews, unforgettable footage of Dianne Feinstein's eyewitness account of finding Harvey Milk's body, and a new recording of Dan White's confession. This book is a masterwork of journalism and a brilliant examination of a double murder that shook the world.
Grady Harp
May 18, 2011
San Francisco, 1978: Dan White murders Mayor George Moscone and California’s first openly gay man to be elected to public office — the charismatic and visionary Supervisor Harvey Milk. Why?
If you think you know, the truth will surprise you.
In his newly updated, award-winning book Double Play: The Hidden Passions Behind the Double Assassination of George Moscone and Harvey Milk, reporter and author Mike Weiss provides a masterful history and analysis of the controversial trial that changed the California legal system — and unveils secrets about Harvey Milk’s life and murder not available from any other sources.
Weiss’s true crime thriller explains why White killed the two politicians, and how he got away with murder, receiving only a mild sentence for manslaughter. This newly expanded edition reveals how, following his release from prison, White confessed his true murderous intent and his plan to kill two more politicians. A companion DVD provides television interviews and, for the first time ever, a recording of White's confession.
Edgar Award-winner Mike Weiss covered the trial of Dan White and the White Night riots for Time, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of two other nonfiction books, Living Together and A Very Good Year, as well as the acclaimed Ben Henry mystery series. Weiss was raised in New York City, educated at Knox College and John Hopkins University, and worked for many years as a reporter in San Francisco.
If you think you know, the truth will surprise you.
In his newly updated, award-winning book Double Play: The Hidden Passions Behind the Double Assassination of George Moscone and Harvey Milk, reporter and author Mike Weiss provides a masterful history and analysis of the controversial trial that changed the California legal system — and unveils secrets about Harvey Milk’s life and murder not available from any other sources.
Weiss’s true crime thriller explains why White killed the two politicians, and how he got away with murder, receiving only a mild sentence for manslaughter. This newly expanded edition reveals how, following his release from prison, White confessed his true murderous intent and his plan to kill two more politicians. A companion DVD provides television interviews and, for the first time ever, a recording of White's confession.
Edgar Award-winner Mike Weiss covered the trial of Dan White and the White Night riots for Time, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of two other nonfiction books, Living Together and A Very Good Year, as well as the acclaimed Ben Henry mystery series. Weiss was raised in New York City, educated at Knox College and John Hopkins University, and worked for many years as a reporter in San Francisco.
November 26, 2012
A good book for those interested in the topic.
June 5, 2024
I enjoyed the book because I've long been fascinated by this story, but it was frustrating in some ways.
1. I would have preferred more analysis about San Francisco, how it had changed in the years leading up to these events, and how that had impacted the political landscape of the city. SF at that time was apparently a city very much divided, with longtime residents and the straight working class dismayed and angry about the influx of the LGBQT community with White elected on a "take our city back" campaign.
2. Moscone and Milk represented the progressive, inclusive forces who wished to change how the city was run, and alienated longstanding powerbases in the city, the police and fire departments, the business community etc. who ended up being sympathetic to/supportive of White. During the trial section of the book it is clear that the jury could potentially feel pity for White, who was portrayed by the defense as a man cracking under pressure (mostly self applied). This relates back to the divide in the city between the straight/conservative and gay/liberal factions that to me is the crux of the case
3. The author makes it clear that the prosecutor bungled the case, went into it thinking it was a slam dunk, and misunderstood or underestimated the sympathy White might have from a straight, mostly working/middle class jury who might not have endorsed White's actions but weren't visibly unhappy about the outcome. This too, is infuriating.
4. White emerges at the end still a cypher despite the author's attempts to get at the psychological reasons behind White's crimes. He seems a petulant crybaby, a quitter but also hyper competitive at the right moments. His Irish background, Catholic upbringing, his father's early death and White's worship of him and desire to meet or exceed the alleged standard set by his father are given as motivations.
Overall well done and worth a read if you're interested in these events, which have been depicted in two films and an opera.
1. I would have preferred more analysis about San Francisco, how it had changed in the years leading up to these events, and how that had impacted the political landscape of the city. SF at that time was apparently a city very much divided, with longtime residents and the straight working class dismayed and angry about the influx of the LGBQT community with White elected on a "take our city back" campaign.
2. Moscone and Milk represented the progressive, inclusive forces who wished to change how the city was run, and alienated longstanding powerbases in the city, the police and fire departments, the business community etc. who ended up being sympathetic to/supportive of White. During the trial section of the book it is clear that the jury could potentially feel pity for White, who was portrayed by the defense as a man cracking under pressure (mostly self applied). This relates back to the divide in the city between the straight/conservative and gay/liberal factions that to me is the crux of the case
3. The author makes it clear that the prosecutor bungled the case, went into it thinking it was a slam dunk, and misunderstood or underestimated the sympathy White might have from a straight, mostly working/middle class jury who might not have endorsed White's actions but weren't visibly unhappy about the outcome. This too, is infuriating.
4. White emerges at the end still a cypher despite the author's attempts to get at the psychological reasons behind White's crimes. He seems a petulant crybaby, a quitter but also hyper competitive at the right moments. His Irish background, Catholic upbringing, his father's early death and White's worship of him and desire to meet or exceed the alleged standard set by his father are given as motivations.
Overall well done and worth a read if you're interested in these events, which have been depicted in two films and an opera.
November 4, 2025
My understanding of Harvey Milk's legacy is informed solely by the film, Milk, which I saw nearly 20 years ago, and the documentary released in 1984 that I have watched recently. I was hoping this book would help with that, but it focuses more on the motivations of Dan White, as well as the ensuing trial. That's not a complaint, because it's an incredibly thorough book (even if the author's voice reads more like fiction, especially with some of his flourishes). The copy I got from the library was an updated version from 2010 that came with a DVD. I have never seen that before.
March 17, 2013
This was an enjoyable read. I studied Harvey Milk in college, but never bothered to look into his killer. Hearing about San Francisco in the late 70's, all the changes and opposing factions was really educational. I lived in San Francisco in my college years and never really gave any thought to the early years of the gay movement, it just seemed like it had always been the gay Mecca. The descriptions of mr. White's downward spiral were engrossing, and the details of the mistakes of the prosecutor during the farce of a trial were maddening.
April 11, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews