When Good Men Do Nothing: The Assassination of Albert Patterson

Fire Ant Books

by Alan Grady

A provocative telling of "The Phenix City Story."

On June 18, 1954, former state senator Albert Patterson, the Democratic Party's nominee for state attorney general, was shot to death as he left his law office in Phenix City, Alabama, infamous for its prostitution, gambling, bootlegging, and political corruption. Patterson had made cleanup of Phenix City his primary campaign promise. With millions of dollars in illegal income and hundreds of political and professional careers at stake, the question surrounding Patterson's murder was not why the trigger was pulled, but who pulled it.


When Good Men Do Nothing is the definitive study of the Albert Patterson murder case. Alan Grady has mined the state's original murder case files; the papers of John Patterson, Albert's son; records from the Office of Alabama Attorney General (who directed the murder investigation); the case files of the Alabama Department of Toxicology and Criminal Investigation; National Guard reports; and more than 30 interviews with eyewitnesses and interested parties.


Grady takes a complex story of multiple dimensions—a large cast of judicial, criminal, and political players; a web of alliances and allegiances; and a knotted sequence of investigative revelations and dead ends—and transforms it into a readable, incisive analysis of the powers and loyalties that governed, and corrupted to the core, the body politic of the state. Readers will be enthralled and educated by this authoritative account of the most compelling crime drama in Alabama during the 20th century.

312 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2003

Reviews

[Chloe Curbelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very detailed book and despite the name glossary in the back, my professor, my class, and I had trouble keeping up with all of the names. This is a good book for a research source or to even learn specifically about the assassination of Albert Patterson. If you are looking for the History of Phenix City and what occurs during that time period, you will not find it. This Book is hyper focused on the assassination Case. Overall it’s a good book if interested in the assassination.

[Amanda Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written chronological event that changed a city and it’s government, as well as Alabama’s. It is a reminder of how quickly corruption can grasp its sticky fingers around one’s soul.

[Randy Quarles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book succeeds in multiple ways. Although as an Alabama native I've heard and read a little about Phenix City's wild days and the Albert Patterson murder, I had only a vague notion of the events around Mr. Patterson's death. In addition to educating me, this book was really engrossing. I don't think you have to be from Alabama to enjoy it, either. It's not an over-dramatized or fictionalized retelling of a story about corruption and an Alabama town's rebirth. It's a real murder mystery. With the author's access to long-sealed investigative files, as well as his extensive interviews with people who lived through the events, the book details the fits and starts and dead-ends of the hunt for a crusading politician's killer or killers. As scrupulous as the author's research is, his use of endnotes rather than footnotes for citations helps keep the narrative from bogging down. It reads as quickly as a novel. Vey well done.

[Chip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a obsessively researched account of one of the most shameful hijacks of the justice system ever to occur in America. Rewind to the 1950s and get ready to catch your jaw when it drops... Try not to compare the story to current events or you will need sleeping pills.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just started I will let you know what I think.