The Crime of the Century: Richard Speck and the Murders That Shocked a Nation

by Dennis L. Breo

"Oh, my God, they are all dead!"
On July 14th, 1966, Richard Franklin Speck swept through a quiet Chicago townhouse like a summer tornado and stabbed, strangled, and killed eight young nurses in a violent sexual rampage. By morning, only one nurse, Corazon Amurao, had miraculously survived, and her scream of terror was heard around the world.As the eight bodies were carried out of the small building, the coroner, who had seen the carnage up close, told a gathering crowd: "It is the crime of the century!"Now, on the 50th anniversary of the murders, the prosecutor who put Speck in prison for life (William J. Martin) and the author and journalist who won an award for his coverage of the crime (Dennis L. Breo) have teamed up to re-create the blood-soaked night that opened a new chapter in the history of American crime: mass murder. Their riveting and richly documented account reveals fascinating behind-the-scenes descriptions of Speck, the young nurses, the relentless manhunt and massive investigation, and the bold legal moves and painstaking preparation for the trial that returned a death sentence for Speck.Corazon Amurao, the nurse the killer left behind, confronted Speck at trial and told jurors, "This is the man!" Richard Speck was spared execution by Supreme Court rulings and here is the inside story of how he confessed to the murders in a sordid prison video made three years before his death of a heart attack in 1991. And here, in exclusive interviews and photos, is the life today of  the nurse who survived the crime that murdered American innocence.
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Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Audiobook, Mystery, Biography

578 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Dennis L. Breo, a Florida author and journalist, is the former national correspondent of the Journal of the American Medical Association. His cover story on the Speck murders, published in the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine, won an award for exemplary journalism from the Chicago Headline Club. A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, his work has also appeared in Parade, People, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun Times, Reader's Digest, Los Angeles Times Syndicate, News America Syndicate, and New York Times Syndicate.

Reviews

[Katherine Addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has one major flaw, and I'm going to talk about it right up front. It is co-written by a journalist and the lead prosecutor at Richard Speck's trial. The prosecutor is obviously a main character in the book, and they talk about him always in the third person and in a weirdly adulatory way, e.g.: "Although many casual observers found Martin to be cool and remote, he was underneath a very caring, emotional, warm man" (379). It's jarring and uncomfortable, and it makes me cringe. The book also exhibits a rather simplistic pro-cop, anti-media stance, and as I said in my review of The Gates of Janus: An Analysis of Serial Murder by England's Most Hated Criminal, Expanded Edition, you knew it was a snake. Richard Speck was a sociopath. Don't be surprised when he behaves like one.

(I admit this is hard to do. Sexually sadistic sociopaths like Brady and Speck by their nature are abhorrent to non-sociopaths, and part of us is always going to be surprised and shocked by their crimes. We use emotionally charged words like "vile" and "horrific" and "evil" and all those things are accurate in our moral system, and I don't want for a moment to imply that that judgment is wrong. But I think it's also important to remember, although not to condone, that to sociopaths our moral system is meaningless. There is nothing inside them that tells them not to do evil. So seriously. It's a snake. Don't be surprised when it bites you.)

Aside from that, this is an excellent book, a blow by blow account of the incredibly complicated process of prosecuting Richard Speck. I learned a great deal about how lawyers approach criminal trials, the octopus-like contingency planning that has to act as flying buttresses to every move they make in court. (That metaphor got away from me a little bit. Sorry.) Breo and Martin do an excellent job of contextualizing what Speck did on July 14 with the rest of what was going on in America in 1966 (race riots and the Vietnam War and Charles Whitman) and also paint a vivid picture of Chicago itself. Not surprisingly for a man with Martin's particular talents, the narrative is well-organized and coherent--or as coherent as a narrative of an inherently chaotic enterprise (remember the octopus) can be.

Not being a sociopath, I do consider Richard Speck vile. He contributed nothing to the world except the rape-murder of eight young women in one night. And he couldn't even do that competently, because he forgot about the ninth woman and left her alive to testify against him. This book balances the horror of his crime against the genuinely heroic efforts of the police and Cook County prosecutors and the Public Defender's office to catch Speck, keep him safe from vigilante justice, respect all of his civil rights, give him a fair trial (oh the desperate, agonizing scrupulousness as the prosecutors try to block every possible grounds for an appeal), and prevent him from ever harming anyone else. Even though he escaped the death penalty (because the system, grinding slow, couldn't get him executed before the Supreme Court decision in 1971), he died of a heart attack in 1991 before a parole board got stupid enough to let him out. It's not, as Martin said after Speck's conviction, a victory that gives us any cause to rejoice or celebrate, but the officers of the law and the court did their duty, and Speck was not left free to continue raping and murdering the innocent. Justice is cold comfort.

[Cathy S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed account of the infamous and shocking nurse murders committed by Richard Speck in 1960’s Chicago. Having been written by the lead prosecutor in the case no detail was left out of the narrative. Hence my problem. This book often slowed down to a crawl while each piece of evidence or each expert witnesses’ testimony was examined from every conceivable angle. Did we really need to spend several pages exploring why one finger print expert was substituted for another on the eve of that testimony? Having said all that this book does show the evil and horror one man can create and the depths that good men and women will go through to prevent that person from ever being given a second opportunity.

[Kimberly Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I think of the infamous Speck murders, it never occurred to me that the trial would be anything more than a formality. After all, one of the most famous aspects of the case is the nurse that was able to hide and later identify her friends murderer. However, in this very interesting account of the trial, the lead prosecutor and co-author give an insiders glimpse not only into the murders and the manhunt, but into all of the things that could have gone wrong while getting to the verdict. In addition to the courtroom intrigue they give a vivid look into the the world and characters of Chicago during the 1960s. A fascinating (and very sad) read.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What a horrific crime. I'd never heard of Richard Speck or these murders until I listened to this book. I immediately Googled the "confession" tape as soon I finished the book. There's a short clip of it on Youtube and WTF?! This guy was messed up. A clear sociopath. And I was so so pissed that he was not given the chair!!!! Spoiler, but hey this happened like 50 years ago, too bad. lol. I literally cheered out loud when the judge said "death by electric chair." I was THRILLED. And then "Richard Speck died of a heart attack in prison in 1991." WHAT?! At least the victims' families went to every parole hearing he had to make sure he stayed in prison.

Cora, my goodness, what a courageous woman, every step of the way. I can't believe Speck didn't know how many victims he had. I was like no way is she going to be able to just hide under a bed!! But she did! And lived to tell the whole tragic tale. Amazing woman!!

I didn't realize this book was co-written BY the prosecutor, Bill Martin, until after I read it. So his descriptions of himself, or are they Breo's, are a little self-aggrandizing. But cool to have a first person point-of-view on the trial.

[Lance Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 13-14, 1966: eight young student nurses are brutally stabbed, strangled, and sexually assaulted in the nurses' town house in Chicago. It was considered the first random mass murder of the 20th century. Richard Benjamin Speck, the murderer was a drifter and 24 years old at the time.

Reading the book, I tried to reconcile Richard Speck, the man with the abominable acts he committed. But in the end I could not find a vile, evil, insane man like most serial killers; just a stupid, aimless, ambitionless human being with few redeeming qualities.

The book was detailed and very good, from the murders to the trial. The police and lawyers are to be commended, but the real hero was Corazon Amurao, a Filapena exchange nurse who escaped that night and testified against Speck, making sure he was convicted of the crimes. Very, very brave.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional account of this appalling crime. I've had it in my wishlist for an age waiting on a pricedrop so was thrilled it became more affordable for me this month so I could snap it up !! Now, I thought everyone knew about these murders but I asked my mum about them and she hadn't heard of them at all. I was only a year old but she was 27 so should have remembered !!!
I have never understood how he managed to control all nine nurses and that none ever tried to take him on or get away but this is put to rest in this account for me at last. Plus, he was soft spoken and was nice to them when addressing them all as a group. And really ? Who would ever comprehend one person killing them all as he did ? That sort of thing wasn't commonplace back then, it just didn't happen.
At the end of the day, he was a nasty piece of work, though for me I still didn't really understand why he did it. He never came clean so we'll never know. The book didn't address this, either, I guess because it would only be supposition. And this book is all true.....it was so interesting to read of the background machinations among lawyers and how it all transpired in the courtcase. Bill Martin and Team Speck did an astounding job. I was so impressed, too, how they looked after Cora and her family so well. It was lovely to see her photos at the back of the book and to know she is happy. She has nothing to regret, she did her fellow victims proud. A girl whose bravery shouldn't ever be underestimated.
I have to say Speck made a VERY valid argument whilst discussing the death penalty. He'd said to a doctor it was a great way to control people and said doctor said it wasn't a deterrent, though. Speck said, "That's a joke. It sure as hell stops the guy that's electrocuted. He won't kill anybody again." Very good point.
I spotted a couple of spelling mistakes, using ascorbic and not acerbic, Clair and not Clare, Dostoyevski and not Dostoevsky and they wrote Betty Jo but changed it later to Mary Jo.....also pore and not bore and fiance and not fiancee. There were the odd misplaced or missing words here and there along with some dodgy apostrophe usage, though I really liked the publisher's font that was used.
One passage made me cry when it referred to a fortune cookie Valentina kept in her purse.....
It was such a needless, sad waste of life altogether....but thankfully Mary Ann, Nina, Patricia, Valentina, Gloria, Suzanne, Merlita and Pamela are never forgotten.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it a 9 out of a 10.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a hot summer night in 1966, unemployed seaman Richard Speck broke into a Chicago townhouse and murdered eight nurses who lived there – but a ninth, Corazon Amurao, survived to testify against him.

I’ve known about the Speck case for several years, and it’s really quite a horrific yet bizarre story that made a great impact on the judicial system in Illinois. I was excited to get into a book that would cover it in depth, but I found myself startled and pleased with the amount of detail we get.

An important thing to know about this book is that the week before the crime and the murders themselves are covered in the first three or so hours of an eighteen hour audiobook. Thus plunged in so abruptly, we go on to follow Speck’s apprehension and how the case moves through the legal system. Speck is refreshingly discussed as only another aspect of the case as opposed to its central figure. Instead, the reader is given a front row seat view of everything that goes into trying a case of this magnitude in court.

The reason for this is that one of the co-authors of the book, William J Martin, was the chief prosecutor in this case, and is therefore intimately familiar with how the case played out over the course of the year or so that it took to finally sentence Speck. Through his eyes we get to know the slain nurses and their families, the various detectives and forensic experts who work the case, and Corazon Amurao, the sole survivor of the massacre. But we also learn the minutiae of how both prosecution and defense put their cases together, argue what’s admissible in court and not, select a jury, and put together a narrative to present.

As someone who is interested in the legal system, it was a fascinating look at how it works when all protocols are properly observed, especially as the prosecution was intent on only having to conduct the trial once. Others less interested in this aspect may find the read slow and lacking in sensationalism, however.

[Mariana]

Although long-winded and sometimes repetitive, this book is a thorough account of the murders of 8 nurses in Chicago back in 1966, plus the subsequent trial and the aftermath.

This could have been about 100 pages shorter (or more, if you remove all the times the authors talked about Speck's life and times because fuck that guy, seriously), but I was all for the detailed proceedings of the trial and how brave and badass Corazon Amurao was when faced with Speck in court.

If you're bored by the minutiae of an investigation and courtroom proceedings, then this book is probably not for you. Like I said, it is very detailed (to the point where there's a mini biography of every single person ever mentioned in the book, however small their involvement with the case is) and it drags in a lot of places. Maybe not the best true crime book I've read written by a prosecutor, but still pretty good!

[Dean Chanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frighteningly spellbinding

Unable to find the words to describe my feelings after reading this book. I graduated from high school in 1966 before this happened and joined the Army in September after it took place. Having a daughter who is now a nurse herself has magnified the horror of it all for me but has also increased and solidified my respect and admiration for all those who stepped up to the challenge of doing the right thing the right way at the right time from beginning to end regardless of cost or personal sacrifice. Excellently written.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out. It was such a shocking and appalling crime that it was hard for the brain to process. And apparently motiveless. No one could understand why it happened, and I still don't understand.

[Auntie Raye-Raye]

You should not have a woman with a sexy, breathy, bedroom type of voice narrate a book on murder and rape.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

On June 15, 1966, I was living in a northern suburb of Chicago. The evening paper and the news channels were alive that night - and for days after - about a gruesome, horrible crime on Chicago's southwest side - the murders of 8 student nurses in their townhouse/dorm, the night before. Even in the age before 24/7 news and the internet, the murders by demented loner Richard Speck were news all summer, and later on for his trial. How had one man - armed with a knife - subdued and sexually tortured eight young women before murdering them, one by one? Dennis Breo, in his new book, "The Crime of the Century: Richard Speck and the Murders that Shocked a Nation", gives a measured and non-sensational view of the crime, its victims, and the aftermath.

There certainly have been more than one "Crime of the Century" in the US in the 1900's. Two - Speck and the Leopold and Loeb Murders - happened in Chicago. What is it about my hometown that has given rise to such a high murder rate, both before and after Speck? Speck, as the author points out, was a volcano ready to go off in the hot, humid summer of 1966, where race riots were already happening in other areas of Chicago. But this crime was not of a racial nature; Richard Speck and his victims were white and Filipino. Speck was just a drifter - with a special, soft-spoken charm that was reassuring to his victims - who took advantage of the nearness of the victims to ease his frustration with the world around him that just didn't seem to give him a break. And what of the nine student nurses - one hid herself under a bed during the killing spree - who were picked out almost on a whim? Breo gives good biographies of these women and their families. The one nurse who saved herself is highlighted in the book. He also does a good job covering the trial and the legal tangle afterward.

I think Dennis Breo's book is very written in solid terms. Non-sensationalist, even. But maybe that's because as a 15 year old, I lived through that horrid summer and had heard the worst. A very good book.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent True Crime book. It's well researched, well written, and with a recent update at the end. There are photos but none of them feel tasteless, and the story is told in an exciting yet respectful way.
Richard Speck was just a vile person, and so blatently guilty that even a skilled defence lawyer couldn't inspire reasonable doubt in the jury. This book takes the reader from the horrific murders, to Speck's movements before and after, the investigation, the hunt for the killer, the trial, and the aftermath of the verdict. Even though I knew he was found guilty, the trial and verdict sections were thrilling with a cliff-hanger build-up.
The reader is taken through the different types of evidence used, as well as why certain evidence is not used. We see the skilled prosecution team make decisions on the evidence and witnesses, and it's clear they are experts at their jobs. The discussion on an insanity plea is interesting too...how can someone prove they were not in their right mind and so are not "responsible" for thier crimes? There's also the role Speck played in the changing of attitudes to crime in America, and introducing people to the idea of mass murder in their own homes.
The Aftermath section at the end leaves the reader with hope as we read about the star witness, Cora, and the life she had lead since.
There is so much research that's gone into this book, the only reason for the 4 star is that sometimes I felt bogged down with information and details. However, this is a great book and the fact that it's co-authored by the main lawyer for the prosecution means it's the definative work on the subject.
A must for True Crime readers.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am old enough to remember when Richard Speck murdered 8 nursing students in Chicago in 1966, but young enough to not particularly remember the trial or how things played out afterwards. One of the co-authors of this book was the lead prosecutor for the trial who spent a great deal of time with the key witness (the only student nurse who was actually there and lived to tell the tale) and thus is able to provide a lot of detail. The book provides some background on the Speck family (none of which would lead you to say "aha! NOW I know why he was such a monster), the days leading up to the murder, and the gruesome details of what happened as the victims were raped and murdered (supported by testimony from the one student nurse who lived to tell the tale, as well as detailed forensic evidence). What happened in Richard Speck's life subsequently made my skin crawl, although not nearly as much as imagining what his victims endured at his hand.
It's been a while since I read a true crime story, and I'm glad this one popped up on BookBub and I grabbed it. A fascinating true story, well told, and updated for the 50th anniversary of this horrible crime.

[Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a teenager (1966), the mass murder of 8 Chicago student nurses made national news. I only knew what the national news stories reported at the time. After many years (2022), I finally took the opportunity to read the details in this book. One of the co-authors is the prosecuting lawyer responsible for trying the case of Richard Speck for the murders. He does an excellent job of explaining what happened and also gives much insight into the preparations required for a successful prosecution. In fact his details are so vivid that it takes the glamour out of the legal profession and replaces it with the stress and drudgery necessary to be successful. It was also eye opening to read about the great lengths that a good public defender will go for his client even though the odds are against him. Although the author's detail of what happened is admirable, he never really succeeds in explaining why Speck committed the atrocity. The author acknowledges this shortcoming and defends this by claiming that Speck was simply a bad person, extreme sociopath and essentially unknowable despite the professional opinions of 6-9 psychologists/psychiatrists.

[Julie Reiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a prosecutor and former defense attorney I find trial strategy very interesting so naturally I loved this book. I could see where if you aren’t “in to” the strategy behind the scenes of the trial this book might be boring in places. This book is very well written, very comprehensive, and like all true crime books that I read, very sad and horrific. As the book details in the end, this sociopathic killer was just as much a sociopath oddity after he was incarcerated as he was before his arrest. Yes people like this walk among us and it is up to the justice system AND citizens to be vigilant and do our jobs whether it be as prosecutors, law enforcement, judges, correction officers, mental health experts, witnesses, or citizens who are called upon as jurors to make sure criminal sociopaths are kept housed, monitored, and away from society where they cannot harm innocent people. A sociopath cannot be reformed. That is hard for people who want to believe in goodness to accept. If you have a hard time believing that—just read this book.

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night) · Rating 4 out of 5]

True crime is a favorite of mine, whether it be TV Shows, Documentaries, or Books. It does make for a hard read or listen due to the nature of the evil is showcases but is still a fascinating subject for me.

The Crime of the Century is one said read. I listened to this one and it gave me chills. Despite this having happened so long ago, it's still a dark look into madness and evil. The narrator does an amazing job with this one, and I flew through this.

Definitely recommend this one for true crime fans, or those who have heard of this crime, but wanted to know more. The author does a great job bringing out the tragedy and events.

[Chris Mercado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction, true crime book, about a mass murder back in the 60s in Chicago. Chances are unless you're into true crime or Chicago-specific history, you probably haven't heard about this and will enjoy learning about it, as I did. I'm just starting to explore True Crime as a genre and I am enjoying it.

The author worked with the prosecutor on the case which gives a particular insight into what happened, especially during the trial. There are some intimate details, both about what happened to the victims and about the victims themselves (so, not for the squeamish).

[Anne Cupero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well-written, mostly because the evidence was firsthand, from Bill Martin, the prosecutor. There were however, no interviews with Speck family members, with Corazon now, or with the few players still alive. But since Bill Martin is a co-writer, one definitely feels as though one was there, as the trial was unfolding. I would have liked to know where everyone is today, although we did get that about Corazon.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a very interesting read. From the crime committed to trial and conviction Breo and Martin spotlight not only a horrendous crime but the strategy of Martin, who was the prosecuting attorny. Speck was a truly fucked up person. Even though no one had any experience with a mass murder trial he did some really a remarkable job.

[Marilyn Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The facts behind the trial were of great interest

Liked the detail narrative of the difficulties in convicting a mass murderer making sure there would be no cause for an appeal and that guilty would include a death sentence

[Greg Jolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly researched and told. A fine cautionary tale of evil.

[DancingMarshmallow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall: 3 stars. An incredibly thorough retelling of the Richard Speck case with a dedication to detail that sometimes bogged down the narrative.

The first third or so of this book shines as it relates the events of the night of the murders, the lives of the nurses, and the “man hunt” to find Speck. The story starts to slow down as the book progresses into the trial phase, which I normally don’t mind, since I find criminal trial proceedings with this kind of deviant act interesting (the rigidity of the law vs. the chaos of such offenders). BUT this book has perhaps the most detailed retelling of a trial I’ve ever read, down to interviews with prospective jurors and the daily lives of witnesses before they testified. Some of those details were interesting, mind you, and did add to the overall themes, but man is it a slog to be faced with such microscopic detail over and over and over.

It’s also worth noting that this book focuses heavily on the prosecution and the lives of the lawyers/judges/cops/etc. Speck himself is not given much screen time (which is probably a good thing: he doesn’t seem all that interesting).

This is definitely a book for the type of true crime fan who enjoys trial proceedings and questions of criminal law: if you’re more someone who enjoys psychology or forensics or just blood and guts, this probably isn’t for you.

[Roberta Lynne Ruben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a senior in a Chicago High in 1966 when the student nurses were murdered. Once Richard Speck was identified I lost my fear of going outside. I didn’t follow his story in the newspaper and my parents didn’t speak of the nurses. It was a Chicago nightmare. The author gives readers a clear vision of Speck and the courtroom scenes and judgements.

[Lucila Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compré este audio libro no muy convencida de que me gustaría. Sin embargo, resultó en un increíble viaje de horror a lo más balo que se puede uno imaginar, y la lucha por parte del sistema de justicia, para restaurar el equilibrio en una sociedad sacudida fuertemente por sorpresa.
Los autores describen en inicio los días previos al que sería conocido como “el crimen del siglo”, la vida de Richard Speck, quien el 13 de Julio de 1966 se convertiría en uno de los más infames criminales en la historia de Estados Unidos. Los autores hacen un recuento detallado de la noche del crimen, casi al minuto, y de cómo el asesino sujeta en sumisión a cada una de sus víctimas, y que luego de sus horrendos actos salió huyendo. Se describe además el trabajo minucioso de la policía de Chicago para capturar al único sospechoso, identificado por quien milagrosamente sobrevivió al ataque Corazon Amurao. El trabajo de la fiscalía pasará a la historia, por ser impecable, pues no solo se dedicó a probar sin dejar lugar a dudas, la culpabilidad de Speck, sino anticipar cualquier estrategia que el, hay que reconocer, brillante defensor público asignado a Speck, pudiera imaginar, e intentar bloquearla. Se describe con detalle el trabajo de la fiscalía, inclusive una detallada biografía del inculpado, y luego el inicio del juicio, con elección de jurado y los testigos más importantes. Este libro resultará muy interesante para los que gustan leer sobre historia de crímenes e historias legales. Al final, en esta actualización del libro por el 50avo aniversario de estos sangrientos sucesos, se incluyen notas sobre un video realizado en la prisión donde Speck pasó el resto de su vida. Y si uno pensaba que este sujeto había ya caído en lo más bajo que pudiera uno imaginar, este video (su transcripción) dará más de una sorpresa. Speck se las había ingeniado para denigrarse aún más. Sin embargo el video no solo sirvió para revolver el estómago sino para reformar el sistema carcelario en Ohio. Richard Speck murió en 1991 de un masivo ataque al corazón. Lo único lamentable es que después de que en la autopsia el forense encuentra serias alteraciones en zonas del cerebro (hipocampo y amígdala, áreas relacionadas con memoria y afecto) y decide enviar el espécimen a un experto neurólogo en Boston, para mayor estudio, la muestra se pierde antes de ser enviada. Gran pérdida para la ciencia. Tal vez se hubiera descrito una asociación de cambios en el,cerebro, con la personalidad psicopática que Speck demostró desde muy joven.

Muy bien escrito, muy detallado, es un excelente recuento de lo que sería conocido como la ‘Masacre de Chicago’ o El Crimen del Siglo’ : el brutal ataque de nueve enfermeras y estudiantes de enfermería y posterior asesinato de ocho de ellas.

[Ellen Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is with Chicago? They get Herman Webster Mudgett (aka H.H. Holmes), Louise Vermilya, Belle Gunness (best known for getting caught in Indiana, she started killing in Chicago), Richard Speck, William Workman, Andre Crawford, and John Wayne Gacy. The Second City -- they try harder?

If I'd realized earlier that one of the authors was also the chief prosecuting attorney I might have pointed and laughed at some of the self-aggrandizing passages; or I might not have, since even without noticing that connection it was pretty clear the authors considered the prosecution side more than sufficiently saintly. But at the same time, the prosecutors and (some of) the cops honestly seem to have been highly skilled at their jobs and passionate about bringing Speck to justice. I would have liked to have seen more of the girls who died and heard more from their families, and I'd love a book on this case more from the perspective of Cora Amurao, who to my mind is the true hero of the story, but this book did a better job than many at recognizing the victims and trying to humanize them, and it also recognized Amurao's heroics, so I'm just grumbling because I wanted a book that doesn't exist and probably never will.

I like that this book inspired Rebecca Gilman's play of the same name, which, as one reviewer observed, focuses on the fact "that while mass murderers' names invariably echo down the years, the victims whose lives they snuff out are much more quickly forgotten." It takes more skill and effort for writers to write an entertaining story without glorifying the bad guy and while giving the victims their due. While this book is not a stellar example of accomplishing a compelling narrative that does so, it is a worthy effort.

[Jan Funnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an enthralling read as it leads the reader on a detailed investigation of the way in which a murder trial is prepared and run by both defence and prosecution. I must admit that even though I was a young adult in 1966 I had never heard of this awful mass murder before coming across this book. Also as a qualified Solicitor now retired who practised in Australia I found the procedures for preparing and running a criminal trial in the US utterly fascinating. I also found that the prosecution's insistence that the defence be left with no recourse to appeal the Jury's decision was an indication of the horror that this crime invoked within the public arena.

The detail of how Richard Speck committed these atrocious crimes is horrifying and the many slip ups of the police in the initial stages of tracking down Speck frustrating to say the least. I was puzzled to realise on coming to the end of the book that the lead prosecutor in this case was actually one of the authors as I have difficulty in understanding how the writer would be comfortable to refer to himself in the third person and also feel comfortable with some of the adulatory words about him contributed by the other writer. I felt that any complimentary opinions about the lead prosecutor would have been best left as a foreward in the book.

Nevertheless this is a book I would thoroughly recommend to any reader who is interested in trying to understand how a sociopathic person views our world and its morals and laws.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends asked why I was interested in and reading a book presumably about Richard Speck. Yes, he was unrelenting scum, but the book was more the trial and the mental practices of the prosecutor, as well as something about the legal system at the time. It was fascinating! I am left with the question: "how was it that the federal courts decided that execution was not allowable (even though the jury had decided on it), but execution of John Wayne easy from the late 70s/early 80s WAS?
I am a bleeding heart liberal when it comes to as execution: I strongly don't agree with it! And yet, by the end of the trial I found myself thinking "he needs the death penalty!" The only reason I can imagine is that the authors really got me relating to the prosecutor! Wow! The whole thing was so fraught with emotion and tension. I lived in Hyde Park at the time of the murders, and I remember my mother coming home from work one day shaking. What a horrible experience!
By the way, I am still totally against the death penalty, for many reasons; just because this one depiction of the trial had me wavering for a while, I still think it's time for the US to join this civilized world in outlawing it!