I received an advance copy of this title from Net galley, this has not influenced my review.

True crime cases, particularly murders, and particularly gruesome murders committed under odd circumstances, regularly tend to be exaggerated and become overblown with lurid and morbid retellings. The Leopold and Loeb case is a textbook example of this fact. A hundred years on and the events surrounding their shocking and brutal crime are still fixed, if somewhat vaguely, in the public imagination. This continued fascination has spawned movies, documentaries, and fiction and non-fiction titles alike, to this day.
In the crowded field that is historical true crime (to say nothing of the crowded field of Leopold & Loeb writings) the authors of this title distinguish themselves and achieve an engaging, deeply informative book. A volume, I think, that will become a requisite for anyone wanting to know the full history of this case. In addition to excellent pacing, a compelling writing style, and relevant historical context, the authors avoid veering into sensationalism. The murder of Bobby Franks is placed squarely in the center of the story as nothing less than a heinous and outrageous crime, all the background and context we get about the perpetrators never goes so far as to imply anything close to exoneration. The authors also treat the whole case with professionalism and rigor, background, the crime itself, and the trial and aftermath all have their allotted space and each is covered well.
This was a lively and compelling book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this particular case or in historical true crime in general. ( )

Fantastic book. My only complaint is that section 3 - The Experts - was really a slog. It starts out pretty good, but most of this section is made up of the interviews and court testimonies of the experts, and is frankly boring. We cotton on pretty quickly that the prosecution thinks one thing and the defense thinks another, and so several chapters diving into how this can be is, frankly, boring. The authors will state that the defense attorney is a blow-hard gasbag, and then quote verbatim whole pages-worth of his speeches! This section is necessary for the historical record, but casual readers are going to suffer through it. Actually, I just skimmed through (read: skipped) most of this section, and picked it back up at the next one, when it got good again. ( )

A comprehensive and graphic narrative of an infamous murder from the 1920s in Chicago. This book covers a well-known event, but includes a modern and detailed interpretation of the two murderers. It's researched well and it's pretty extensive, covering the crime itself, the history, mental analysis, and post-trial timelines of the killers, as well as the hearing/trial highlights (although this part could be shortened a bit). It's thorough and thought-provoking if you are prepared for some of the explicit descriptions from the crimes detailed within.

GoodReads FirstReads Giveaway ( )

Nothing But the Night is an extensively researched book about the infamous Leopold and Loeb case that transfixed the country and the world in the mid 1920s. Billed as a new look into the case, Nothing But the Night is exhaustively documented (over 1000 citations). The book offers a wealth of information, some of which was new to me, detailing everything about the case, and also reveals the questions about the case that have never been answered. When the authors didn’t have an answer, they were clear that they didn’t, and clearly presented possible solutions. The book is well organized and an easy, yet informative, read. There’s also a chapter that details the lives of both Leopold and Loeb in prison, and how all the families were affected (victim’s and killer’s).

One of the better true crime books I’ve read, and recommended for those interested in the case.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press, and to Netgalley, for providing an ARC of the book. ( )

Nothing but the Night: Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder That Rocked 1920s America by Greg King and Penny Wilson is a very highly recommended examination of the infamous 1924 murder.

The names Leopold and Loeb will immediately be familiar to true crime aficionados and bring to mind two teens who killed for the thrill of it. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were two intelligent and wealthy teenagers who were charged and convicted for the 1924 murder of fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago. Franks was actually Loeb’s second cousin and the families had homes close to each other. The murder was shocking for its senselessness, the revelation of a love affair between the defendants, and defense attorney Clarence Darrow's defense summation which saved the boys from the death penalty. King and Wilson reexamine the case and who was the true mastermind behind the crime.

This is an exceptionally well researched inspection of the case and included are a bibliography and chapter notes. It remains a troubling and disturbing case that deserves a new look at the known facts and King and Wilson take on this task admirably. Those who appreciate the quest for the truth in psychological historical true crime cases will welcome this even approach to looking at the facts with new eyes. It also serves to look closer at Clarence Darrow's argument against the death penalty. His suggestion that experts declared Leopold and Loeb were "mentally diseased" rather than evil unleashed a media frenzy.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/09/nothing-but-night.html ( )