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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The 'Double Indemnity Murder', January 2, 2007
This review is from: The Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century (Paperback)
Landis MacKellar's new book, The Double Indemnity Murder, explores one of the most sensational murders of the 20th century. When Albert Snyder was killed in his bed by his wife Ruth and her lover, Judd Gray, some eighty years ago in March of 1927, Queens Village, New York City, and much of the United States was captivated by the aftermath of this notorious crime. The slaying became a symbol of the jazz/flapper era and resulted in a Broadway pla and a 1940's noir movie, and has gone down in the annals of crime literature.
Ironically, the murder involved little intrigue. Due to excellent police work and an ineffective cover-up from the co-conspirators, Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray were brought to justice with swiftness unheard of in the 21st century.
MacKellar's research for this book was exceptionally thorough. Broken up into three parts - the crime, trial, and last days, with three appendices, the book provides a psychological profile for both killers and the victim, as well as their unfortunate cast of on-lookers. Because the crime was so transparent, Double Indemnity doesn't quite read like a mystery. However, MacKellar's profiling is enough to allow each reader the background to make their own assessment as to the motivation behind this legendary crime.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Ruth Snyder Book Yet!, January 16, 2007
This review is from: The Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century (Paperback)
Landis Mackellar is to be commended for writing the most readable, and inclusive, account of the 1927 "Double Indemnity" murders yet published. The book is scholarly, but not dry, and I read it all in one sitting. True, the major points have been covered many times before, but Mr. Mackellar provides enough new supporting detail, drawn from the trial transcripts, other archival sources, and the newspapers, that I, who have read everything published on the Snyder case that I have been able to get my hands on, did not think to myself, "oh great, another rehash" and put it aside for later reading. He is also to be commended for NOT using recreated dialogue, an authors' conceit that usually causes me to view a book with distrust if it purports itself to be a "true account." My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that given the wealth of photos available of every aspect of the case, the book seems under illustrated. But, I'll gladly do without a photo section if a book on a topic with which I am well versed keeps me interested and does not irritate me with recreated dialgue or speculative 'insights' into the minds of people long dead whom the author never met. Good work, Mr. Mackellar!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This Case Had All of the Ingredients for Sensationalism, November 10, 2008
This review is from: The Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century (Paperback)
I have heard of this sensational murder case briefly in reading books on the 1920s, and I thought it was time to add this book to my true crime collection. Ruth Snyder was involved in an unhappy marriage with husband Albert Snyder, and sought happiness with a married man named Judd Gray. The two of them hatched a clumsy plot to murder Albert Snyder while he was sleeping. Infidelity and alcohol make up a deadly combination, and their scheme quickly unraveled when discussing Snyder's death with the police. The book is divided into three parts: 1. The Crime 2. The Trial 3. Last Days The Trial makes up the longest portion of the book, and goes into considerable detail with the trial of the two defendants being held simultaneously. The Last Days involves the transfer to Sing Sing Prison, and the agonizing wait up to the pair's execution in January of 1928. A final section entitled Lingering Questions regarding the case are fielded by the author. The book takes its title from the double indemnity that was to be paid upon the death of the insured husband of Mrs. Ruth Snyder. I found the book to be quite interesting, and a valuable addition to my true crime library.
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