Forgotten news: The crime of the century and other lost stories [Hardcover]

Jack Finney (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385177216
• ISBN-13: 978-0385177214
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #973,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book belongs back in print!, January 16, 2004

By 

Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forgotten News: The Crime of the Century and Other Lost Stories (Paperback)

In all his works, Jack Finney had that unique story-telling ability to make the reader feel comfortable and entertained. Without sounding condescending, as some writers do, Finney carefully and clearly explains the situation so well, that there is no risk of not understanding him. For Pete's sake, TIME AND AGAIN was loaded with illustrations so that you could see what and where he was talking about. In FORGOTTEN NEWS, Finney employs the same device.

Focusing on what was the crime of the (19th) century--the murder of a dentist, Harvey Burdell--Finney explores the lives of the victim, the probable perpetrators, the witnesses, and, most importantly, the life of NYC in 1857. In fact, even before he launches into the narrative, he provides a brief but effective introduction to the world in which Dr. Burdell lived, including the rough-and-tumble world of the Dead Rabbits and Bowery Boys.

The narrative itself is easily paced, peppered with humor just at the right moments, as when the grisly events of the murder might be upsetting the reader. The circus surrounding the investigation and trial of the suspect, Emma Cunningham, is mind-boggling even by today's standards. Careful, to avoid jumping to conclusions, Finney is admirable in reining in his opinion. There are hints galore that he thinks Ms. Cunningham committed the murder along with a shady accomplice, but he also acknowledges that there is no evidence. The story of Ms. Cunningham's faked pregnancy and her attempt to acquire an infant to claim is Burdell's, just so that she could continue her pursuit of his inheritance, is so outrageous, so unbelievable that the reader might forget that this is non-fiction.

The second part of the book describes the shipwreck of the ????. Just the fact that I can't remember the name of the boat is an indication that that narrative isn't quite as compelling as the murder of Burdell (at least to me). In fact, it was a little anti-climactic. Perhaps it should have come before the Burdell murder. And perhaps it's just me. In any event, track down this book. It is worth the read. And PLEASE, SOMEBODY OUT THERE, BRING THIS BOOK BACK INTO PRINT!!!

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I read this book until it fell apart., February 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Forgotten news: The crime of the century and other lost stories (Hardcover)

This was great -- so much more fascinating than anything in the papers today. The Dr. Harvey Burdell story and the sinking of the Central America were both gripping stories in different ways, and I loved Mr. Finney's conversational way of tellling them...it's a real loss that he's gone. Maybe he's somewhere in the past, where he wanted to be...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You'll want to go back to 1850 to see what REALLY happened., September 29, 1998

By 

Thomas Jacobs (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgotten news: The crime of the century and other lost stories (Hardcover)

I have read all of Finney's novels and short stories. This work of non-fiction, having characters that really lived, is as absorbing and compelling. The detailed look at "the crime of the century" gives the reader glimpse at nineteenth century thought, feeling, attitudes, and technology. I have read it several times--each reading discovering new details.