Customer Reviews

Leopold and Loeb: The Crime of the Century

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When I was a sophomore in college, I took a criminal sociology course which touched on a number of famous cases of the 20th century. One of the cases the class reviewed was that of Leopold and Loeb, the two genius, well-bred, affluent Jewish teenagers who murdered a neighbor for intellectual thrills. I didn't think much of the case after the class, until recently, when it suddenly came to mind again for some inexplicable reason.

When I went on my search for a book about the case, I originally was looking for "Compulsion" by Meyer Levin, as that was the title I remembered from my class. However, it seems that work is out of print, and so I went with "Leopold and Loeb: The Crime of the Century" by Hal Higdon. I think this was, in the long run, probably the better choice, more firmly rooted in the world of fact than the based-on-true-events stylings of Levin's work. That is not, however, to say that Higdon's piece does not have its own issues.

I found this book to be very hard to work through, despite being interested in the subject matter. While it did, for the most part, provide a very complete picture of all of the pertinent details, I felt that the narrative was very disjointed. Higdon would often seem to switch thoughts mid-paragraph, including details seemingly unrelated to the topic being discussed. I also found it maddening that the book would often seem to be working up to a comclusion regarding some particular point, and then would abruptly stop. Names of various persons and locations were thrown around with abandon, with no hint as to whether or not the reader should recognize the name from earlier in the tale or if this was a new, separate non-sequiter. It was a very frustrating way to read a book, and this jarring writing style would often derail me from my interest in the book.

But, despite the distracting writing style, the tale told remains fascinating. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb seemed to have every advantage. They were both from well-off and well-respected families, they never wanted for any material good, they were even - in their own ways - well-liked. Combined with their superior intellects (Leopold had an IQ of 210, Loeb of 160), these two young men should have been able to achieve anything they wanted... and apparently, they felt the same way. Unfortunately, what they set their sights on was the kidnapping and murder of a neighborhood youth. The investigation and the trial to follow would hold Chicago in its thrall for months on end, with the media doing their best to spur on the public's fervor for anything to do with the case.

This tale does not lack for interesting characters. At the core, of course, are Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. Why would two young men, just 19 and 18 years old respectively, take it upon themselves to perform this bizarre act? What possible motive could they have had? But in addition to these two young men who would find themselves at the center of the "Crime of the Century," there was also Clarence Darrow, one of the pre-eminent attorneys of his day. Darrow's staunch opposition to the death penalty would play an enormous role in the course the trial would take. There were any number of other players in the game that would have roles of varying importance, and many of them proved to be quite interesting in their own rights.

All in all, I would say that this book is very interesting... despite the writing. There may be other works out there that tell the tale of Leopold and Loeb with a more readable writing style, but I do give Higdon credit for completeness. I learned a great deal about the primary participants in this sad tale as well as much about what was historical fact and what was simply myth that had been built up around the case over the years.

This straightforward account of the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder of Bobby Franks and its lengthy aftermath makes for chillingly effective non-fiction. I liked Higdon's "just the facts" approach, which proceeds without sympathy, fluff or verbosity. The book corrects certain misconceptions that resulted from "Compulsion," Meyer Levin's superb but sympathetic novel about the crime. Higdon should apply his skills to other "media event" crimes, such as Nicole Simpson or the Lindbergh kidnapping, and write another fine book.

It is strange that I hardly ever recall hearing of the Leopold and Loeb killing until a few weeks ago. After doing a little research I knew that I needed to find a good authoratative book on the subject. Well, I sorta found one....

Hal Higdon, has done a wondeful job researching this long lost topic. Higdon has obviously read through all of the newspaper reports, psychological profiles, and everything else concerning this case... the research is top notch. The writing is a bit of another story.

The back cover indicates that Higdon writes for "Runner's World", and I think that may be the issue with the writing. "Leopeld and Loeb; The Crime of the Century" reads like a 345 page magazine article! The information is there and presented in a sraightforward manner, but that is about it. There is very little flare and almost no suspense in the telling. I agree that some may think that there is no need for flare and suspense in non-fiction, but I look at "The Devil in the White City" as an example that the two can coexist.

In Short, "Leopold and Loeb: The Crime of the Century" will probaly hold your interest because of its participants and the nature of the crime. While Higdon's writing did nothing to ditract from the tale, the opposite is also true - he added very little. My final review - read Higdon's version if you are interested in this particular crime, but if you are just looking for a great nonfiction crime story look towards "The Devil in the White City".

Hal Higdon writes a concise and thorough book about Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, two wealthy, brilliant, and obviously bored young men who decide to commit a "perfect" crime, for no other reason than to demonstrate that they're smarter than everyone else. At random they grab a fourteen year old boy named Bobby Franks, murder him in cold blood, and then contact his father to try to collect a ransom. But Franks' body is discovered before the drop is made and Leopold dropped his eyeglasses at the crime scene. The rare eyeglass frames are traced to him and he and Loeb are arrested a week later. Famed attorney Clarence Darrow saved the two from the gallows, and they're given life plus 99 years. A fascinating read, and it's interesting to see how these priviledged and bright young men exhibit such anti-social behavior. Those interested might want to read Nathan Leopold's autobiography, "Life Plus 99 Years".

When you think of chicago during the 1920s, the first thing that comes to mind is Al Capone, prohibition, gangsters and crime. But in 1924, for a few months, Al Capone was no longer the talk of the town, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb became the most famous and unlikely celibrities of the time. Two extremely bright 19 year olds from very wealthy Chicago families, decide to kidnap and kill at random a person just for the "thrill" of it, with no other apparent motive than getting away with it and committing the perfect crime.

The author tells in details the planning of the crime, the day it happened, the investigation, the arrest, the trial and the aftermath. The trial in particular is fascinating as it gives you a great insight on the muderer's personnalities, their intelligence, their upbringing and how their relationship with one another led to murder. The book is written as if it were a fictional mystery novel, you will sometimes find yourself wondering whether or not this really happened. The suspense builds extremely well throughout the book, as if Hitchcock himself had put his touch to it. Even if i knew from the beginning who the killers were, as the investigation unfolded, i almost thought they would get away with it.

I highly recommed this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, history, law, psychology, chicago or just a great read.

If it were a novel, it would be contrived. The story of Leopold and Loeb is so fascinating that it is incredible that Hollywood has not yet cashed in. With a cast of characters that includes two rich, young, genius Jews,an innocent young victim, an over-ambitious D.A., Nietzche (in philosophy, if not body), and the great Clarence Darrow, there is no room for disinterest. I would believe that this book would be interesting to many styles of readers, including those interested in crime, in law, and in history. Well-written and concise, this book was fun to read.

Hal Higdon, a popular running writer, took an essentially scholarly approach to the Leopold & Loeb story. He went to all the primary sources he could find, as well as collecting all the popular press accounts. The result is much more complex and nuanced than the fictionalized versions we've been handed through the movies, primarily 'Compulsion' and Hitchcock's 'Rope'.

To take the most obvious points, the subjects were not mentally deranged, nor were they homosexual lovers, nor were they even queer as we would understand it today. Bobby Franks was not the offspring of a prominent Chicago family but the son of a wealthy and elderly retired pawnbroker. Leopold and Loeb were not masochists secretly wishing to be caught and punished. They intended to get away with their 'perfect crime' and would have, except for an extraordinary run of coincidences and bad luck. In fact, it is possible--it is probable--that Leopold and Loeb had committed other crimes of murder or mutilation in the months preceding the Bobby Franks abduction.

The story is so cluttered and ambiguous you might long for the fine hand of a novelist, to give a firmer shape to the story and eliminate all the backstory and minor characters that keep getting in Higdon's way. But reality is messy and seldom straightforward.

MINOR QUIBBLES: Personally I wish Higdon had used a little more critical judgment in describing the subjects' mental abilities, about which they continually boasted, as arrogant adolescents so often do. L & L weren't brilliant so much as bookish and school-smart. Brighter boys would have seen the police net coming down upon them and wriggled away.

Supposedly Loeb had an IQ of 160 and Leopold one of 210; Leopold was fluent in five or ten or fifteen languages, including Sanskrit and Hawaiian. The claims are preposterous. IQs simply cannot be measured that high. As for languages, while one may gain facility in many tongues (eg, be able to translate an essay or order dinner) gaining and maintaining fluency is entirely a different matter. As evidence of their high intellect, we are reminded again and again that Loeb and Leopold graduated from college by age 18. But in their time and place this was not all that remarkable. In the early 20th century, when students often skipped a grade or two at a time, it was very easy to get to college by the time you were 14. The main reason most college students didn't matriculate before they were 17 or 18 is was the social environment: boys in early adolescence were unlikely to be pledged by the better clubs or fraternities, and that's the main point of going to college--or at least it was, back when going to college meant something. In Leopold and Loeb's case age was not so much an issue. They weren't going to be admitted into the better fraternities anyway.

After reading some of the reviews from this book, I almost passed on reading it myself. What a mistake that would have been! This book does tend to read like a term paper - but when there is this much drama in a real life story - I don't need the author to spruce it up! From a legal perspective - we have come a long way in protecting the rights of criminals (i.e. 5th & 6th amendment). A great legal history read. And a nail-bitting story! Couldn't put it down.

Author Hal Higdon's superb "just the facts" approach gives us a starkly realistic look at one of the 20th century's most infamous crimes. In 1924 Chicago, millionaire collegians Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murdered 14-year old Bobby Franks for thrills and to bolster their warped claims of superiority as inspired by philosopher Frederick Nietzsche. Readers learn all about the crime, it's planning, and how it was solved largely because of eyeglasses unknowingly left behind. Higdon also details the lengthy media trial (ala OJ Simpson) where famed attorney Clarence Darrow fought to keep his arrogant young clients from the gallows. We also get a detailed history of the crime's aftermath, including Leopold's questionable 1958 parole, and additional events extending into the 1970's.

Higdon has given us a superbly readable account, one that settles certain misconceptions arising from COMPULSION, an excellent fictional account by Meyer Levin. Too bad Higdon hasn't written many other true crime books; he's got the knack.

Mr. Higdon used excellent knowledge and detail in describing the events that took place in a very disturbing murder case. No detail or rumor was left without discussion. I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to others. It also 'read' fast for a book having so much detail, I could hardly put it down.