Customer Reviews

Mainliner Denver: The Bombing of Flight 629

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best true crime and punishment dramas I've read in a very long time indeed. Andrew Field uses his experience in the legal field to present a meticulously well researched account of one of the most horrific American domestic air travel industry crimes ever committed and the dramatic trial and execution of a murderer. You will never forget the callousness of a son who could end the lives of 40+ people with America's first in flight bombing of a civilian airliner for no other reason than to murder his mother for the insurance money. What I particularly appreciated, as a photographer, is Mr. Field's fascinating side look at the impact and issues tied to television and film photography in the courtroom during the trial, as it raised issues and controversies the effects of which are still being felt today in the field of trial law. Altogether, a thoroughly well researched, entrtaining and truly informative book!

This book is an outstanding read, a very-well-researched and detailed account of domestic terrorism '50s-style. Andrew Field captures the domineering mother, the sweet and forever-loyal wife, the loser son and his insane logic, the horror of a mid-air fireball in the chilly night, J. Edgar Hoover's just-the-facts G-men, the lawyers' hopeless strategy, and the criminal's mind right to his execution. It's also a fascinating trip through innocent times when, in just 45 minutes, a frighteningly cold man could drop off his family at an airport terminal, park the car, set the timer, check Mom's extra-heavy bag, buy flight insurance, walk Mom to the gate, and kiss her goodbye forever -- then sit down to dinner with the family to wait for the distant bang.

Andrew J. Field has done an outstanding job in detailing the notorious case of John Gilbert Graham. In every respect -- research, presentation, writing, and editing -- there is absolutely nothing lacking about "Mainliner Denver". To be sure, Mr. Field doesn't succeed in explaining (or even determining) Graham's motivation. Money? Hatred? Was he, as William Roughead once famously described Lizzie Borden, "unfilial?" Mr. Field doesn't know, but his "failure" is not the result of want of trying.

This is a fast, easy, entertaining, riveting, and informative read. I highly recommend it. Indeed, I would be delighted if Mr. Field would bring his considerable talents to bear in exploring other neglected criminals -- Barbara Graham or Penny Bjorkland, to mention only a couple. I'll keep my fingers crossed -- and so should you.

This book is a real page-turner, as much as any of the mystery fiction I often read for relaxation. But it's fact, not fiction.

The facts are fascinating without embellishment. The 1955 explosion of a United Air Lines DC-6 in the air northeast of Denver, which killed all 44 souls on board, was quickly determined by investigators to be caused by a bomb, not an accident. This was the first bombing of a commercial aircraft in the US. Shortly after that, the FBI arrested a 23 year old man for the crime; he had loaded his mother's suitcase with dynamite and bought flight insurance policies before she boarded the plane.

Then the US Justice Department discovered that there was no federal law making it a felony to blow up a commercial aircraft - oops. (Congress quickly passed such a law but of course it applied only prospectively.) Therefore, John Graham was charged with capital murder in Colorado state court.

TV cameras covered the courtroom during his trial, a pioneering event in courtroom TV coverage. The two local newspapers competed hotly for stories and interviews - with each other and with the TV stations - and the jailed John Graham paid scant heed to his lawyer's advice to say nothing to the press.

Andrew Field has done a masterful job of research and writing, seeming to just get out of the way and let the story unfold. What a story - and what a writer.

In the "True Crime" section of your favorite bookstore most of the titles involve crimes of recent vintage; the reason being that most buyers of True Crime books will pay for something that's fresh in their mind due to the impact from newspapers and the nightly cable barrage (a la Nancy Grace et.al.). Books involving classic crimes that that stand the test of time due to their impact, horror, or legacy are few and far between. In my previous review of "The Mosser Massacre" I applauded the fact that William Cook's reign of terror was getting it's own book while Howard Unruh's "Walk Of Death" from 1949 and Jack Gilbert Graham's airplane bombing in 1955 were still waiting. Well, while Unruh's "legacy" is still lacking the "treatment", Graham's 1955 bombing of a commercial aircraft finally gets the documentation needed. Full of pictures, interviews and trial transcripts, Andrew Field has come up with a book that covers a classic American crime that had no counterpart before 9/11. More importantly, Field weaves into the impact the crime had on the victims and their relatives (which, unfortunately is too uncommon in true crime literature). Any interested reader in classic American crime will enjoy this book! (Note: for any perspective true-crime authors; along with the before-mentioned Unruh how about a book on 1948 Ohio rampage killers Murl Daniels and John Coulter West?)

This book is extremely well-written and meticulously researched. It combines a skillful reconstruction of a shocking historical event and its aftermath, with the taut storytelling of a great novel. It also provides an interesting cultural study of the America of a half-century ago and some of the tastes, styles, and behavior of the time.

Despite the longstanding popular, nostalgic view of 1950's America as a "kinder and gentler" place and time, in which most people acted with much greater respect for each other (and for themselves) than they do today, events like the ones retold in this book (and, for other examples, McCarthyism, the fierce resistance to the struggle for equality and civil rights, the Korean War, the Cold War threat of nuclear annihilation) remind us of the darker reality that often bubbled just beneath that seemingly innocent veneer.

In addition to giving us an insight into Graham's twisted mind--to the extent it is possible to do so--the author also does a fine job of bringing back to life the other important players in the story. These include the victims and their families, the witnesses, the rescue workers, the attorneys and judges, and Graham's long-suffering wife and sister, all of whose lives were so dramatically affected by one man's horrendous crime.

This book is a fascinating character study of a young family man who seemed so "normal" to outsiders, and obviously possessed above-average intelligence, yet had absolutely no regard for human life--neither other people's nor his own--and had no moral compunction about violently taking many innocent lives in order to achieve his own selfish purposes. Unfortunately, there has never been a shortage of such people in the world, either before, during or after Graham's time.

Riveting! As a retired airline pilot and longtime resident of Denver, I was fascinated by this story. The author's research and attention to detail makes this one of the best true crime books I've read. From the burning wreckage of Flight 629 to the smoke filled flashbulb popping courtrooms of the 50's, the reader will be captivated. Put this one on your shopping list.

Colorado history buffs and true crime afficianados everywhere will find much to enjoy in Andrew Field's impressive debut effort. His extraordinarily methodical research and pithy writing style make Mainliner Denver a fascinating journey into the mind of a psychopath. It's easy to see why he's been a local media darling with a glowing spread in the Denver Business Journal and hours on talk radio. Great stuff!

A deftly written page turner that describes the horrific events surrounding the first act of sabatoge against a U.S. commercial airliner and the dramatic trial that followed. Set in a more romantic period of air travel, this story still resonates strongly today. Thoroughly researched, superbly written, full of interesting photographs, and just plain fascinating. A must read!!

I have been a bookworm for the last 54 years and I can say that this is THE best book I have ever read. As soon as I read it I picked it up and read it again. The author described the horror of what happened to the plane and the passengers so well. Also by the end of the book you still cannot excuse the killer but because of how well his earlier life is described you can start to see how he became the person he was.