For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago

by Simon Baatz

Book Overview

It was a crime that shocked the nation: the brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectuals--too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. When they were apprehended, state's attorney Robert Crowe was certain that no defense could save the ruthless killers from the gallows. But the families of the confessed murderers...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060781025
• ISBN13: 9780060781026
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

should've written a different book

some true crime writers write like they want to write a murder mystery and that is more than a bit ghoulish. this is one of those books. the murder is almost a hundred years old so perhaps we should forgive the author this, but idk this was the worst day in someone's life. they lost their son and ended up leaving the home they raised him in and the author chose to focus on the architecture of the school he went to and how handsome the murderers were. ghoulish but not in the way you think. but i'm also judgy so ¯⁠\⁠(⁠°⁠_⁠o⁠)⁠/⁠¯

Outstanding NF

I liked this book much more than I thought I would. In 1924, two highly priviliged (some would say "overprivileged") University of Chicago students planned the senseless murder of a teenaged neighbor. No real reason: he was just there, and a relative of one of them. Their parents wanted the best possible defense attorney, and so turned to Clarence Darrow, who was at the peak of his fame. It all makes for great drama. This book catches the City of Chicago at a turning point -- rife with newspapers (eleven per day), but radio was in its infancy, though station WGN plays a large role here. Psychology was at a turning point between the "hard-wired" motive of glandular response and the newer psychology of unconscious motive (the "Freudian" outlook). I for one was particularly impressed with the amount of research author Simon Baatz put into this book -- in that sense it reminded me of Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD in 1966 in all its thoroughness and accuracy. Read this book: it is a very, very good read and you'll learn a lot about Chicago, the Twenties, and of course the psychology of individual deviance. It's also very, very well written.

A tale of two indulged, hedonistic boys

When I discovered this book, I was very excited. I have never read a comprehensive book on the Leopold and Loeb case before; I've only seen it mentioned in other books on true crime. And previously, I have only seen one to two paragraphs in these other books devoted to this case, which was a shocking crime in Chicago in 1924. Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold both came from priviledged, indulgent backgrounds, and when they met in private school, they became friends. Loeb was the gregarious one of the duo who was fascinated by crime, and approached Leopold about commiting the perfect murder/kidnapping. The kidnapping/murder is accomplished. The body of the victim is discovered before Loeb and Leopold reap the financial benefits of their murder as intended. Leopold leaves behind at the crime scene a pair of eyeglasses that ultimately lead to his and Loeb's capture. The current DA of Chicago, Robert Crowe, states publically that he intends to pursue the death penalty in this case. The author Simon Baatz points out that the murder of Bobby Franks is only some of what lead the public in Chicago in the 1920s to be so fascinated by this case. The other part that is so interesting is in the defense of the assailants. The Loeb and Leopold families hire Clarence DArrow, arguably the most influencial attorney of the day, to defend their sons and to possibly save their lives from a certain death sentence. Mr. DArrow's defense of Loeb and Leopold-I won't give away this part of the book because it is a key element-seals Darrow's reputation as a leading defense attorney. Loeb and Leopold's defense, and their lives after the trial, are also painstakingly detailed in this book. The events leading up to the murder, and the aftermath are rivetingly written about in this book. Also, the murder is discussed in an intellectual way that compares the ramifications of the murder in comparison to the backdrop of theprosperous roaring twenties in America. Mr. Baatz writing style is easy to read and there is never a dull moment in his description of this historical event.

Leopold and Loeb: "Crime and Punishment"

Baatz, Simon. "For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder that Shocked Chicago", Harper, 2008. Leopold and Loeb: "Crime and Punishment" Amos Lassen I have always been fascinated by the Leopold and Loeb affair and it is without a doubt one of the most shocking crimes in the history of America. From the moment I read Meyer Levin's "Compulsion", I have been compelled to read whatever I can about the entire business. Simon Baatz, professor of law and history takes a look at how the crime affected not only those who perpetrated it but America in his new book, "For the Thrill of It" and it is on my best books list. Most of us have trouble understanding how two young and wealthy men can still live in the memory of this country for murdering a young boy in 1924 just "for the thrill of it. It seems that they went far beyond the conventions of good and evil and it has been suggested that the crime was better psychologically explained--an attempt to cover up feelings of rage and inadequacy, cultural boredom and sexual passion. What Leopold and Loeb claimed was their motive was only an iota of what the reasons were. Baatz spends time looking at the psychological and psychiatric testimony of three witnesses--Bernard Gleuck, William White and William Healy who, like the attorney for the defense, Clarence Darrow, felt that criminal law depended upon psychology and that criminals who were victims of some kind of social disorder should be treated and not punished. Even though Darrow offered a guilty plea it was his hope that the sentence might be lessened by proving to the jury and judge that the crime was committed while Leopold and Loeb were insane. We know that this strategy failed and that the two were given 99 years. Loeb was killed in prison and Leopold was eventually paroled and died as an expatriate in Puerto Rico. Baatz gives us the history of the crime and takes us into the courtroom where he has a good look at the plea of insanity. I was totally into the narrative and the book is a fascinating look at human behavior and the criminal process. The research is excellent and the book is extremely readable. Baatz can tell a story and bring the reader in. The crime is imbedded in our imaginations and the fact that the plea of insanity is something we still talk about. It is good to have this record of the crime, the trial and what happened later. Baatz does not explain why anything happened but he does give us great detail about what happened. The book is something like what Truman Capote did with "In Cold Blood" and that is to create a non-fiction novel. I have read several negative reviews of the book and I think that perhaps this is not the kind of book that appeals to those reviewers and I disagree with their evaluations. Of course I am somewhat biased as I have read everything I could about Leopold and Loeb. The crime they committed was so out of character for Jewish gay men to take part in but they did.

The Legend of Leopold and Loeb Comes To Life!

Despite the fact that Bobby Franks's grizzly murder took place in 1924, the subsequent trial of Leopold and Loeb has never let go of our collective imaginations. When one reads For the Thrill of It, one can easily understand why. The murder of Bobby Franks by wealthy teenagers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb touces on many issues that are still fervently talked about today: the limits of 'insanity' as a mitigating factor in sentencing, the morality of the death penalty, whether individuals are capable of free choice or victims of biological and environmental factors. For those unfamiliar, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were wealthy and well-educated teenagers, both with very bizarre childhoods, who developed a bizarre and dependent friendhip (and love affair). These two anti-social teenagers decided that it might be fun to kidnap, torture, and kill - they debated on whether rape should be added - a schoolboy selected at random. Their desire was to create the perfect crime. (See for yourself whether Nathan Leopol is not one of the most chilling and perplexing characters you have ever read about!) At this, hey failed. The bloodied body was found within 48 hours, and the boys' additional plan to extort ransom from the boy's father failed as well. What ensued was a wildly controversial trial that captured national attention, as legendary defense attorney Clarance Darrow attempted to avoid the death penalty for the two obviously guilty boys. The argument: the two boys were victims not only of their bizarre childhoods, but biological peculiarities (this was the age of endocrinology). This book is a fascinating recount of the murder, the trial, and the aftermath. Baatz writing is captivating and the book reads like fiction. Baatz is as entertaining as he is thorough. We are not only treated to a thoughtful recount of the lives of Leopold, Loeb, and many other involved characters, but also of the state of the 1920s criminal justice system and the burgeoning field of psychiatry. Through all of this, we find out just how revolutionary the goings on of the trial of Leopold and Loeb were; it would not be an overstatement to say that many American ideas - views on the death penalty, human choice, and the nature of insanity - were challenged if not turned on their heads. It is also a testament to Simon Baatz's acumen that this almost-600-page book never once seemed too long. All of the information given was necessary to the book's relentless forward motion. In the end, For the Thrill of It reads like a first rate murder mystery that allows its readers to learn quite a bit along the way. This has been one of my favorite reads of the year.

A MUST_READ

This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in human behavior, the criminal process, Chicago, Clarence Darrow or political ambition, among many other things. Baatz has taken a chilling and complex case and made it terrifically readable and exciting. His meticulous research assures the reader that s/he is reading non-fiction, yet Baatz is a superb storyteller and the book reads like a great piece of fiction. All of these events took place in my neighborhood in Chicago, and I now find it easy -- and creepy -- to picture the parties to this crime on my streets. I can't praise this book enough, I hope someone makes a movie of it that is faithful to this well-told story.

Beautifully written - Reads like In Cold Blood

Baatz meticulously researches a fascinating subject and then tells the story in beautifully written prose. It is not an exaggeration to compare his book favorably with Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, i.e. I couldn't put it down! For The Thrill Of It is the best book ever written on the subject matter and is one of the most riveting non-fiction crime books of our time.