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For the Thrill of It

Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago

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For the Thrill of It

By: Simon Baatz
Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
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About this listen

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 hired Clarence Darrow, entrusting the lives of their sons to the most famous lawyer in America in what would be one of the most sensational criminal trials in the history of American justice.

Set against the backdrop of the 1920s - a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and hedonistic excess in a lawless city on the brink of anarchy - For the Thrill of It draws the listener into a world of speakeasies and flappers, of gangsters and gin parties, with a spellbinding narrative of Jazz Age murder and mystery.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2008 Simon Baatz (P)2017 Audible, Inc. Americas History Law Murder State & Local True Crime United States Inspiring Scary
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Interesting true crime book and well narrated. It was a sensational crime at the time. It would have been interesting to know if it had any effect on the US criminal process

Interesting book

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The story is fascinating and I appreciate there is a need to set the background of the advocates, the prevailing political situation and the sparring psychological opinion BUT this took about 3 hours in the middle of the book. It needed editing down as in a book one can look back to remind oneself but in audio this is difficult. I almost gave up as for audio it disrupted the story.

Too much scholarship for an audiobook

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really great listen. well read. absolutely recommend. it's thorough and cover the crime in detail, and the psychology of the perpetrators. and in some ways a sad unrequited love story. one unanswered question is what happened the victim's family afterward. but really engaging and does the period in time justice too.

Excellent. Engaging

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The basic story was very interesting but there was far too much unnecessary detail that it could have been told more succinctly in a third of the time. I even had to increase the speed of narration to get through it.

So detailed

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I knew a bit about this case, as i enjoy true crime but this went into the background of the case in a lot of detail a lot of which was knew to me.

I have seen other reviewers comment on the narrator. He does have his own style but i didn't mind that and i certainly didn't find it too fast

Indepth coverage if a well known story

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