As a former Chicago resident, the names “Leopold and Loeb” would resurface every now and then when some of those tangentially involved would die, a milestone date was observed (the 100th anniversary is approaching), or some landmark like one of the Kenwood mansions was converted to condos or demolished. When Barack Obama was elected President, his southside Chicago home was often mentioned as being in the vicinity of victim’s and perpetrators’ former residences. The story of this particular “crime of the century” endures, as does the name of the victim, Bobby Franks, and the famous attorney, Clarence Darrow, who semi-unsuccessfully defended the suspects (he did save them from the death penalty).

Full disclosure: a cousin doing genealogy research came upon the fact that our grandmother, who immigrated from Austria-Hungary in 1921, was the cook for the Franks family at the time of the kidnapping murder (she never talked about it). So, of course, I needed to re-read a narrative of the crime to see what I remembered and wonder “what’s different with this time?” King and Wilson do have a different spin and the advantage of evolving hindsight and psychological forensics.

Looking at the story with 21st century eyes, it’s unsettling to realize that the killers were really just teenaged white males (a too familiar story today— L &L’s photos always made them seem much older) who considered themselves superior “supermensch”. Their horrifying actions occurred before the rise of Hitler and they, themselves, were Jewish, but even a century ago, wealthy parents lost control of their intelligent but mentally ill sons. King and Wilson do suggest that the long lasting opinion that Loeb was the mastermind is wrong. Since Richard Loeb died long before Nathan Leopold, there was a lot of time to “rehabilitate” Leopold’s post-crime image and demonize Loeb (the first to confess). King and Wilson do examine the sexual dynamics of the relationship between the two, something that early investigations tended to either gloss over or sensationalize.

If you’re not familiar with the Leopold and Loeb tale, do take the time to read this comprehensive investigation. If you are familiar, it’s time to look at the story again with a fresh perspective. 4 stars!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a thorough and well-researched book that gives good insight into the morals and characters of Leopold and Leob. I liked the comparison the authors made to the modern-day "affluenza" defense. However, the book felt padded and repetitive in places. It's worth a read but not repeated reads.

True Crime on Steroids
Extremely well researched, Nothing but the Night: Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder That Rocked 1920’s America, fills in all the blanks we never knew we had about the “Crime of the Century”. The book starts off great and we get all sorts of new info about Richard Loeb, Nathan Leopold and even their victim, Bobby Franks. The book strips away any and all mystique of this crime and we’re left with a long, and I mean long, retelling of every single detail having to do with this murder that had always fascinated me. In high school we watched “Compulsion”, and I’ve read several books about it since then. So I was excited to read this ARC (thanks NetGalley) of the upcoming and updated true crime story. Authors Greg King and Penny Wilson clearly believe one of the killers was a sociopath, while the other seemed to just go along. So much so, that there was a point in the book that I thought to myself, “Enough, I get that this person isn’t as big of a monster as the other guy. But let’s not forget that he’s a monster too.” The authors did a phenomenal job researching this, unfortunately it appears they choose to include every last detail they discovered and their editor choose not to edit them. I found it difficult to keep reading as tiny bits of minutia, that in my opinion were totally unnecessary, kept being revealed. For instance, I scratched my head wondering why the authors choose to write about, and the editor choose to leave in, what the prosecuting attorney wore to court. Perhaps someone coming to this book without any previous knowledge about the Leopold and Loeb story will appreciate all the detail. But for those of us who’ve known about it, it was a true crime on steroids. And for that reason, I think this book would be so much better if it were about half as long.
Extremely well researched, Nothing but the Night: Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder That Rocked 1920’s America, fills in all the blanks we never knew we had about the “Crime of the Century”. The book starts off great and we get all sorts of new info about Richard Loeb, Nathan Leopold and even their victim, Bobby Franks.
The book strips away any and all mystique of this crime and we’re left with a long, and I mean long, retelling of every single detail having to do with this murder that had always fascinated me. In high school we watched “Compulsion”, and I’ve read several books about it since then. So I was excited to read this ARC (thanks NetGalley) of the upcoming and updated true crime story.
Authors Greg King and Penny Wilson clearly believe one of the killers was a sociopath, while the other seemed to just go along. So much so, that there was a point in the book that I thought to myself, “Enough, I get that this person isn’t as big of a monster as the other guy. But let’s not forget that he’s a monster too.” The authors did a phenomenal job researching this, unfortunately it appears they choose to include every last detail they discovered and their editor choose not to edit them. I found it difficult to keep reading as tiny bits of minutia, that in my opinion were totally unnecessary, kept being revealed. For instance, I scratched my head wondering why the authors choose to write about, and the editor choose to leave in, what the prosecuting attorney wore to court.
I imagine someone coming to this book without any previous knowledge about the Leopold and Loeb story will appreciate all the detail. But for those of us who’ve known about it, it was a true crime on steroids. And for that reason, while good, I think this book would be so much better if it were about half as long.


READING PROGRESS
July 22, 2022 – Started Reading
July 22, 2022 – Shelved as: to-read
July 22, 2022 – Shelved
July 22, 2022 – Finished Reading

The case of Leopold and Loeb, two young men who murdered a child at random, is infamous. Nothing but the Night: Leopold and Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder That Rocked 1920s America, by co-authors Greg King and Penny Wilson, is a gruesome account of the crime, but it's impossible to put down. The book exposes a love affair between the two depraved killers and details attorney Clarence Darrow's impassioned plea for mercy when they went to trial.

True crime readers should not miss this. The emphasis is much more on the psychology of these twisted murderers than on the gruesome crime itself. No one, it seems, can completely answer why they did this, but this is a well-documented deep dive into the question all of us have: Why?

The authors Greg King and Penny Wilson examine the murder trial of Leopold & Loeb. About 100 years ago, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two wealthy teenagers, were convicted of a crime that would eventually become known as the "Trial of the Century." Set in Jazz-age Chicago, the murder was shocking due to the motives of the killers, and the thrilling story behind it. The trial was made even more shocking when it was revealed there was a love affair between the defendants. Defense Attorney Clarence Darrow delivered his famous summation to help the boys escape the death penalty. I found the story riveting, I learned a lot of the background around the story and trial that I did not previously know, and I was never bored. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is into true crime and history.

No one who was involved in the Bobby Franks kidnap and murder on May 21, 1924 is alive today to tell what they know, but for generations, Franks' story and that of the two men who did the crime has been a fascination to many who have heard of this case. It was a local case at first, but became world-wide knowledge in short order. What could have been the reason for two entitled youths to kidnap a young teen-aged boy and murder him? The thrill of it? The proof that they could commit the perfect crime?

This book attempts to answer those questions while bringing the reader into the lives and minds of the people involved. Having read other articles and books, and hearing the stories of parents and grandparents who lived in Chicago at the time, I was anxious to see this crime timeline laid out, and I got that in this book.

This is an exhaustive look at the lives of Bobby Franks, his wealthy family, and Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb and their even more wealthy families, their friends and associates. Through research, interviews and articles, we learn of the contrary natures of the two accused murderers. It seemed that no one ever saw the complete humans behind this crime. No two people had the same opinion of these two young men, which says more about Leopold and Loeb than it does those who thought they knew them.

Normally, I am fascinated by trials and the legal acrobatics that go on in a courtroom. The trial section of this book was a little dry, but not something you'd want to skip over. The closing argument of Clarence Darrow is a masterpiece, although rambling and a little disjointed.

The book follows the crime, the trial, the conviction and sentencing of the main characters and their lives afterwards. All in all, a complete telling of this crime, still called "The Crime of the Century" by those who have heard the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this updated new look at the Leopold and Loeb murder of the 1920s. I’ve read about the case and was really glad to get this new book on the subject. Great research and writing here. I never knew that the 2 killers and their victim all lived in the same well to do neighborhood within just a few blocks of each other. Or that one of the killers was a first cousin to the victim, that shocked me. So much new information for me on these killers, a very good true crime read that isn't dry. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

My familiarity with this story comes from a long, long time ago when I watched the movie Compulsion. I remember being appalled that these two men felt no remorse for their crime: the kidnapping, torture and murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks. After reading this book, I am no less horrified by their actions.

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectual overachievers, both having graduated from college by the time they were 18. Their parents were fabulously wealthy, so why did these two feel the need to commit the “perfect crime” and which was really the mastermind? Apparently, it was widely believed that Loeb was the mastermind, however, the authors’ new research points to Leopold. As for motive, this may have been the first “affluenza” case. The two were bored, had no goals in life and were just looking for thrills. They also plotted this for months and felt they were too intelligent to be caught. It was surprising how many mistakes and clues they left behind.

This was also a case tried in the headlines, led by Clarence Darrow. The public surged through the doorways to gain a seat in the courtroom, tearing courthouse doors off the hinges. With two confessions and an abundance of evidence, Darrow’s legal strategy was to have the pair plead guilty in order to avoid a jury trial. The trial touched on use of the death penalty, sanity pleas, mental illness, anti-Semitism, homosexuality and money. The pair were sentenced to life plus 99 years. Loeb was murdered in prison in 1936, and Leopold successfully petitioned for parole in 1958. It seems unthinkable that this man was set free. My opinion is he was a sociopath who conned everyone into believing he felt any remorse. He continued to claim he was also a victim after his release, and looked for any way he could to profit.

The book does have some repetition, but at the same time the story and the side stories are so fascinating, I recommend this for all true crime buffs!

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

Known for wanting to commit a murder "for the thrill of it", Leopold and Loeb have long been the poster children for pure evil. Infatuated with each other and the idea of a "superman" based on Neitzsche, the young men callously killed a young boy then proceeded to not be punished as harshly for it as standards of the time normally warranted in part because of the intervention of Clarence Darrow and his insanity pleas for them.

This book is fantastic for those who love true crime and podcasts like Morbid. The author focuses on the toxic dynamic between the two men with insight into the fact that Leopold, who has often been portrayed as the more "passive" of the murderers was just as conniving, if not the actual mastermind of the murder. That's even more disturbing when you remember that while Loeb was murdered in prison, Leopold was able to get parole, married, and settled down out of the country.

The whole trial was a travesty to the memory of a young boy who was murdered simply for being convenient and the book does a good job of highlighting how terribly his family was treated by the defense. A thoroughly interesting look at a case that has historically defined so much about true crime and criminal defense itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Publishing for the ARC copy.

I went into this book blind. I knew nothing about the case. I found this book to be incredibly informative and well done. The research was so thorough and told such a unique tale. I flew through this and found myself searching for any other information I could find about the case. Highly recommend this read for anyone who likes wild, true crime stories. Thank you so much #stmartinspress for the eARC and #netgalley as well!

This is a fascinating case and one that I had read little about.
This book is an exhaustive look with thorough research.
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Most true crime readers/podcast listeners know the story of Nathan Leopold & Richard Loeb, but here’s a quick summary: L&L were wealthy, Nietzsche-obsessed teenagers who abducted and murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago in 1924. L&L had a sexual relationship, which just added to the scandal, and everyone assumed Loeb (the ostensibly better looking and apparently less blatantly weird-seeming of the two) was the mastermind and Leopold was his sidekick. Clarence Darrow defended the pair, and they escaped the death penalty. Loeb was murdered in prison, while Leopold was eventually paroled (wtf), moved to Puerto Rico, got married (wtf), and lived to age 66.

But… there’s so much more to the story and their relationship and the trial, and King and Wilson lay it all out in a riveting, fast-paced narrative.

I especially enjoyed the section, midway through the book, where they examine the men’s behaviors through the lens of current profiling methods and consider their possible involvement in other crimes. No big surprise, but there are some big red flags for these two creeps in the budding serial killer department, but they were so inept that Leopold dropped his fussy glasses next to Bobby’s body, and they - in the way of teenage boys everywhere - did a crap job of cleaning up after themselves and left blood all over the inside of the RENTAL CAR they used for the crime. Übermensch, my ass.

The trial section is truly BANANAS - Clarence Darrow was awful to Bobby’s family, makes truly bizarre arguments, and overall comes off as a giant tool. The way “insanity” was used and not used to defend L&L was especially fascinating.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in a fresh look at a famous historical true crime story.

An absolutely fantastic bio. I’ve long been fascinated by Leopoldo and Loeb - but this book covers new in-depth ground and gives us the true story and dynamic between the two killers. I could not put this down -
Histoey will need to do a revision of the “crime of the century” after getting a hold of this terrific well researched book.

Here is a deeper understanding of the horrific murder that rocked the country in the 1920's. Perhaps now we can see the murder from the vision of what has transpired in the twenty first century. The number of unexplainable shootings gives a current reader a different view of what transpired in 1924.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I had heard of Leopold and Loeb but had no idea about the details of this case. This book read like fiction and I loved the whole journey! I am shocked also by the fact that these two were caught so quickly and I wish it was that easy these days to catch killers. I am just in shock still by all the details of this case and these two men. Just WOW

Nothing But the Night is an extensively researched book about the infamous Leopold and Loeb case that transfixed the country and the world in the mid 1920s. Billed as a new look into the case, Nothing But the Night is exhaustively documented (over 1000 citations). The book offers a wealth of information, some of which was new to me, detailing everything about the case, and also reveals the questions about the case that have never been answered. When the authors didn’t have an answer, they were clear that they didn’t, and clearly presented possible solutions. The book is well organized and an easy, yet informative, read. There’s also a chapter that details the lives of both Leopold and Loeb in prison, and how all the families were affected (victim’s and killer’s).

One of the better true crime books I’ve read, and recommended for those interested in the case.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press, and to Netgalley, for providing an ARC of the book.

Nothing but the Night by Greg King and Penny Wilson is exactly what you want from great true crime. Tell the story in an interesting way, don't over-exaggerate, and if you throw out a new theory or two, back it up with facts or admit we may never know. This book does all those things.

The story follows the murder of Bobby Franks by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in the 1920s. Many authors claim they write about the "trial of the century" but this is truly one of the enduring cases. "Leopold and Loeb" is shorthand for a "thrill killing" even to this day. The reason why it endures is because of many factors King and Wilson lay out throughout the narrative. It's not easy to retell a story which has so many previous books and works written about it, but the authors do a fantastic job.

I will say, I don't know if there is a ton of new material on Leopold and Loeb that hasn't already been written. However, I only need the basic outline and I loved this book.

(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 9/20/2022.)

I love reading true crime books and this one did not disappoint. I did not know of this case but it was written well with great information. I would definitely recommend this book to any true crime buff.

King and Wilson's Nothing but the Night: Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder That Rocked 1920s America was fascinating read about this case. Five stars.

I received an advance copy of this title from Net galley, this has not influenced my review.

True crime cases, particularly murders, and particularly gruesome murders committed under odd circumstances, regularly tend to be exaggerated and become overblown with lurid and morbid retellings. The Leopold and Loeb case is a textbook example of this fact. A hundred years on and the events surrounding their shocking and brutal crime are still fixed, if somewhat vaguely, in the public imagination. This continued fascination has spawned movies, documentaries, and fiction and non-fiction titles alike, to this day.
In the crowded field that is historical true crime (to say nothing of the crowded field of Leopold & Loeb writings) the authors of this title distinguish themselves and achieve an engaging, deeply informative book. A volume, I think, that will become a requisite for anyone wanting to know the full history of this case. In addition to excellent pacing, a compelling writing style, and relevant historical context, the authors avoid veering into sensationalism. The murder of Bobby Franks is placed squarely in the center of the story as nothing less than a heinous and outrageous crime, all the background and context we get about the perpetrators never goes so far as to imply anything close to exoneration. The authors also treat the whole case with professionalism and rigor, background, the crime itself, and the trial and aftermath all have their allotted space and each is covered well.
This was a lively and compelling book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this particular case or in historical true crime in general.