Nothing but the Night

The murder of a young teenage boy shocked the Chicago area - and then horrified an entire nation. Two young men, both from a privileged background, were accused, and later convicted of the crime.

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb had everything one could think of - but they craved adventure. From petty crimes, they eventually graduated to murder. Their victim was a relative of one of the young men. It seemed to be an unsolvable case - until a pair of glasses led to a suspect, and eventually confessions from the killers.

This case - no matter how many times you read or hear about it still sparks anger within communities. It was senseless, and just used as a thrill for two young men.
Nothing But The Night dives into the lives of the men, the families, and eventually through the case and their life in prison. I enjoyed this book, and the informative way it was laid out.

Fantastic book. My only complaint is that section 3 - The Experts - was really a slog. It starts out pretty good, but most of this section is made up of the interviews and court testimonies of the experts, and is frankly boring. We cotton on pretty quickly that the prosecution thinks one thing and the defense thinks another, and so several chapters diving into how this can be is, frankly, boring. The authors will state that the defense attorney is a blow-hard gasbag, and then quote verbatim whole pages-worth of his speeches! This section is necessary for the historical record, but casual readers are going to suffer through it. Actually, I just skimmed through (read: skipped) most of this section, and picked it back up at the next one, when it got good again.

Nothing but the Night, by Greg King and Penny Wilson, examines the 1924 murder of Bobby Franks and the subsequent trail of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in a modern perspective. When a pair Chicago's wealthy young men kidnapped and murdered a 14 year old boy for the thrill of the crime, it captured the world's attention.

Nothing but the Night cross examines many topics and themes still discussed in the court of public debate. Homosexuality, Capital Punishment and “Affluenza”, a mental condition known only by the wealthy, are just some of the topics dealt with in this wonderful work of Non-Fiction.

Greg King and Penny Wilson keep the pacing perfect and bring out all the colors for so many fascinating personalities. If you enjoy True Crime then give this book a “Must Read” on your TBR!