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The star of the show doesn't appear on the cover Aug 31, 2009
That would be Clarence Darrow. He saved the lives of the two educated, arrogant young men who appear on the cover. The nuance and logic of his arguments were lost on many at the time, and would probably be lost on most citizens today, but it was a crafty, brilliant defense.
The details of the crime -- disgusting though they were -- are necessary in order to put Darrow's defense in context. Leopold and (especially) Loeb are extremely difficult to like or root for, so Darrow's opposition to the death penalty is presented in purely moral terms. The readers of this book, and those following the trial back in the 1920s, would be hard-put to argue on behalf of these two on an emotional basis.
My only gripe about this book is so much of it is devoted to the crime and the trial and so little to Nathan's and Richard's lives in prison. I wonder how they felt about the old man who spared their lives, or how often they kept in touch with one another. I don't want to be a spoiler for anyone unfamiliar with the story, but one of the young killers manages to change his life in meaningful way in prison. I would have liked to understand more about that.
As it is, though, this book paints an intriguing portrait of a great legal mind. Amid the squalor that was Nathan and Richard and their horrific crime against Bobby Franks, we can find a hero in Clarence Darrow.
 A compelling read Aug 28, 2009
"For the Thrill of It" is well written & the narrative flows. Simon Baatz focuses on the details of the murder but also discusses the social forces which made the murder possible and shaped the trial's outcome. I plan to buy this for my cousin who lives in a Chicago suburb & whose parents must have read about Leopold & Loeb in the daily newspapers at the time.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Starts with a BANG! then hits a BOG! and never recovers... Aug 16, 2009
I've read a lot about this case and was intrigued by this newest book - I bought the Kindle version - which is fine and didn't have some of the glitches others mentioned in their reviews.
Anyway - this book started out like a horse out of the gate - immediately engrossing - THEN hit a snag with the profiles of the lawyers - and the trial itself which is portrayed from the perspectives of the psychiatrists and psychologists and NOT from the perspective of Clarence Darrow and the State's attorney, which would be so much more compelling.
The book runs out of steam - I STILL have not finished it - because what was so promising from the opening pages has become a messy slog. Too bad, because this should have been a crackerjack of a book!
Well Done! Aug 08, 2009
A through, well research, yet easily read book on Leopold and Loeb. I read this book in only knowing of the names in history past. It truly enlighted me to the facts of the case, their personalities, the lawyers arguments, the crime itself, the sentencing and the final outcome of the case. I give credit to Simon Baatz for a book that doesn't glamorize the subjects but only sticks to the facts of the case. For any historian, lawyer, law enforcement officer, crime buff, and sociology student a very good book. It's laid out in a way that makes the book flow for it's readers. I will have to give this book 4 stars. Taking away a star for the repeditiveness in the case concerning the lawyers, their lenghty backrounds and for the repeditive volume of information on Clarence Darrow.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The story of an outrageous crime well told Aug 04, 2009
Simon Baatz's account of the grotesque murder committed by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb is an incredible read. Rarely does a professional historian from the Ivy League make the move towards publishing a piece for the popular audience. Writing in a style of the "true crime" genre Baatz is able to capture a realism through a true-to-life narrative style that is gripping and magnificently informative at the same time.
Leopold and Loeb have gone down as infamous killers whose lawyer made the death penalty look "cruel and unusual" as our Constitution declares. However, their story isn't as complicated as their defense attorneys made it out to be, and it would not have been any loss to society if they had been hanged. But our understanding of crime was forever changed by two of the most privileged and violent young men to live in Chicago during the 1920s. Much of the strategy behind the arguments we make and encounter today originated in their courtroom 85 years ago.
Hence, Simon Baatz is to be commended for his meticulous research and lively writing style in that he has brought to life a a truly distressing episode in American legal history which has become more of the stuff of myth than reality. Trial transcripts and first hand reports always tell a more interesting story than newspaper editorials and revering lawyers who embellish the details to suit their interests.
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