ezekielbyu's review against another edition
3.0
Collins deftly guides his reader through the goings-on of Dr. Parkman's murder - his disappearance, the grisly circumstances of his body's discovery in a Harvard chemistry lab, and the ensuing (and highly impactful) trial. The world of the Boston Brahmins is well-sketched, so the reader has a good enough immersion into what might initially seem like a far-removed American past.
Was Professor Webster a psychopath? Maybe, maybe not. His murder of Parkman was a horrific act in a moment of pure anger, not (at least from the details of Webster's confession) a premeditated calculation. He loved his family and was known as a kindly man. But his many debts, shrouded in secrecy, and the deceits carried out unbeknownst to his creditors point to some great inner lack that likely played a part not only in the gross attempts to rid the world of Parkman's corpse, but also his subsequent accusations against the innocent campus janitor, Littlefield. He was a high-society man who - perhaps because of his status - earnestly rationalized that he could escape the consequences of his actions purely on the basis of his standing. And is it so different, now? How many nice, decent Americans are one moment's provoked fury away from bloodshed? How many would be willing to terminate a soul in a desperate attempt to hide their own lack?
Was Professor Webster a psychopath? Maybe, maybe not. His murder of Parkman was a horrific act in a moment of pure anger, not (at least from the details of Webster's confession) a premeditated calculation. He loved his family and was known as a kindly man. But his many debts, shrouded in secrecy, and the deceits carried out unbeknownst to his creditors point to some great inner lack that likely played a part not only in the gross attempts to rid the world of Parkman's corpse, but also his subsequent accusations against the innocent campus janitor, Littlefield. He was a high-society man who - perhaps because of his status - earnestly rationalized that he could escape the consequences of his actions purely on the basis of his standing. And is it so different, now? How many nice, decent Americans are one moment's provoked fury away from bloodshed? How many would be willing to terminate a soul in a desperate attempt to hide their own lack?
marginaliant's review against another edition
5.0
"The skeptic might have pointed out that Shaw, as a member of Harvard's board of overseers, had a conflict of interest in this case, but that was not how the law worked in Boston, and particularly, not how the law worked at Harvard."
This isn't an analytical academic history, but it is a wonderfully constructed narrative history that gripped me from the get-go. Collins has done a wonderful job piecing together the story of the Parkman-Webster murder case from court records, newspaper clippings, diary entries, all very seamlessly. I had a hard time putting it down, every page was equal parts fascinating and consternating and demonstrates the complete omnipresence of "Harvard Men" in Cambridge and Boston at the time. I wish it had gone a bit further in teasing out some of the implications of the trial, what it does is very brief, but overall I had a great time and I'm going to be reading more of Collins' work in the future.
This isn't an analytical academic history, but it is a wonderfully constructed narrative history that gripped me from the get-go. Collins has done a wonderful job piecing together the story of the Parkman-Webster murder case from court records, newspaper clippings, diary entries, all very seamlessly. I had a hard time putting it down, every page was equal parts fascinating and consternating and demonstrates the complete omnipresence of "Harvard Men" in Cambridge and Boston at the time. I wish it had gone a bit further in teasing out some of the implications of the trial, what it does is very brief, but overall I had a great time and I'm going to be reading more of Collins' work in the future.
siobhanward's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Considering that this is a book about a murder that ~scandalized~ Harvard, I kind of hoped it would be more scandalous, a la HH Holmes. But no, this was just a murder of a well-liked doctor and benefactor with a pretty cut and dry court case.
Some of the details were interesting but there was a lot of pages devoted to various attendees of Harvard in the 1840s... Not something I'm deeply interested in.
Was this the best true crime book I've read? No, but having a good portion of the book devoted to the court case was interesting and is not something you always see in these books, so that was an interesting change at least!
tansybradshaw's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Interesting case that I had never heard of.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
A real life crime of the century brought to grisly exquisite life!
Take your reading scalpel to this one and get dissecting!
Take your reading scalpel to this one and get dissecting!
musicalpopcorn's review against another edition
3.0
In the winter of 1849, a wealthy landlord goes missing without a trace until the janitor at the medical college of Harvard makes a grisly discovery.
While I liked this book overall, I found it spent too much time setting the scene. It took quite a long time to even get to the murder and the number of characters was high. I don’t know that bookending it with stories about Charles dickens was really necessary considering he had little to do with the story.
An entertaining read if admittedly bogged down in unnecessary details
While I liked this book overall, I found it spent too much time setting the scene. It took quite a long time to even get to the murder and the number of characters was high. I don’t know that bookending it with stories about Charles dickens was really necessary considering he had little to do with the story.
An entertaining read if admittedly bogged down in unnecessary details
joabroda's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
4.0
I cannot remember how this book got on my shelf, but I am awfully glad it did!
Not only a murder mystery, but a great history of a role in the of the American legal system. This is the very first time certain forensic evidence was used (I won't say what, you need to read the book!), and for the history of Chief Justice's (Robert Gould Shaw) instructions to the jury regarding reasonable doubt. "Webster Charge" became the norm across the country and it was not until 2015 that the state of Massachusetts Supreme Court decided that it should be updated.
Well researched and well written, enough so that I really was not sure the accused was guilty or not guilty until the very end of the book.
Recommended not only for non-fiction readers but those of you who love a mystery.
Not only a murder mystery, but a great history of a role in the of the American legal system. This is the very first time certain forensic evidence was used (I won't say what, you need to read the book!), and for the history of Chief Justice's (Robert Gould Shaw) instructions to the jury regarding reasonable doubt. "Webster Charge" became the norm across the country and it was not until 2015 that the state of Massachusetts Supreme Court decided that it should be updated.
Well researched and well written, enough so that I really was not sure the accused was guilty or not guilty until the very end of the book.
Recommended not only for non-fiction readers but those of you who love a mystery.