A review by franfernandezarce
The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century by Harold Schechter
4.0
i'm very glad i did not succumb to my usual bad habits and google this case before finishing the book.
this book was quite entertaining. or as entertaining as a murder story could be. perhaps engaging would be a more suitable term--specially if you do not know what happens at the end with the main suspect.
disclosure, it did feel a bit heavy-handed with all the details. i keep thinking it could have been shorter yet i can't pinpoint where exactly i would have edited out some information. even more so, the mere sight of 89 chapters might scare some people. it certainly felt daunting for me at the beginning. however, the chapters are quite brief and there is such a large cast of people involved in this story that something was constantly happening.
there is a reason why harold schechter is considered a significant voice in the true-crime world. i will be picking up another of his books in the future.
this book was quite entertaining. or as entertaining as a murder story could be. perhaps engaging would be a more suitable term--specially if you do not know what happens at the end with the main suspect.
disclosure, it did feel a bit heavy-handed with all the details. i keep thinking it could have been shorter yet i can't pinpoint where exactly i would have edited out some information. even more so, the mere sight of 89 chapters might scare some people. it certainly felt daunting for me at the beginning. however, the chapters are quite brief and there is such a large cast of people involved in this story that something was constantly happening.
there is a reason why harold schechter is considered a significant voice in the true-crime world. i will be picking up another of his books in the future.