Fascinating and twisted. I had never heard of this crime before, but the exploration of both the killers' childhoods, friendship, criminal activities and eventual murder trial was hard to look away from. Candace Fleming does narrative history sooooo well, it reads just like a novel--I can see teen and adult lovers of true crime alike finding this well written and nuanced history engaging and thrilling. Thanks to Netgalley for the eArc!

At my library, teens are clamoring for true crime books, I think they will eat this up. Will recommend.

It’s the story of two teens who decide to murder a boy. What follows the gruesome murder of poor Bobby is an intriguing, dark story of two teens with their own psychological “reasons” and seemingly zero remorse for the kidnapping, ransom, and murder. Will be sure to engage the true crime fans.

I do wish we had gotten a little more information on Bobby as I’d rather come away from true crime remembering the victim’s name rather than the names of the murderers. Well-researched and readable. Bibliography and source notes are included.

TLDR: Two rich, privileged white teens murder a boy in the 1920s, and their lawyer is Clarence Darrow.