The Crime of the Century

First of all, I find it hard to believe that this book is out of print. I must assume that it did not sell well in its original print. Because of the circumstances surrounding this case, it is truly frightening.Richard Speck entered the townhouse at 2319 100th Street in Chicago and murdered eight innocent nurses in cold blood. Because of an apparent lack of motive, the crime sent shockwaves across the country. Speck was a drifter that was harmless until he had some booze in his belly and a knife in his pocket. Most people that knew him suggested he was harmless when sober. After killing the nurses, ran from the police as well as his crimes. He attempted the ultimate escape in attempting suicide. His attempt was a failure. Once he realized that he left a living witness to his crimes, he realized he would soon be caught if he stayed in Chicago. He could not get out of Chicago quick enough.The only thing that saved Speck from execution was the Supreme Court ruling several hundred death row inmates were to be set free from death row on a techincality. Having worked very near the site of his murders for three years, I was intrigued by his story. Kids would often say they get chills just passing the house. These kids obviously were not even alive at the time of Speck's rampage. This shows Speck's impact on Chicago and America. The most frightening killer is the one that kills for no apparent reason.

Oh, this is a true story, all right. I was a child in the Chicagoland area when the nurses were killed, and I understood (superficially, at least) what Speck had done and the impact it had on the adults around me. "Richard Speck" became like "The Bogeyman," or the other monsters that haunt children's nightmares. So as an adult, I was eager to confront the demon of my girlhood by reading this detailed and serious study. I was not prepared for how genuinely horrible the crimes were, especially against the backdrop of those more innocent times. I had not been aware of how close Speck came to getting away. I had real admiration for the lawyers, jurors and judge who worked to ensure that our system of justice worked -- even for this piece of human flotsam. Most of all, I rediscovered a real-life heroine, Corazon Amurao. No one should have had to endure what she lived through that summer night, and the way she stood up to Speck in court was awe-inspiring. Hers is a truly indomitable spirit. But I'm still as afraid Richard Speck today as I was more than 35 years ago. He was my introduction to evil, and it seems that the killers who have come after him, from Bundy to Gacy to the Washington snipers, have just gotten stronger and meaner and smarter.

As an armchair criminologist and true crime fan, the story of Richard Speck has been the one story that has haunted me for years. I long waited for the gruesome story of Speck and his vicious murder spree to be told in detail. Now, with the release of this excellent book, Speck's prosecutor William Martin gives us an eyewitness view into the crimes and trial of Richard Speck. With the help of Dennis Breo, Martin weaves a page-turning, frightening tale that reads as well as anything by Stephen King. Except this horrifying story is true. Martin reveals many never-before-known facts about the case and pays a great deal of attention to accuracy and detail especially in his depiction of the murders through the eyes of the heroic witness, Corazon Amurao. This book is a must read account of the mass murders that introduced a shocked world to a new age of violence and mass murder. I only wish that they would revise this book to include the discovery of the Speck porno/confession videotape in 1996.

A well researched, exciting read. You've got a story that everyone knows its ending, but you keep turning the pages to see what happens next. What can I say that will inspire someone to read this book? It is a lengthy work through which you will race. A marvelous study of all that was known about a most diabolical personality and the human wreckage he left in his wake.