An American Death: The True Story of the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Greatest Manhunt of Our Time

by Gerold Frank

New York Times–Bestselling “Frank’s reconstruction of Dr. [Martin Luther] King’s murder and its aftermath is remarkably convincing.” —The New York Times

Written by two-time Edgar Award winner Gerold Frank, An American Death examines the infamous 1968 assassination of the legendary civil rights leader in Memphis, Tennessee, in vivid, extensive detail. Frank casts a light on historical truth and builds a coherent narrative of events amid the chaos and conspiracy theories that surround Dr. King’s murder. The author recounts the details of April 4, and delves into the shocking events leading up to the fateful day, including James Earl Ray’s background and escape from prison, and the manhunt and quest for justice that followed the killing, in this riveting account of a crime that shook a nation.

“Provide[s] insight into James Earl Ray and the rather squalid world from which he emerged . . . persuasively argued.” —Worldview

“Frank’s picture of Ray . . . is remarkable.” —Time

Includes photographs

Genres: History, True Crime, Nonfiction

460 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 11, 1972

About the author

Gerold Frank was an American author and ghostwriter. He wrote several celebrity memoirs and was considered a pioneer of the "as told to" form of (auto)biography. His two best-known books,[citation needed] however, are The Boston Strangler (1966), which was adapted as the 1968 movie starring Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda, and An American Death (1972), about the assassination of Martin Luther King.

Reviews

[Cecilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book described the lead-up to, the murder of, and the aftermath of the assignation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There is an overabundance of detail about the people, places and events that surrounded this tragic event.

Many books have been written about this event. This is the only one I have read, many years after the event so time has passed and personal memories fade. At times the amount of detail was interesting and informative but at other times it was tedious and pedantic. As and ebook it was very long but on the upside there were some photos included at the end of the book.

The one thing that annoyed me was the author's use of words that were esoteric in the extreme. I love words but the placement and context just didn't call for such "high brow" language. In summary, reading this was much like reading about the topic n an encyclopedia. I don't know, maybe that was his goal.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent read. Although it spent a lot more time on the killer than the victim, it never treated the gunman like a rock star and never approached pity for the man -- Frank did spend a lot of time scratching his head about what could have been the matter with this guy, which is a very fair question. It's a fascinating picture of how a moment's decision can focus the whole world's attention on one motel balcony, and send seemingly every police officer, attorney, policymaker, boardinghouse manager, Klansman, grease monkey, convict, crank caller and customs agent on the trail of a man on the run. Highly recommended.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read account of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the events immediately following.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerald Frank does a marvelous job recounting the final days of Doctor King. The conversations and movements are recreated in a way that brings King closer than it seems ever before. Some of the adversities that King was facing in preparing for his “March on Poverty” in Washington D.C are detailed. I agree that this book is far more about his killer, James Earl Ray though.
Or was Ray King’s killer after all? That argument is laid out here in the more coherent and logical manner in which I have ever seen before. All angles are laid out for you. I am very surprised that this book is not better known than it is.