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The "Double Indemnity" Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century
Queens Village was a picture-perfect postcard New York suburb. But in March 1927 the façade of respectability was stripped away to reveal an underside of greed, lust, and crime. Few incidents in crime history have been so notorious as the murder of Albert Snyder by his wife and her lover. Resonant of the footloose Jazz Age, it made persistent headlines and led to a sensational trial. The crime spawned a 1920s Broadway play and inspired the classic noir film of the 1940s, Double Indemnity. This book assesses the entire case, from grisly slaying and shabby cover-up to sharp police work and aftermath. Moreover, it explores sociocultural questions that beg to be what effect does news reportage exert upon high profile cases, and why did such a transparent crime earn such an enduring place in the popular psyche?
411 pages
First published October 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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August 23, 2022So I need help counting. I ran out of toes. Exactly how many crimes of the century did we have in the 20th century? I want to make sure I don’t miss one
March 8, 2016
This well-written true crime account is worth reading not so much for the crime itself, but rather for the dynamic duo (she says snarkily) who decided to do away with a husband for $90+ thousand dollars of insurance payoff in the 1920s (almost 1.3 million in today's equivalent). As far as murdering goes, housewife Ruth Snyder and corset salesman Judd Gray (shown on the cover) were hopelessly inept at their craft. Snyder latched onto Gray via sex and promises of a happy future together, and cooked up a plan to get rid of her husband Albert. The long and short of it is that they did it, made it look like Albert was killed during a burglary, but they messed it all up and were caught immediately. That's when the story really starts. Using transcripts, newspaper accounts, personal narratives and interviews, MacKellar does a wonderful job here of relating "New York's crime of the century," right up until shortly after both went to the chair. I was caught up in this story, as I said, not so much for the crime, but because of the people. I ended up feeling sorry for Judd Gray, who was definitely no match for Ruth Snyder; yes, I know he took part in a murder, but still. Had she not come along, I don't know if he'd ever kill anyone; she, on the other hand, was more or less a sociopath in the guise of a perfect housewife who canned peaches. I think whoever she set her sights on would have been in big trouble.
The book moves beyond the crime to examine, among other things, the police, the courts, politics, the press, the death penalty, and New York during the jazz age. It is very much worth the read if you're into serious historical true crime. People who read modern true crime might find it a bit disappointing, since the usual salacious and titillating details are left out of this account, so if that's your thing, move along. Otherwise, it's a very good read, and the story itself is fascinating enough that James M. Cain used it for his Double Indemnity.
recommended
The book moves beyond the crime to examine, among other things, the police, the courts, politics, the press, the death penalty, and New York during the jazz age. It is very much worth the read if you're into serious historical true crime. People who read modern true crime might find it a bit disappointing, since the usual salacious and titillating details are left out of this account, so if that's your thing, move along. Otherwise, it's a very good read, and the story itself is fascinating enough that James M. Cain used it for his Double Indemnity.
recommended
February 17, 2014
A real find – a notorious case, excellent research, and an author who can write. I applaud Mackellar's determination to track down case records and other primary sources (even as I'm appalled that Queens dumped court records and photographs in the 70s - archives, people, archives).
My interest in this case began in high school when I was doing a term paper on Charles Lindbergh's flight and I'd spend my time diverted into reading about this murder at the microfilm reader instead. Then I found that the framework for Double Indemnity (short story and movie) came from this case.
Mackellar does a stellar job placing the case in the context of the times, offering interesting sidenotes and tidbits (seriously - read his footnotes), and updating the reader on the major characters after the case was concluded. If he's negligent, it's the author's perfunctory head-nod in the direction of the women's studies aspects of the case, better covered in J Ramey's "The Bloody Blonde and the Marble Woman" in academic literature. But Mackellar does reference it, so on the whole I say five-star results.
Great book!
My interest in this case began in high school when I was doing a term paper on Charles Lindbergh's flight and I'd spend my time diverted into reading about this murder at the microfilm reader instead. Then I found that the framework for Double Indemnity (short story and movie) came from this case.
Mackellar does a stellar job placing the case in the context of the times, offering interesting sidenotes and tidbits (seriously - read his footnotes), and updating the reader on the major characters after the case was concluded. If he's negligent, it's the author's perfunctory head-nod in the direction of the women's studies aspects of the case, better covered in J Ramey's "The Bloody Blonde and the Marble Woman" in academic literature. But Mackellar does reference it, so on the whole I say five-star results.
Great book!
March 24, 2013
Who knew that the Double Indemnity murder took place in Queens Village, NY. James M. Cain and Billy Wilder took the bare bones of the story and improved it immensely. In the book we find that the wife and her undies selling lover are inept killers stupid enough to confess. The book is mostly trial transcripts and lots of footnotes. If you grew up in Queens Village, as I did, you might find this story of interest, for all others, it's a skip.
July 10, 2023
Riveting book about the murder of Albert Snyder
Wonderful Book about the murder of Queens husband Albert Snyder by his wife Ruth Snyder and her boyfriend Henry Judd Gray. Ruth Snyder took out a substantial life insurance policy on her husband and after that she recruited Judd Gray to help her carry out the murder of her husband so that she could be free and so that she could get the life insurance policies. However this murder was not hard to figure out at all because Mrs. Snyder and Mr. Gray were not very clever as criminals and she told several very hard to believe lies that once she was called on her lies she confessed and then named Judd Gray as her co conspirator in the murder of her husband. The New York City police picked Mr. Gray up and he eventually confessed to everything, claiming that he had done what he did because he was "Under the spell" of Ruth Snyder. After they were convicted and all of their appeals denied. Mrs. Ruth Snyder was executed and then shortly after Mr. Henry Judd Gray was executed too.
Wonderful Book about the murder of Queens husband Albert Snyder by his wife Ruth Snyder and her boyfriend Henry Judd Gray. Ruth Snyder took out a substantial life insurance policy on her husband and after that she recruited Judd Gray to help her carry out the murder of her husband so that she could be free and so that she could get the life insurance policies. However this murder was not hard to figure out at all because Mrs. Snyder and Mr. Gray were not very clever as criminals and she told several very hard to believe lies that once she was called on her lies she confessed and then named Judd Gray as her co conspirator in the murder of her husband. The New York City police picked Mr. Gray up and he eventually confessed to everything, claiming that he had done what he did because he was "Under the spell" of Ruth Snyder. After they were convicted and all of their appeals denied. Mrs. Ruth Snyder was executed and then shortly after Mr. Henry Judd Gray was executed too.
May 4, 2025
First half of the book was an intersting and easy read well researched about the murder and what led up to it. The second half, which dealt with the trial, started losing my interest since I felt it was a rehashing of the first half in terms of the murder and then the confessions to police that followed.
Also both Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray had a daughter and it would have been fitting closure for the reader to know what became of them, especially Ruth's, since the author specified in great detail the fates of all the other players. Undertandable the author did not want to print names or personal information. General terms would have been acceptable.
I feel like you would know just as much about this case by reading wikipedia and online news articles which I did before reading this book.
Also both Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray had a daughter and it would have been fitting closure for the reader to know what became of them, especially Ruth's, since the author specified in great detail the fates of all the other players. Undertandable the author did not want to print names or personal information. General terms would have been acceptable.
I feel like you would know just as much about this case by reading wikipedia and online news articles which I did before reading this book.
December 10, 2017
Not for the squeamish. Gruesome but fascinating. The perps were both evil and stupid.
November 26, 2023
Well-researched, readable account of one of last century's most notorious ( and stupid) crimes.
August 10, 2024
Fascinating reading (subjects) even if the writing is a bit on the dull side.
November 13, 2013
Amazing how much our police-investigations and legal processes have developed in the last 100 years. If you don't think they have, read this nonfiction book - the story is so unbelievable, it edges on the absurd. If you're a believer in capital punishment and although the murder is horribly violent, you can't help but want to stop the executions in the end. It's a book I didn't want to finish and had to skim the last part because it was sadly and pathetically horrific for me to read.
(P.S. Why do library patrons feel they have the right to mark up - correct editing or publishing errors? Drives me nuts.)
(P.S. Why do library patrons feel they have the right to mark up - correct editing or publishing errors? Drives me nuts.)
December 11, 2013
The reason I read this book is because we are going to see Machinal upon which the play is based. Otherwise I don't think I would have read it.
February 9, 2014
The murder was banal in the extreme and there were no surprises, but this was a fascinating snapshot of New York and its legal system in the late 20s.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews