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Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee

Casey Cep (Goodreads Author)

3.80 · Rating details · 16,373 ratings · 2,575 reviews

The stunning story of an Alabama serial killer and the true-crime book that Harper Lee worked on obsessively in the years after To Kill a Mockingbird

Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the ...more

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Kindle Edition, 308 pages

Published May 7th 2019 by Knopf

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Apr 27, 2019 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Divided into three parts, Furious Hours tells the true story of Alabama serial killer the Reverend Willie Maxwell. In the 1970’s he was accused of murdering five family members in order to collect the life insurance money. With the help of a very clever lawyer, ( although rumour had it that Maxwell used voodoo to aid his success) he escaped justice, but at the funeral of his last victim, he was shot dead by one Robert Burns.

The first part of the book illustrates the life of Willie Maxwell, the m Divided into three parts, Furious Hours tells the true story of Alabama serial killer the Reverend Willie Maxwell. In the 1970’s he was accused of murdering five family members in order to collect the life insurance money. With the help of a very clever lawyer, ( although rumour had it that Maxwell used voodoo to aid his success) he escaped justice, but at the funeral of his last victim, he was shot dead by one Robert Burns.

The first part of the book illustrates the life of Willie Maxwell, the murders, the fear that he induced in the community because he was thought to use voodoo, and the revelation that he took out insurance policies on almost everyone he had close contact with.

The second part introduces Maxwell’s lawyer Tom Radney who strangely also represented Maxwell’s killer, and despite there being hundreds of witnesses in the church, Robert Burns walked free. Present at Burns trial was none other than Harper Lee ( To Kill a Mockingbird). She kept a low profile and spent a year gathering material for a book she was to write about this strange case, but it was a book that never came to fruition.

The third part of the book tells the story of Harper Lee - her relationship with Truman Capote, the choices she made that shaped her future, and the struggles that she had with her writing.

The author has painted a wonderfully in depth portrait of this great writer, and she also illustrates the cultural and political climate of the times. The research carried out to produce Furious Hours must have been immense - the practice of law and the history of life insurance are just two of the things we learn about in great detail ( perhaps a little bit too much for me) however it was a fascinating read that shone a spotlight on this somewhat mysterious writer, but I personally found the first part of the book featuring Willie Maxwell the most intriguing.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my ARC, for which I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange * ...more

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Aug 02, 2019 Julie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, true-crime, e-book, overdrive

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep is a 2019 Random House publication.

The case involving the Reverend Willie Maxwell is one I was completely unfamiliar with. I never heard of him, or Robert Burns or their attorney, Tom Radney- until I picked up this book. As this was all unchartered territory for me, I found the case riveting. I could hardly believe what I was reading. The ease in which Maxwell purchased life insurance policies, not just for relatives, b Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep is a 2019 Random House publication.

The case involving the Reverend Willie Maxwell is one I was completely unfamiliar with. I never heard of him, or Robert Burns or their attorney, Tom Radney- until I picked up this book. As this was all unchartered territory for me, I found the case riveting. I could hardly believe what I was reading. The ease in which Maxwell purchased life insurance policies, not just for relatives, but for neighbors too, is staggering. That he got away with murder, time and time again, is astounding. But his luck finally ran out, when he was shot to death, at a funeral, in front of a slew of witnesses, by Robert Burns, a relative of one of Maxwell’s many victims.

Ironically, Burns would be defended by the same attorney that defended Maxwell- Tom Radney. It is also interesting to discover that famed author, Harper Lee, was once seriously considering writing a true crime story based on this case and went so far as to attend Burns’ trial, doing a little legwork, and even conducted a few interviews with those closely associated with the case.

Obviously, no book about the reverend Willie Maxwell ever surfaced.

Divided into three segments, the first of which tells how easily Willie Maxwell purchased life insurance policies, naming himself the beneficiary, then murdered the insured person and collected the money. He was a preacher in the more traditional way, but was rumored to practice voodoo, as well. This is a truly strange story and I was horrified by it. Then came the story of Robert Burns which is also compelling. The trial parts are good, and the way it all turned out is fascinating.

The second segment is centered around the attorney, Tom Radney, who defended both Maxwell and Burns. Radney was a central figure in both cases, and even had a hand in helping Lee with her research, probably hoping to find himself prominently featured in her book. I understand why the author spent a little time detailing the man’s career and life, but this part was a too extensive, and a bit boring.

The third part of the book is mostly a short biography of Harper Lee. There was nothing in this bio that I had not heard before and has nothing whatsoever to do with this case. The only thing I didn’t know is that she had followed this case, started a manuscript for a book about it, at some point, but it never came to fruition.

A book about this case, fully fleshed out, with a chapter about Tom Radney and the bit about Harper Lee, tossed in as an interesting piece of trivia, would have been good all on its own. Yet, somebody, somewhere, decided to market the book using Harper Lee’s name to generate interest and boost sales. I’d label that as exploitation, to be honest, but that’s just me.

I had mixed feelings about the book, as I think the title is misleading and Lee’s connection to the story is nothing more than an interesting aside, in my humble opinion, which was a major turn off and even angered me a little. However, it looks like I’m in the minority on this one.

That said, the criminal case is compelling and I’m glad I read this book for that reason. I’m not sure how to rate this one due to my mixed feelings about it. Although, I’m still conflicted, I’m going to go with 3 stars for this one. ...more

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Jun 07, 2019 Beata rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Absolutely fabulous and gripping! The novel tells three incredible stories of Reverend Maxwell, a murderer of five members of his own family, of Tom Radney, a lawyer who defended both Maxwell and the man who eventually killed Maxwell, and of Harper Lee, who came to the trial and followed it in hope of writing another novel. Personally, I found Part 3 most interesting as I knew next to nothing about the author of one of the greatest American classics. Casey Cep wrote a gem in the category of non- ...more

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Jul 29, 2019 Joey R. rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 Stars — I decided to read “Furious Hours” after reading a magazine review of this book and being very interested in the subject matter of an Alabama serial killer that I never heard of before. The author did a good job of researching certain aspects of the life story and background of the Reverend Willie Maxwell, who was suspected of killing five of his relatives in the 1970’s. His case drew statewide publicity after Rev. Maxwell was shot and killed at the funeral service of his daughter (wh ...more

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May 26, 2019 Peter rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, crime, non-fiction

Accursed
Furious Hours is an engrossing documentary style book, which brings three enthralling stories together around a series of events involving a serial killer. Each part focuses on the perspective of a renowned personality; Reverend Willie Maxwell (Serial Killer, Preacher), Tom Radney (Lawyer) and Harper Lee (Author).

The structure of the book feels more like 3 shorter stories with a theme, rather than 3 integrated parts in the one story. Each part covers the biographical background of each c ...more

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Apr 29, 2019 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lor-2019, 5000-2019

She wrote one book, a book that defined a time period. A book that made her wealthy, but took away the privacy she cherished. She became recognizable everywhere, and though writing was her passion, this she little expected. Why did she write only one book, when everyone who knew her said writing was her passion, that she was always writing.

The case of the Alabama minister, a man whose nearest and dearest were murdered for their insurance money. He pretty much got away with it, until the last and ...more

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May 04, 2019 Carolyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: true-crime, netgalley, netgalley-2019, 2019, debut, non-fiction, books-about-books-or-bookshops

Casey Cep has written a fascinating account of Harper Lee's obsession with writing a true crime novel about the Reverend Willie Maxwell, who murdered five family members in Alabama for the insurance policies he took out on them and got away with it. After giving a eulogy for his stepdaughter (one of the five relatives he was suspected of killing) at her funeral in 1977 he was infamously shot dead in front of 300 people by Robert Burns, an uncle of the dead girl. Harper Lee not only attended Burn Casey Cep has written a fascinating account of Harper Lee's obsession with writing a true crime novel about the Reverend Willie Maxwell, who murdered five family members in Alabama for the insurance policies he took out on them and got away with it. After giving a eulogy for his stepdaughter (one of the five relatives he was suspected of killing) at her funeral in 1977 he was infamously shot dead in front of 300 people by Robert Burns, an uncle of the dead girl. Harper Lee not only attended Burns' trial but spent years collecting a meticulous amount of research about Willie Maxwell for a book that she proposed calling "The Reverend". Although, by all accounts, Harper Lee collected more than enough information for writing the book and never stopped working, the book never eventuated.

In writing the book, Cep has retraced Lee's steps, interviewing the witnesses and lawyers involved. She was also lucky enough to be able to look at the same briefcase of documents on Maxwell that Tom Radney originally provided to Lee. The book is organised into three sections in order to highlight this extraordinary case. In the first section, we learn of Willie Maxwell's life, the murders he almost certainly committed and the extensive life insurance claims he made after his victims died amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The second section is focused on the lawyer, Tom Radney who successfully defended Maxwell and sued any reluctant insurance companies for payment of policies. In a strange turn of events, Radney was also the lawyer who defended Robert Burns on the charge of killing Willie Maxwell.

Having set the scene, the final section is an account of Harper Lee's life, leading up to her interest in the Maxwell case, including her lifelong relationship with Truman Capote and her unrecognised contribution to the research for his book "In Cold Blood". Although not concluding why Lee was never able to finish her book on the Reverend, Cep gives a sympathetic account of the struggles and barriers that Lee might have faced in the decades after "To Kill a Mockingbird" was published, that may have contributed to her inability to complete a manuscript she was happy to send to an editor.

This book hooked me in, first with the amazing case of William Maxwell and his ability to get away with so much probable fraud and murder and then with the account of Harper Lee's attempts to write what would have been a fascinating book. Highly recommended!

With many thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for providing a digital ARC of the book. ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 Matt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: true-crime, legal

“One by one, over a period of seven years, six people close to the Reverend [Willie Maxwell] had died under circumstances that nearly everyone agreed were suspicious and some deemed supernatural. Through all of the resulting investigations, the Reverend was represented by a lawyer named Tom Radney, whose presence in the courtroom that day wouldn’t have been remarkable had he not been there to defend the man who killed his former client…Reporters from the Associated Press and other wire services, ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 JanB rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss, 2019-reads, buddy-read-with-marialyce

Despite the title, Harper Lee doesn’t appear on these pages until the last 1/3 of the book and even then it was about her life and her writing, not a trial.

The book is divided into 3 sections, with a thin thread connecting them all: the first dealing with the serial murderer, Rev. Willie Maxwell, the second was about the lawyer connected to the case, and the third on Harper Lee. The Rev. was an enigma and it’s shocking that he was able to get away with his crimes for so long but his story was to ...more

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Jun 02, 2019 Diane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, true-crime

This is one of the best nonfiction books I've read this year.

"Furious Hours" is both the story of a true crime in 1970s Alabama and the story of famous writer Harper Lee. I was interested in the particulars of the crime, which involved a sketchy preacher who was linked to a series of suspicious deaths, and I just lovedlovedloved the section on Harper Lee, which included interesting details of her longtime friendship with Truman Capote.

I'm impressed with how Casey Cep managed this feat: she wrot ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Brina rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: southern, crime, books-about-books

To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of my favorite novels. In a nonfiction reading year, I managed to reread it for the fourth time this spring. Naturally, when I noticed a new book that features Harper Lee, I had my curiosity piqued. Casey Cep is a debut author, who has studied literary fiction. Her impetus for this book is a discovering why Lee, who wrote one of the most beloved books in American history, only wrote one book. Cep takes readers back to a court trial in Lee’s native Alabama in 197 To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of my favorite novels. In a nonfiction reading year, I managed to reread it for the fourth time this spring. Naturally, when I noticed a new book that features Harper Lee, I had my curiosity piqued. Casey Cep is a debut author, who has studied literary fiction. Her impetus for this book is a discovering why Lee, who wrote one of the most beloved books in American history, only wrote one book. Cep takes readers back to a court trial in Lee’s native Alabama in 1977, as Lee realized that she might have discovered the perfect material to write a second book.

Furious Hours is attributed to Harper Lee’s determination to publish a book or magazine article by its deadline, but the title and Lee’s involvement are misleading. Cep presents her findings in three parts. The first two focus on the crime, the criminal turned defendant Reverend Willie Maxwell, and his attorney, Alexander City’s leading lawyer Thomas Radney. The case itself is straightforward. Maxwell was a reverend who got caught up in insurance fraud and his greed got the best of him. Radney, who at one time could be thought of as a John Kennedy of Alabama and then turned lawyer, believed everyone was entitled to a lawyer and fair trial. Over the years, he represented Maxwell, when most people feared him and his motives. Their stories, despite being labeled as a true crime, moved slowly, perhaps as I grew impatient waiting for Lee’s involvement in them.

Harper Lee finally makes her appearance in the third section of the book. It appeared that Cep was more interested in writing about Lee than a Reverend gone bad and her bias is evident in this third section. Cep pours more emotions into writing about Alabama’s favorite author, detailing her life, dissecting where truth becomes fiction, and returning to Mockingbird time and again. Whereas Lee might have been content having had one published book, the literary community for years clamored for more. With the Reverend Maxwell’s case, Lee found the perfect opportunity to return home from New York and craft a true crime story equal to her friend Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Even as Lee became charmed by Radney and Alexander City’s residents, a second book wasn’t meant to be. Knowing this prior to reading Furious Hours, I had high expectations for Lee’s role in the book. Like the development of a new book, it wasn’t meant to be.

Many writers are known for their one opus book and while readers may have desired additional novels, the writers for whatever reason only wrote the one book and moved on with their lives. Harper Lee fits into this category of writers, yet her one book is often listed as the best American novel of all time. With her name in the title of a book, I was intrigued to read it and was left slightly disappointed. While Furious Hours may have lived up to its hype for many, for me it falls as flat as Harper Lee’s involvement in it. I hope for better material if Casey Cep pens a second book.

3 stars ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

4.5 stars

I was fascinated with the character of Scout Finch in Harper Lee's masterpiece To Kill A Mockingbird when I was a kid.
When I re-read the novel for my high school lit class, I was in awe of the layers of the story and its topics that are only complicated by growing up. Scout kept it honest and that's what made her the perfect narrator; the adults are what complicated matters.

I knew Harper Lee had never published another novel but when I decided to look into work she'd done in the foll ...more

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May 12, 2019 Kathleen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Harper Lee was intrigued with the true-crime story of the Reverend Willie Maxwell. She did an amazing amount of research, and then floundered when she tried to write a tale that would appeal to her many fans. Cep has succeeded where Lee failed.

Willie Maxwell was born in Alabama in 1925, served two tours in the Army, and earned a Good Conduct Medal. He married Mary Lou in 1947, worked two jobs and preached at three different churches. At least, he did so until people around him started dying—firs ...more

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Jan 06, 2020 Terri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: writer-harper-lee, famous-trials-in-history

The mysterious author, Harper Lee, a fascinating story of murder in the South and a study of the maddening creative process of writing a book. I especially enjoyed reading about Lee and her
struggles with the absorbing research of the infamous Alabama trial. Highly recommend.

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Jan 18, 2020 Liz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, library

I don't often read nonfiction. Too often, it’s dry and doesn’t flow. When I do read it, I insist that it flows as well as a good novel. I also expect it to teach me something. And while I’m not a big true crime fan, I love a good murder mystery.

And the first half of the book is a hell of a story. The Reverend Willie Maxwell loses wives and relatives like no one’s business. Funny thing, how they keep dying on him. Lucky for him he had all those insurance policies on them. The state keeps trying ...more

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May 10, 2019 Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I must start by saying that Furious Hours is probably the best true crime work I have had the pleasure of reading; it has so much more to it than one would initially imagine and that's what makes it such a gripping book. It's an amalgamation of true crime, American history, legal thriller and biography of Harper Lee, which is a very interesting mix and works well. For many years Lee was obsessed with one particular case - that of church minister Reverend Willie Maxwell, and set in the context of I must start by saying that Furious Hours is probably the best true crime work I have had the pleasure of reading; it has so much more to it than one would initially imagine and that's what makes it such a gripping book. It's an amalgamation of true crime, American history, legal thriller and biography of Harper Lee, which is a very interesting mix and works well. For many years Lee was obsessed with one particular case - that of church minister Reverend Willie Maxwell, and set in the context of the time and place - 1970s rural Alabama, United States - it provides much thought-provoking information on the racial, political, cultural and societal circumstances at the time.

It's certainly very easy to get swept up in this story, and I indeed was. Part of my fascination, being a law graduate, was the trial of Reverend Maxwell's killer and seeing the differences in American law when compared to the British and the nuances of the system. The case begins with murder and insurance fraud and from that point onwards the body count grows and grows. As it is a little-known case it's one many people, including myself, will not have been aware of; this is quite refreshing as most true crime books focus on infamous crimes and convicts.

The depiction of the deep south, also referred to as the gothic south, is vivid and evocative, and Casey Cep does a wonderful job of writing the book that Lee worked on for years after her most celebrated work, To Kill a Mockingbird, but could not finish. Included is information on the development and growth of the insurance business, paying particular attention to life insurance which it is widely believed was the motive behind the Reverend's killing spree. The irony of the lawyer, Tom Radney, who managed to get Maxwell acquitted, later repeats this in respect of Maxwell's killer, Robert Burns.

The first half focuses on the case and trial whilst the second discusses lawyer Tom Radney and the final section goes into detail about Harper Lee herself. Her struggle to become accustomed to the fame and fortune that comes with achieving bestseller status and her perfectionist tendencies which led to her being unable to complete and release this book in her lifetime as she'd planned. I loved that we found out more than we ever have before about the enigmatic Ms Lee. All in all, this is a brilliantly compelling and well-structured work of non-fiction and the engaging writing and touch of humour keep you turning the pages long after the sun goes down. Many thanks to William Heinemann for an ARC. ...more

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Jul 12, 2019 Lorna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: american-south, law, non-fiction, southern-literary-trail

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee was the first book of author Casey Cep and an amazing debut it was. Ms. Cep has a delightful way of presenting factual data, of which she researched diligently. Basically the book focuses on the serial murders of a lot of relatives of the Reverend, who coincidentally happened to have taken out large insurance policies on the victims. Also central to this tale is the larger-than-life defense attorney, Tom Radney. He first defended the ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 Jess☺️ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud And The Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep is a great true crime book it's based around 3 main characters a serial killer ( The Reverend Willie Maxwell) the lawyer (Tom Radney) who defended the reverend and the other killer ( you definitely need to read it to find out what that one did 😏) and Harper Lee an author made famous by her fabulous book To kill a mockingbird, it's also about her issues with the fame after it.
Harper Lee had a friend from childhood (Capote ...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Chris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Utterly brilliant. I was fascinated both by this tale of an actual serial killer in Alabama (and his murder), and the desperate way that Harper Lee tried (and failed) to find in his story and trial her own second act. Casey Cep is also a gifted stylist: this is a work of non-fiction written with elegance and beauty and grace.

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May 15, 2019 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Seventeen years since the publication of, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee lat in a courtroom in Alabama. She was planning to write a true crime book about the case she was watching, but that book was never published. In this volume, author, Casey Cep, writes not only a compelling explanation as to why this book never appeared, but also combines true crime and biography, in a riveting account of a crime and the characters involved.

She begins by looking at the murder victim, the Reverend Willi ...more

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May 22, 2019 Kylene rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

It is rare that I can't finish a book - especially a murder book! But my god. This is not a book about a serial killer. This is a book that gives a painstaking detailed history of the largest lake in Alabama and the life insurance industry. I'm almost halfway through and it's too unbearable to finish. It really feels as though the author wanted to tell the story of the murders but didn't have enough material so she just fluffed it up - but with the dryest, most boring fluff to ever exist. Google ...more

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Jun 26, 2019 Chrissie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audible-uk, bio, history, england, 2019-read, race, southern, mystery, london, nyc

This book can be classified as both true crime and biography. What has made it worth reading for me is what I learned about Harper Lee. I I have a deeper understanding of her as a person. I am comfortable with the author’s, Casey Cep’s, presentation of facts. One has cause to be wary given the huge amount of hearsay and rumors that have swirled about Lee in the press.

After writing her famed novel To Kill a Mockingbird everyone has been begging for more. Rumors said Lee was working on another bo ...more

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Jun 05, 2019 Faith rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: publisher, audio, overdrive, reviewed

This is a true crime story about Reverend Willie Maxwell who was implicated in the deaths of 6 people over the course of 7 years. He was tried and acquitted once and was murdered by the uncle of his purported final victim before charges could be brought against him. Suspiciously, he had bought life insurance polices insuring the victims; in the case of his second wife, at least 17 policies. The accusations against Maxwell kept his attorney, John Thomas Radney, busy for years. Ironically, it was ...more

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May 02, 2019 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The story of an Alabama serial killer and the true - crime book that Harper Lee worked on obsessively in the rears after To Kill A Mocking Bird.

The Reverend Willie Maxwell is a preacher who's been accused of killing five of his family members for the insurance money. But Willie always got off scott-free. He was shot in front of three hundred people. The man who shot him was defended by the lawyer that Willie used. He also managed to get the shooter off despite there being several witnesses. This ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Barbara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I chose to read this book even though I normally wouldn't be drawn to a story about a serial killer. I was drawn to it because it was Harper Lee's (AKA Nelle Lee) story - a mystery in itself.

Furious Hours is a description of Andrew Jackson's final engagement with the Creek Indians, but it also describes the lifetime of tormented hours Lee spent battling her writing demons, those demons that prevented her from completing her nonfiction account of the Maxwell murders. Perhaps it also describes the I chose to read this book even though I normally wouldn't be drawn to a story about a serial killer. I was drawn to it because it was Harper Lee's (AKA Nelle Lee) story - a mystery in itself.

Furious Hours is a description of Andrew Jackson's final engagement with the Creek Indians, but it also describes the lifetime of tormented hours Lee spent battling her writing demons, those demons that prevented her from completing her nonfiction account of the Maxwell murders. Perhaps it also describes the anger that drove Robert Burns to kill Maxwell.

Divided into three sections - The Reverand, The Lawyer, and The Writer, Casey Cep meticulously researched each part adding background information that was enthralling and supported the sections beautifully. I enjoyed the history of life insurance, insurance fraud, and racial bias in granting policies. The history of voodoo, its practices, and the fear of it by those near and not so near the murders made the acts all the more chilling. In Part 2 the personality of the powerful Alabama lawyer, Tom Radney, known as the man who tried to turn Alabama Blue, is discussed very honestly. Cep reveals his brilliance, his dedication to his liberal causes, and the ethically questionable financial benefits gained in more than one court case. Part Three delved into the life of Lee. Her childhood friendship with Truman Capote. her assistance in researching In Cold Blood, and the weakening of that friendship due to their different interpretation of truth. Is it fiction or is it nonfiction?

Lee's life and struggles have been written about before, but Cep, like Lee, is meticulous about separating facts from hearsay and rumor. Cep quotes Lee, "My agent wants pure gore, and autopsies, my publisher wants another best-seller, and I want a clear conscience, in that I haven't defrauded the reader." Unlike Lee, Cep was not paralyzed by the task and produced what Lee couldn't.

If you think nonfiction is not your genre, this book will change your mind. Casey Cep's first book is masterfully researched and organized. Her subject matter and her writing style are superb. I strongly recommend it. Let's hope Cep is not a one book wonder! ...more

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Aug 18, 2019 Libby rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: published-in-2019, on-the-southern-literary-trail, debut, crime-story, biography, read-in-2019

3.75 stars rounded up - Reverend William Maxwell was an enigma in his lifetime and even after reading this book, he remains so. As Casey Cep relates in her book, not much is known of Maxwell’s early years, but after a stint in the army, he returned home to Coosa County, Alabama, where he met and married Mary Lou Edwards. Although Maxwell worked at powdering (blasting rock) and pulpwooding, his main vocation became the ministry. Known for his eloquent speech, snazzy dress style, and fervent praye 3.75 stars rounded up - Reverend William Maxwell was an enigma in his lifetime and even after reading this book, he remains so. As Casey Cep relates in her book, not much is known of Maxwell’s early years, but after a stint in the army, he returned home to Coosa County, Alabama, where he met and married Mary Lou Edwards. Although Maxwell worked at powdering (blasting rock) and pulpwooding, his main vocation became the ministry. Known for his eloquent speech, snazzy dress style, and fervent prayers, his title around town soon became simply, ‘The Reverend.’ After twenty plus years of marriage, his wife, Mary Lou was found battered to death in her Ford Fairlane alongside the road, and Maxwell was the prime suspect. The case makes for fascinating reading, but nothing is resolved, and over the next few years, Maxwell’s family members fall around him like felled trees, until their accumulated bodies number five. The most incriminating evidence in connection with all these deaths appears to be the insurance policies taken out by Maxwell on the victims, and he will use attorney Tom Radney, to collect on them.

The book is divided into three sections ‘The Reverend,’ ‘The Lawyer,’ and ‘The Writer.’ Each section is distinct and separate, yet, their tie-in is obvious. Seventeen years after publishing "To Kill a Mockingbird," Lee will sit in on the trial of the man accused of murdering Reverend Maxwell, planning, as she would tell many, to write a book. Roberts Burns's trial for the murder of the Reverend is a compelling narrative in itself, theatrical and absorbing. The same lawyer who defends Maxwell's insurance policy collections now goes to bat for Maxwell’s murderer. Cep reveals that Tom Radney doesn’t even want to know if his client is guilty. Radney believes in giving the best defense possible to every person, regardless of innocence or guilt. Because Radney’s career was a very political one, I learned a lot about Alabama politics. Casey Cep writes,

“So began the inauspicious age of Wallace in Alabama politics. These were dark, demersal years, when white voters were pandered to by politicians at every level of government, promised power they’d never had at the expense of African Americans they were assured never would.”

Radney’s political career as state senator of Alabama will turn on race relations. Cep will bring focus to bear on the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the events that began to take Radney off the political map, for he is not 'a Wallace man,' and land him squarely in the law office beside Alabama’s Alexander City Courthouse.

My favorite part of “Furious Hours” belongs to Harper Lee. Writing doesn’t come easily for her, and yet she yearns to capture how it is to grow up in a small town like Monroeville, just as her friend, Truman Capote captured it in “The Glass Harp.” When she does finally finish her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, she is thirty-three years old. It seems she is never truly able to come to terms with fame, unlike Capote, who reveled in it. For anyone who would like to know why Harper Lee stalled out on her writing after “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and why she was never able to finish the book on Reverend Maxwell, I think Casey Cep sheds light on this, and other aspects of the reclusive writer fans have grown to love. ...more

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May 03, 2019 Michelle rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, may-2019, first-to-read

"Nothing writes itself. Left to its own devices, the world will never transform into words."

Furious hours is an account of a sensational murder trial that captivated a small town in Alabama and one of its home grown heroes, the reclusive novelist Harper Lee. Known best for the Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee struggled over her lifetime to produce another book. There has been much speculation over the reason(s) behind this. It’s highly unlikely that it was a mere case of w "Nothing writes itself. Left to its own devices, the world will never transform into words."

Furious hours is an account of a sensational murder trial that captivated a small town in Alabama and one of its home grown heroes, the reclusive novelist Harper Lee. Known best for the Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee struggled over her lifetime to produce another book. There has been much speculation over the reason(s) behind this. It’s highly unlikely that it was a mere case of writer’s block for Lee was always writing. Perhaps her battle with alcoholism played a part. Nonetheless the world would always crave for another Great American classic from the famous author.

Lee’s Inspiration: The State of Alabama v Robert Burns
In a case of vigilante justice Robert Lewis Burns kills his 16 year old niece’s alleged murderer in front of hundreds of mourners at her funeral.

The “Victim”: Willie Maxwell
Charismatic and handsome the Reverend Willie Maxwell was used to getting things his way. Brought to trial for murdering his first wife, accused of insurance fraud and rumored to be practicing voodoo, the good reverend remained free and virtually unscathed. Over time four other family members would die under suspicious circumstances. In every case Maxwell was the prime beneficiary. He continued to get rich of their insurance monies with nary a guilty judgement. His teflon existence is in part a testament to the exceptional litigation skills of his attorney Tom Radney who would go on to successfully defend his murderer.

Casey Cep examines this case that so intrigued Harper Lee and delves into her history with Truman Capote and her life after writing To Kill a Mockingbird. The common misperception with Furious Hours is that it is the true crime novel that Harper Lee started but never finished writing. The book is divided into three sections with the first part dedicated to the case and Maxwell’s backstory, the second focused on Tom Radney and his motivation for defending both Maxwell and Burns and the last on Harper Lee. It is this last part that I was most excited for. I felt as if Cep had finally arrived at my impetus for reading the book. Although the trial material was fascinating I really was driven to learn more about Lee and her life. It seemed as if there were two books here that could have been fleshed out. Overall though Furious Hours was an enjoyable read and a promising debut for Casey Cep.

NY Times coverage of the Burns case 1977 ...more

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Nov 04, 2019 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, library-checkout, nonfiction-and-or-memoirs

Nonfiction November is a month long reading initiative that challenges you to read four or more nonfiction books during the month of November.

4 stars!

I listened to this book because it was part of my local book club and I was curious. I am not normally a great nonfiction reader, but this book sounded compelling and I was curious to dive in. Furious Hours is about a murder that happens in a small town. At a funeral, a reverend is shot down in front of a whole room of people, and his murderer ...more

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Jun 27, 2019 ALLEN added it · review of another edition

As one of the millions of people who enjoyed and admired (Nelle) Harper Lee's novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, I naturally gravitated toward this new book by a new author, Casey Cep, especially since it promised to add insight to the central riddle of Harper Lee's life: why, after MOCKINGBIRD, she wrote no more books. I had heard just a little about the subject of a nonfiction novel Lee researched and tried to write: the story of "The Reverend," an African-American ordained minister and wood-industr As one of the millions of people who enjoyed and admired (Nelle) Harper Lee's novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, I naturally gravitated toward this new book by a new author, Casey Cep, especially since it promised to add insight to the central riddle of Harper Lee's life: why, after MOCKINGBIRD, she wrote no more books. I had heard just a little about the subject of a nonfiction novel Lee researched and tried to write: the story of "The Reverend," an African-American ordained minister and wood-industry worker from Alabama named Willie Maxwell, who had a shocking habit of taking out life-insurance policies on his many kin, who then exhibited an even more shocking way of turning up dead in their cars near the Reverend's house. Yet Maxwell never went to prison.

Even more strangely, it was while the Reverend was giving a eulogy for his sixteen-year-old stepdaughter that the girl's uncle, Robert Lewis Burns, pulled a pistol and shot him dead, right in the funeral home. It was the most open-and-shut kind of murder there could be, in an assembly full of onlookers. However, the accused hired a deft local defense attorney, "Big Tom" Radney, who chose the relatively unusual plea of guilty by reason of insanity.

Within a year of the Burns trial (and 18 years after MOCKINGBIRD'S publication), Harper Lee took up residence in the local motel to research what she apparently thought would make a terrific true-crime story, something to be told in nonfiction or "nonfiction novel" style, much like her friend Truman Capote's bestselling IN COLD BLOOD, not a novel like her own MOCKINGBIRD. Yet after a great deal of work on Ms. Lee's part, almost nothing came of it, not even a work-in-progress article in a newspaper or magazine.

Into this welter of mysteries, much more recently stepped Casey Cep, yet sadly, while her book makes for often lively and occasionally enlightening reading, it in no way solves any of the multiple mysteries. Perhaps the easiest to sort out if not fully resolve was the original one: why Reverend Willie Maxwell got away with such violent acts and obvious insurance fraud so many times over so many years: a mixture of lax enforcement on the part of the mostly-white law enforcement community, the respect people felt for a Protestant minister (even a philandering one who remarried too soon) and downright fear of the man as a possible practitioner of voodoo, which combined to let him get away, literally, with murder. Using the empirical tools of investigation and analysis, Cep is able to come to the empirical conclusion that voodoo had nothing to do with it. Beyond that, we know little that wasn't already known.

The middle part of this book deals with Burns' defense attorney, a liberal Democrat in a time George Wallace's reaction controlled Alabama politics. A personality profile is one thing -- a third of a book is something else. One can almost see this as a meso-scale digression in a book full of little digressions. We hear about the tradition by American life insurance companies to sell policies to third parties covering the life of someone who knows nothing about that sale -- but was it really necessary to go back to 17th Century London, the great fire, and the slow evolution of the insurance industry? For that matter, why did Cep spend so much time and care talking about Tom Radney's choice of photographer for his campaign photo the time he ran for lieutenant governor? (That Radney once ran for lieutenant governor was certainly worth a mention, but not much beyond that.) It seems to me, in fact, that the entire middle third of FURIOUS HOURS, the Burns trial, could be redacted down to a few pages and added seamlessly to The Reverend's shabby life story.

Because Cep is still a new writer, it's perhaps best to overlook her occasional instances of clunky diction or lexical overreach (she refers to Truman Capote as an orchid among the Kansas wheat, gad; and mentions a friend's ownership of a "polydactyl" cat when most of would have been happy with "extra-toed" cat of the kind Hemingway liked). Begging the question of why some of these topics needed to appear in the first place, her writing can be quite graceful while still maintaining an essential efficiency. Speaking of Tom Radney's personality, she comes up with:

Big Tom's relentless sociability is part of what made him such a remarkable trial lawyer. He knew just about every power broker in the judicial circuits where he practiced, knew what they liked to drink and whether they liked their neighbors and whether they liked the guy who cut their lawn. But he also knew the guy who cut the lawn and knew what he liked to drink.

All in all, this too-much-of-a-book starts to take on its own "polydactylity": it isn't a nonfiction account or even a nonfiction novel so much as a trio of nonfiction novelettes, the middle one in particular not really necessary. That's why, for perhaps the fourth time in over 400 Goodreads reviews, I can't give FURIOUS HOURS any particular number of stars, because to succeed it has to be different things to different people.

Ironically, towards the very end of this book author Cep stumbles across a wonderful project for the scholar who wants to do justice to Harper Lee while enlightening her readers: edit her voluminous correspondence, in which she could let her hair down with friends and close acquaintances, thrill and delight them with her accomplished phrasing and allusions. Thus far, it is a mystery to me why THAT book hasn't been written yet. ...more

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Dec 29, 2020 Elizabeth George rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: recomended-reads, learning-opportunities

For anyone who loved To Kill a Mockingbird (full disclosure: I've read it at least ten times and probably more), this book is an exploration of how Harper Lee was defeated in her attempt to follow in Truman Capote's footsteps and chronicle a true crime as he did with In Cold Blood. The author follows three separate threads in the book. The first is the murder of Reverend Willie Maxwell who was shot and killed in front of 300 witnesses at a funeral; the second is an exploration of the life of the ...more

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About Casey Cep

Casey Cep

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Casey Cep is a writer from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her first book Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee was an instant New York Times bestseller, and comes recommended by David Grann, Helen Macdonald, and Michael Lewis.

You can follow her on Twitter (@cncep) and Instagram (@caseycep).

Cep graduated from Harvard College, then earned an M.Phil. at the University of O ...more

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“Water, like violence, is difficult to contain.” — 6 likes

“He might not have believed in what he preached, he might not have believed in voodoo,” she wrote of the Reverend, “but he had a profound and abiding belief in insurance.” — 3 likes

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