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Furious Hours
July 2021: Other Reads
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Furious Hours / Casey Cep - 3.5*** rounded UP
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Furious Hours – Casey Cep
Book on CD read by Hilary Huber
3.5*** rounded up
Subtitle: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
This is a combination of a true crime exploration of the serial killer Reverend Willie Maxwell, and a mini biography of Harper Lee.
Maxwell was well-known in his Alabama town even before his relatives started dying off in odd “accidents” which captured the attention of law enforcement and the ire of the many insurance companies from which Maxwell had purchased life insurance policies on said relatives. He kept his attorney, “Big Tom” Radney quite busy defending him against murder charges and suing the insurance companies to get what was owned to him. Maxwell was at the funeral of the latest victim when he was shot at point blank range by a grieving relative of the deceased. And Big Tom immediately became HIS lawyer to defend against the murder charges, despite the accused’s confession and the 340 witnesses.
Meanwhile Harper Lee has published her runaway (and still) bestselling novel, To Kill A Mockingbird and has helped her childhood friend Truman Capote with the research on his true-crime “nonfiction novel” In Cold Blood . The Rev Maxwell’s case captures her attention, and she begins researching the case(s) with the idea of writing a book.
I found the entire story fascinating, but then I am a fan of true crime books. I was completely captivated by Maxwell’s story and how that unfolded. And I, like many other readers, am eternally interested in Nelle Harper Lee, so was happy that I learned a few new things about Lee’s life, especially her own demons.
However, I think the author would have been less successful with this book without the Lee hook, and that somehow just didn’t sit right with me. So, three stars: I liked it; other true-crime or Lee fans will probably like it too.
Hilary Huber does a find job of narrating the audiobook. Her clear diction and steady pace made it easy for me to understand and follow the intricacies of the case.
LINK to my review