I very much enjoyed THE MAD SCULPTOR: THE MANIAC, THE MODEL, AND THE MURDER THAT SHOOK THE NATION. It's a book that would appeal to people interested in true crime, history, or just looking for a good story. The crimes looked at in this book take place in New York City around the 1930's.
The "Cast of Characters" in the beginning of the book is very helpful in keeping names straight. One of the things that Harold Schechter does in this book, as well as in other true crime books he's written, is give some historical context to the crimes described. I find it interesting reading about the physical landscape and social climate of the point in history in which these crimes take place. I also enjoyed reading about the various public figures of the day like the lawyer Samuel S. Leibowitz and psychiatrist Fredric Wertham.
After reading this book, I plan on checking out one of the books on Leibowitz listed in the author's bibliography. For readers, like myself, interested in the history of forensic science the book discusses Alexander Gettler and how he was able to help solve a case using scientific methods at the time. I found it intriguing how he was able to link forensic evidence to the suspect in an age before DNA testing, and without computers and other modern inventions. In this book, the author discusses three other crimes which were committed in the same general area as the crime featured by the author. They are interesting cases and I enjoyed the author's dry wit when describing all the particulars.
It's obvious how much research went into this book, and specifically the Robert Irwin case. The book goes into detail describing Irwin's parents, their background, his early life and events leading up to his crime. It all makes for a wonderful case study. The detail and the direct quotes made me feel as if I was right there at that place and time. I was fascinated by the look into the criminal justice system of the time and what was involved with trying to successfully maintain an insanity defense. This book also spotlights the yellow journalism that was rampant at the time. This is one of the only authors for which I will read the notes at the back of the book. The notes are definitely worth reading, both for a little extra detail as well as the bibliography. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next true crime book by Harold Schechter.
Beekman Place, once one of the most exclusive addresses in
Manhattan, had a curious way of making it into the tabloids
in the 1930s: βSKYSCRAPER SLAYER,β βBEAUTY SLAIN IN BATHTUBβ
read the headlines. On Easter Sunday in 1937, the discovery
of a grisly triple homicide at Beekman Place would rock the
neighborhood yet againβand enthrall the nation. The young
man who committed the murders would come to be known in the
annals of American crime as the Mad Sculptor.
Caught up in the Easter Sunday slayings was a bizarre and
sensationalistic cast of characters, seemingly cooked up in
a tabloid editorβs overheated imagination. The charismatic
perpetrator, Robert Irwin, was a brilliant young sculptor
who had studied with some of the masters of the era. But
with his genius also came a deeply disturbed psyche; Irwin
was obsessed with sexual self-mutilation and was frequently
overcome by outbursts of violent rage.
Irwinβs primary victim, Veronica Gedeon, was a figure from
the world of pulp fantasyβa stunning photographerβs model
whose scandalous seminude pinups would titillate the public
for weeks after her death. Irwinβs defense attorney, Samuel
Leibowitz, was a courtroom celebrity with an unmatched
record of acquittals and clients ranging from Al Capone to
the Scottsboro Boys. And Dr. Fredric Wertham, psychiatrist
and forensic scientist, befriended Irwin years before the
murders and had predicted them in a public lecture months
before the crime.
Based on extensive research and archival records, The Mad
Sculptor recounts the chilling story of the Easter Sunday
murdersβa case that sparked a nationwide manhunt and endures
as one of the most engrossing American crime dramas of the
twentieth century. Harold Schechterβs masterful prose evokes
the faded glory of post-Depression New York and the singular
madness of a brilliant mind turned against itself. It will
keep you riveted until the very last page.
No excerpt available.
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