The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century

Wonderful book by Harold Schechter about the murder trials of Roland Molineaux who was accused of murdering two people by sending them bromo selzers poisoned with cyanide of mercury. One of the people who died after using a "medication," of a free sample was a man who was reportedly in a love triangle with Molineaux and his future wife Blanche. The other two people who ingested the "free sample" sent to them were Harry Cornish, who survived being poisoned and a neighbor of his who died from being poisoned. It's a fascinating book about a really interesting case and Harold Schechter is really talented at writing about crimes that happened a very long time ago.

A fascinating true-crime narrative that provides a vivid view of life a century ago. Schechter really researched this thoroughly and I was surprised how well he brought the historical characters to life. At first glance, society was so different than today. But the closer you look, the more it seems similar to our current times, from the media's excesses to the privileges of the rich.

Schechter does a nice enough job with historical research and reporting on this case that was the media sensation of the turn of the 20th Century in NYC. Since his main sources of information were the scurrilous yellow journalism papers and the memoirs of an overwrought Victorian drama queen, it isn't easy to maintain a nice story line that avoids their wretched excesses. Schechter tries to find an unbiased middle ground here, making it clear everywhere he tones down these excesses, and avoiding the temptation to make up nifty dialogue between the main characters. So, if you just want the straight story to make up your own mind, this is your book. If you want some analysis, such as: who did it? Who is the guilty party? What's your best guess as to what really happened after immersing yourself in all of this historical record? Then you have the wrong book. My rating reflects my completely personal reaction that the book seemed to go into depth wherever the author had material, but didn't speculate (although, it can be argued that you would have to be a dolt not to miss the author's beliefs). I would have liked to have seen more analysis. But, to just pick up a feel for the era, for early policing and prosecution, and to learn the full story, this is your book.

I feel repetitive starting my reviews of turn of the century true crime novels the same way, but I think it is necessary. I often find myself drawn to this genre of novel (Devil in the White City, Sin in the Second City, The First Family, etc..) and have found what makes them successful for me; an interesting topic, engaging characters, and a sense for the era in which the book is taking place. To say that The Devil's Gentleman succeeds on all levels would not be doing the work justice. The book revolves around the son of a famous Civil War General who is accused of murder by poisoning. From the introduction to the characters to the trial to the epilogue the tome weaves a complicated tapestry of individual motive, conflict, and justice painted against the backdrop of life in and around New York City in the early 1900's. The book succeeds for me because of the extensive research on the topic providing insight into the minds of the antagonists and protagonists in a way that few of these books accomplish. I felt compelled to keep reading on to see what would happen next from the motive of the crime, to the poisoning, to the trial. I had a hard time putting the book down. I wasn't as compelled to continue on since reading what I consider to be the vanguard of these novels, Devil in the White City. If you are at all interested in true crime novels, New York's history, or just a good story you will not be disappointed with this book. I highly recommend it and plan on adding the author to my must read list.

This book has it all: sex, drugs (well, early pharmaceuticals) and classical music. The author does a great job of producing what evidence still exists of two deaths, one, a murder by poison and another death by poison of an innocent party. I was completely sucked into the story and players. The well-bred son of a celebrated civil war general is outwardly a gentleman. Bad things seem to happen to people who threaten his masculinity, however. This was in the era of the beginning of "yellow" journalism, and the investigation, trials and incarcerations occur over several years. This was also the age of miracle cures for pretty much everything, including impotence. Alot of ingredients readily available in the neighborhood drugstores and through the mail have since been FDA'd out of public access. SPOILER FOLLOWS The author tries to write an objective journal of the events, but makes his personal opinion pretty clear. The reader is still left with a kernal of doubt as to the guilt of Roland Molineux.

Snappy writing, short chapters and plenty of insight to the workings of the American "system" are well worth the read. Fascinating history of how the judicial process established protocol still in effect today, the criminal defense manipulation that is well established and the birth of the tabloid is all captured beautifully. Detail in concise readable prose will stay with you long after the last page. I recommend this look at our American behavior to anyone interested in these categories.

I have never read anything by this author but after reading 3/4's of this book I gotta say that I am going to definitely be looking at reading some of his other books. I love his style, pace, thoroughness, etc., etc. I like that the book reads like a novel, even though it is a true story, and not like a textbook as that keeps my interest. Not only is this story well told, I have also learned lots of interesting information about this period in time. The history aspect of this book really interests me.

I really enjoyed reading "The Devil's Gentleman." I love these murder mystery stories where the backdrop is the history of the tabloid wars that raged at the turn of the twentieth century. This book reminded me of and is just as good as The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars . In fact, the author here even references that case in the beginning of this book. Harold Schechter seems to be an expert in true-crime and his insights into the history of crime and forensic science also enhance the work. Strangely, the author gives his opinion in his "Notes" at the end of the book, as to whether Roland Molineux really did it. Yet, from reading the book itself, the reader comes away with a very different picture. I wonder why that is. And if the author has more knowledge than what he has put in the book, then why didn't he include it? You'll have to read it yourself to see what I am getting at, but it will be worth it. It is a fast, easy, and fun read. I really couldn't put it down until I knew whether he was convicted or not. I don't like fiction, but I love non-fiction and this book is one of the reasons why. True life is far more interesting than fiction.

fair price and top condition. Had borrowed the library version but as with books I am enjoying bought my own copy so I can finish at my leisure.