Death in Belmont

Junger, Sebastian

ISBN 10: 0792742206 ISBN 13: 9780792742203

Synopsis

In the spring of 1963, the quiet suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts, is rocked by a shocking murder that fits the pattern of the infamous Boston Strangler, still at large. Hoping for a break in the case, the police arrest Roy Smith, a black ex-con whom the victim hired to clean her house. Smith is hastily convicted of the murder, but the Strangler's terror continues. And through it all, one man escapes the scrutiny of the police: a carpenter working at the time at the Belmont home of young Sebastian Junger and his parents--a man named Albert

From the acclaimed author of A Perfect Storm comes a powerful chronicle of three lives that collide in the vortex of one of America's most controversial serial murder cases.

About this title

Review

‘The great merit of Junger’s thoughtful book is that he is constantly striving to go beyond the obvious...True crime stories in which the wrong man is sent down are a dime to the dozen. But Sebastian Junger’s elegant and gripping book rises above the herd because he is unafraid to confront the ambiguity of human memory, and because he admits the impossibility of discovering the ‘absolute truth’ of what happened that day in Belmont...Superbly researched and tautly written, “A Death in Belmont” reads like a classic whodunit; but it is a hundred times more satisfying.’ The Telegraph

‘Junger is a master of narrative, his bold, clear-eyed prose never lags. His story tells us a great deal about America in the middle decades of the 20th century, about the operations of race, class (and the violence of prejudice) permeated and, in a sad way, defined a society.’ The Guardian

‘A lucid study of crime and justice in 1960s America...compelling.’ Independent on Sunday

‘Junger’s storytelling is at its best when weaving the case’s minute detail into the larger picture of the dark times experienced by the US in the 1960s.’ Financial Times

‘It is written in the beautifully cool, precise, easy style of the best American journalism. There is a fascinating detail on every page.’ Mail on Sunday

'An interesting meditation on the American judicial and penal systems and, in particular, their attitude to the issue of race'. Daily Telegraph

'Junger masterfully draws out his narrative out of the labyrinthine investigation.' Observer

About the Author

Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont and Fire. He is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and has been awarded a National Magazine Award and an SAIS Novartis Prize for journalism. He lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0792742206
• ISBN 13: 9780792742203
• Binding: Audio Cassette