The Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century

Mackellar, Landis

ISBN 10: 0815608241 / ISBN 13: 9780815608240

Published by SYRACUSE UNIV PR, 2006

About this Item

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Seller Inventory # ING9780815608240

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century
• Publisher: SYRACUSE UNIV PR
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0815608241
• ISBN 13: 9780815608240
• Binding: Softcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Queens Village was a picture-perfect postcard New York suburb. But in March 1927 the façade of respectability was stripped away to reveal an underside of greed, lust, and crime. Few incidents in crime history have been so notorious as the murder of Albert Snyder by his wife and her lover. Resonant of the footloose Jazz Age, it made persistent headlines and led to a sensational trial. The crime spawned a 1920s Broadway play and inspired the classic noir film of the 1940s, Double Indemnity. This book assesses the entire case, from grisly slaying and shabby cover-up to sharp police work and aftermath. Moreover, it explores sociocultural questions that beg to be answered: what effect does news reportage exert upon high profile cases, and why did such a transparent crime earn such an enduring place in the popular psyche?

About the Author

<b>Landis MacKellar</b> lives in Vienna and Paris. His interest in the Snyder-Gray murder began when he taught at Queens College in New York City.