The Crime of the Century

Former prosecutor Martin and Chicago journalist Breo present a fast-paced, solid reconstruction of Martin's biggest case: the fatal stabbing, strangling and sexual assault of eight young nurses by drifter Richard Speck in Chicago in 1966. Drawing on a wealth of research (including interviews with surviving nurse Corazon Amurao), the authors cannot resist certain cliches but eschew reconstructed quotes and excessive melodrama. They amply detail Speck's ``bragging, drinking and lying'' before his violent sexual rampage in the nurses' townhouse. Their account of the search for Speck ranges through Chicago; after police missed opportunities to capture him, a doctor identified the injured suspect, who had slashed himself in a suicide attempt. The authors render Martin's investigation in the third person; most important was his effort to keep Amurao in a safe place. Inquiring into Speck's background, Martin discovered an abusive stepfather and a history of violence but not of mental illness; Speck was found competent to stand trial. The jury took 49 minutes to decide his guilt. Though jurors called for the death penalty, Speck's execution was halted by the U.S. Supreme Court, and Speck, who never confessed his crimes, died in prison of a heart attack in 1991. (Apr.)