Scoundrel: How a Convicted Murderer Persuaded the Women Who Loved Him, the Conservative Establishment, and the Courts to Set Him Free | 
pickAfter a man went to prison for killing a teen girl, he developed a relationship with William F Buckley Jr when he lost access to The National Review. Buckley firmly believed in his innocence and helped work toward his release. This was a big mistake. I thought this was a fascinating exploration of a sociopathic mind as well as a reminder that just because someone shares your politics, that doesn‘t necessarily mean they‘re trustworthy.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️ Convicted murderer Edgar Smith was a master manipulator and incredible con artist. While on death row, he maintained ardent epistolary affairs, built relationships on deceit (most notably with conservative political commentator William F Buckley), and ultimately got what he wanted. A scarily brilliant psychopath; mediocre book.
pickIt‘s about 3.5 stars in my opinion. It‘s an interesting story about a sociopath and unfortunately it is all too familiar.
pickI read something that described this as a “reverse false imprisonment story” and that‘s pretty spot-on. This is the unbelievable account of murderer Edgar Smith‘s crimes, time in prison (and lack thereof), relationships (notably with William F Buckley Jr —politician) and multiple trials. Unsettling to read 2 books so close together about white men who literally get away with murder in our criminal justice system while innocent BIPOC sit in prison.
pickscoun·drel /ˈskoundrəl/ : a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a rogue.
“This is a man with extraordinary intelligence, sensitivity and perceptive capacity, and he uses all of this to get around people. And if there are three things that we know about Mr. Smith, he‘s antisocial, he‘s manipulative, and he‘s extremely dangerous.” —Richard Neely, San Diego Prosecutor
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#truecrime
pickOnce a murderer, always a murderer...
This is the unbelievable true story of Edgar Smith, a man convicted of murdering a teenager girl, who sat on death row until he garnered William F. Buckley‘s support. He hooked Smith up with a publisher and after his memoir was released, getting him acquitted became a cause célèbre, but no one was prepared for what happened next. Sometimes the craziest stories are the true ones!
pickScoundrel indeed. Master manipulator. This is one crazy story very well told. Definitely recommend to my fellow true crime readers.
New BookPage! I‘m very interested in Booth and just grabbed Scoundrel at the library yesterday.
