{"product_id":"murder-among-friends-isbn-9780593177433","title":"Murder Among Friends","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow did two teenagers brutally murder an innocent child...and \u003ci\u003ewhy\u003c\/i\u003e? And how did their brilliant lawyer save them from the death penalty in 1920s Chicago? Written by a prolific master of narrative nonfiction, this is a compulsively readable true-crime story based on an event dubbed the \"crime of the century.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1924, eighteen-year-old college students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb made a decision: they would commit the perfect crime by kidnapping and murdering a child they both knew. But they made one crucial error: as they were disposing of the body of young Bobby Franks, whom they had bludgeoned to death, Nathan's eyeglasses fell from his jacket pocket.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMulti-award-winning author Candace Fleming depicts every twist and turn of this harrowing case--how two wealthy, brilliant young men planned and committed what became known as the crime of the century, how they were caught, why they confessed, and how the renowned criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow enabled them to avoid the death penalty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowing on the success of such books as \u003ci\u003eThe Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Family Romanov\u003c\/i\u003e, this acclaimed nonfiction writer brings to heart-stopping life one of the most notorious crimes in our country's history.★ \"\u003cb\u003eAn absorbing saga\u003c\/b\u003e sure to ensnare readers in its thrall.\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ★ \"Fleming [is] a master of meticulously researched nonfiction.... \u003cb\u003eErudite, readable, and appalling\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"In the field of YA narrative nonfiction, \u003cb\u003eFleming continues to outdo herself\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"The engrossing true-crime narrative style and high-interest subject will likely make this a very popular pick among teen readers.... \u003cb\u003eThought-provoking reading sure to spark further conversations about crime and punishment\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"\u003cb\u003eA chilling page-turner\u003c\/b\u003e with compelling psychoanalytic aspects not often seen in young adult nonfiction. \u003cb\u003eHighly recommended\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal, \u003c\/i\u003estarred reviewCandace Fleming is the prolific and versatile award-winning author of many books for children and young adults. Her most recent title,\u003ci\u003e The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh\u003c\/i\u003e, received six starred reviews, was a \u003ci\u003eKirkus, PW, Booklist,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSLJ \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of the Year, and was hailed by the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e as a \"fascinating chronicle.\" Candace's\u003ci\u003e The Family Romanov \u003c\/i\u003ealso received six starred reviews and won the \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe-Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e Award for Nonfiction and the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book Prize, and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. \u003ci\u003eAmelia Lost\u003c\/i\u003e received four starred reviews and won the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction. Her many acclaimed picture books include \u003ci\u003eGiant Squid\u003c\/i\u003e, a Sibert Honor Book. Visit her on the web at candacefleming.com.Part One\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIs Bobby?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWednesday, May 21, 1924\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNineteen-­year-­old Nathan Leopold would kill a child today. He didn’t expect to get much pleasure from it. Still, it would be an interesting intellectual experiment, like an entomologist sticking a pin through a beetle. Besides, his friend Richard wanted this murder . . . badly. And Nathan would do anything for Richard Loeb.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNathan lit a cigarette and looked over at Richard. The eighteen-­year-­old appeared calm as he drove the rental car. But Nathan could see a muscle in Richard’s right cheek twitching. He knew that sign. Richard was ready, eager even, to kill somebody.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the floor of the backseat, wrapped in a blanket, lay their gear—­rope, chisel, adhesive tape, gags, hydrochloric acid, and hip boots. They had everything they needed. Everything but a victim.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNathan looked at his watch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwo-­thirty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSchool was letting out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe pair drove into their Chicago neighborhood of Kenwood, a little pocket of fashionable homes on the city’s South Side. A street away from the Harvard School for Boys, Richard pulled to the curb. He turned off the ignition. They sat there. Who should they grab? They hadn’t settled on a specific victim. Any boy would do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeaving Nathan in the car, Richard walked to the school. Kids poured out onto the playground. He noticed nine-­year-­old Johnny Levinson, who was in the same fourth-­grade class as Richard’s little brother, Tommy. Just days earlier, the boy had played at the Loeb house.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere couldn’t be a better victim. Stick thin and small for his age, Johnny would be easy to nab.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard turned on his charm. “What are you doing after school?” he asked Johnny in his friendliest voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m going to play baseball,” replied Johnny.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere? Richard wanted to know. Who with?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was just a pickup game with some friends, Johnny told him. He was headed over to the vacant lot at 49th Street and Drexel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard wondered how to lure the boy to the car. Should he offer him a ride?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut before he got the chance, Johnny ran off.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrustrated, Richard walked around to the front of the school. He saw Tommy standing on the steps. Maybe he should grab him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust then Nathan whistled for Richard to return to the car. When he did, Nathan said, “There are some children playing on Ingleside Avenue.” Maybe they could catch one of them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard had a better idea. Why not go over to the vacant lot on 49th Street and watch Johnny’s baseball game? They could snatch the boy afterward as he was walking home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNathan agreed. They drove ­toward the lot. Yes, the boys were there. But from the moving vehicle, Richard and Nathan couldn’t recognize anybody. They parked again, a block from the lot, and walked down an alley to a spot where they could see the game. Still, they couldn’t make out faces. Could they get closer? Not without being seen. And they couldn’t let that happen. When Johnny vanished, the police would put two and two together. No, they’d have to watch the boy from a distance. To do that, they needed Nathan’s field glasses.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was only four blocks to the Leopolds’ house. After dropping Nathan off, Richard drove to a nearby drugstore. He bought two packages of gum before heading to the phone booth in the back to look up Johnny’s address in the telephone book. Chewing away, Richard flipped through the pages until he found it. He nodded. He now knew the route Johnny would take to walk home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMinutes later, he picked Nathan up. They returned to the alley near the vacant lot. Passing the field glasses back and forth, they watched the children play. Nathan pointed out a few other possible victims. What about the shortstop, or the kid on third base? Richard nixed those ideas. He had his heart set on killing Johnny.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt four-­thirty, Johnny and some others suddenly walked away from the game. Richard grew worried. Was Johnny coming back? He and Nathan waited, but there was no further sign of the boy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey drove around and around the neighborhood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho knew it would be so hard to nab a child?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNathan looked at his watch again. It was getting late, almost dinnertime. They’d been searching for a victim for more than two hours. He suggested they try again tomorrow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard refused. They’d been planning this for so long. They couldn’t quit. Not yet. One more time around the neighborhood, he insisted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis time, Nathan drove. They passed by the vacant lot again. They went by the Levinson house, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo luck.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat was when they saw him, walking on the opposite side of the street all by himself. He wore a tan jacket, knickers, wool golf stockings with checkered tops, a necktie, and a tan cap.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I know him,” said Richard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was his second cousin, fourteen-­year-­old Bobby Franks. Bobby lived across the street from Richard. Just yesterday they’d played tennis together on the Loebs’ court.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe car passed the boy. Richard signaled for Nathan to turn around and drive up behind him. As Nathan did, Richard climbed in back, behind the front passenger seat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe car pulled up alongside Bobby.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hey, Bob,” Richard called. He leaned forward and opened the passenger door. “Do you want a ride home?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBobby shook his head. His house was only two blocks away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Come on in,” urged Richard. “I want to talk to you about the tennis racket you had yesterday. I want to get one for my brother.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBobby moved closer to the car. He was so close Richard could have grabbed him and dragged him in. Instead, he kept talking, kept smiling.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBobby hesitated a moment longer. Then he slid into the front passenger seat. He looked over at Nathan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You know Leopold, don’t you?” said Richard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBobby didn’t. He turned around to the backseat, eager to talk tennis with his older cousin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You don’t mind [us] taking you around the block?” Richard asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Certainly not,” said Bobby.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNathan pulled away from the curb as Richard groped around on the floor for the chisel.","brand":"Anne Schwartz Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303465308389,"sku":"NP9780593177433","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593177433.jpg?v=1767733106","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/murder-among-friends-isbn-9780593177433","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}