Compulsion

M. Levin

This compelling sentimental fictional account of the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder of Bobby Franks makes an excellent read. Author Meyer Levin (1905-1981) was a former classmate of the two killers, and he wrote this readable account some three decades after the crime occurred. Renaming the killers "Judd" and "Artie," the author shows how these brilliant young collegians murdered a 14-year neighbor for thrills, and to validate their warped sense of superiority as inspired by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Readers learn of the killers' pseudo-homosexual relationship, and get a detailed look at the O.J . Simpson-like media trial in which famed attorney Clarence Darrow ("Jonathan Wilk") fought to save his arrogant clients from the gallows. Readers also get a strong look at abnormal psychology, plus a plausible added motive for the crime. For a more realistic view of this brutal crime you should consult Hal Higdon's superb and starkly non-fiction account: Trial of the Century.