Friday, August 25, 2006

A Death In Belmont by Sebastian Junger

All you true crime fans will like this book about the Boston Strangler. Junger, who wrote The Perfect Storm, grew up hearing about (DeSalvo) The Strangler because he had done work on their house and had been in their home alone with Junger's mother. During this period was when Bessie Goldberg was killed. The murder was blamed on Roy Smith, an African American day worker who had been assigned to help Bessie with some heavy cleaning projects. Since the killing had been done in typical Strangler fashion police initially thought that they had caught the Strangler.

DeSalvo never confessed to the Goldberg murder but Smith died insisting that he was innocent. Junger investigates all of the possible options but in the end no physical evidence exists that can prove or disprove either theory. Junger is an accomplished writer who has a gift for writing readable nonfiction. If you are at all interested in true crime this is a clear step above the usual offerings.

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