The Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century

Queens Village was a picture-perfect postcard New York suburb. But in March 1927 the fa ade of respectability was stripped away to reveal an underside of greed, lust, and crime. Few incidents in crime history have been so notorious as the murder of Albert Snyder by his wife and her lover. Resonant of the footloose Jazz Age, it made persistent headlines and led to a sensational trial. The crime spawned a 1920s Broadway play and inspired the classic noir film of the 1940s, Double Indemnity. This book assesses the entire case, from grisly slaying and shabby cover-up to sharp police work and aftermath. Moreover, it explores sociocultural questions that beg to be answered: what effect does news reportage exert upon high profile cases, and why did such a transparent crime earn such an enduring place in the popular psyche?

Author: Landis Mackellar
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 10/16/2006
Pages: 411
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.04h x 6.04w x 0.89d
ISBN13: 9780815608240
ISBN10: 0815608241
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Criminals & Outlaws
- History | United States | State & Local | Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD,
- History | United States | 20th Century

About the Author
Landis MacKellar lives in Vienna and Paris. His interest in the Snyder-Gray murder began when he taught at Queens College in New York City.