A true story of a terrible kidnapping in 1953. A drunken couple kidnap a 6 year old boy & kill him and then get a ransom from his parents of $600k. This happens around St Joseph & Kansas City MO. After getting the money the couple decide on a whim to go to St Louis. They rent a room & she basically passes out in it for a few days. He goes erratic and his new found cabbie friend is connected with local mob like figures. He stays drunk and stupid and the mob guys get help from police officers that they are buddies with and steal around half the money. This money was never recovered. Book goes into great detail of the people involved and great detail of the kidnapping and the attempts to get the money. Also then what they believed happened in St Louis. The Route 66 motel Coral Courts plays a part in this. Also a mention of a bar I used to hit very often in college--Jimmy & Andys or J & A's by the time I went there.
The couple were arrested and trial and execution happened within months. Again great detail of all of this--as a reader you really get the whole story it seems. Both were executed together in the gas chamber in Dec after the kidnapping happened in September--kind of amazing to read given it usually runs a decade plus now a days before an execution sentence is carried out.
I am not sure if I will be posting it on PBS or not, there are 4 WL for it so I might move it at some point but since a local book might also stay on a keeper shelf too.
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