The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century

This book is about a court case, that if were to happen now, would be on Headline News all the time, as so many other current 'trials of the century' are. This was a case which had its lurid points, and at the turn of the century when this took place, the rival newspaper organizations would send their reporters out alongside the detectives to find out information about the case. In this case, a young adult son (Roland Molineux) of a famous Civil War General who fancied himself as quite a ladies man, and above most other young men in his surrounding environment, was accused of attempting to murder the athletic director of his gym. This man did not die, but the murderer had send a poison that had been sent as medicine, which he had shared with another woman...and she did die, so Molineux was also put on trial for her death.The motive for all this was Molineux tendency to develop spats and jealousy against other men for various reasons. In the case of the athletic director, it was due to a variety of reasons, including not agreeing how the gym should be run. But Molineux also had a problem with another man over women, including the woman who would eventually become his wife. And that man too also died, the same way as the woman did who he was evenutally charged with murdering. He was never charged with this murder...but the newspapers did bring that case up for readers and jurors to be swayed by.What was so interesting about this book was how much influence the newspapers had on this case. Definitely too much influence and sway...though I'm not sure how much it hurt or helped the outcome. After two trials, Molineux was aquitted, definitely wrongly. He would have been found guilty today by using forensic science which was not available back then. They did not have the use of fingerprints, or DNA evidence which I'm sure he left all over the place. And though they used handwriting experts, this science was still in its infancy.I found this book interesting, but certainly not the read that so many other reviewers found it. The author seemed to go on and on, repetitious at times, when it was completely unnecessary. You don't write more just to make the book longer. I'd rather the book be more succinct.

I feel repetitive starting my reviews of turn of the century true crime novels the same way, but I think it is necessary. I often find myself drawn to this genre of novel (Devil in the White City, Sin in the Second City, The First Family, etc..) and have found what makes them successful for me; an interesting topic, engaging characters, and a sense for the era in which the book is taking place.To say that The Devil's Gentleman succeeds on all levels would not be doing the work justice. The book revolves around the son of a famous Civil War General who is accused of murder by poisoning. From the introduction to the characters to the trial to the epilogue the tome weaves a complicated tapestry of individual motive, conflict, and justice painted against the backdrop of life in and around New York City in the early 1900's.The book succeeds for me because of the extensive research on the topic providing insight into the minds of the antagonists and protagonists in a way that few of these books accomplish. I felt compelled to keep reading on to see what would happen next from the motive of the crime, to the poisoning, to the trial. I had a hard time putting the book down. I wasn't as compelled to continue on since reading what I consider to be the vanguard of these novels, Devil in the White City.If you are at all interested in true crime novels, New York's history, or just a good story you will not be disappointed with this book. I highly recommend it and plan on adding the author to my must read list.

This book has it all: sex, drugs (well, early pharmaceuticals) and classical music. The author does a great job of producing what evidence still exists of two deaths, one, a murder by poison and another death by poison of an innocent party. I was completely sucked into the story and players.The well-bred son of a celebrated civil war general is outwardly a gentleman. Bad things seem to happen to people who threaten his masculinity, however.This was in the era of the beginning of "yellow" journalism, and the investigation, trials and incarcerations occur over several years. This was also the age of miracle cures for pretty much everything, including impotence. Alot of ingredients readily available in the neighborhood drugstores and through the mail have since been FDA'd out of public access.SPOILER FOLLOWSThe author tries to write an objective journal of the events, but makes his personal opinion pretty clear. The reader is still left with a kernal of doubt as to the guilt of Roland Molineux.

Schechter does a nice enough job with historical research and reporting on this case that was the media sensation of the turn of the 20th Century in NYC. Since his main sources of information were the scurrilous yellow journalism papers and the memoirs of an overwrought Victorian drama queen, it isn't easy to maintain a nice story line that avoids their wretched excesses. Schechter tries to find an unbiased middle ground here, making it clear everywhere he tones down these excesses, and avoiding the temptation to make up nifty dialogue between the main characters. So, if you just want the straight story to make up your own mind, this is your book. If you want some analysis, such as: who did it? Who is the guilty party? What's your best guess as to what really happened after immersing yourself in all of this historical record? Then you have the wrong book. My rating reflects my completely personal reaction that the book seemed to go into depth wherever the author had material, but didn't speculate (although, it can be argued that you would have to be a dolt not to miss the author's beliefs). I would have liked to have seen more analysis. But, to just pick up a feel for the era, for early policing and prosecution, and to learn the full story, this is your book.

I really enjoyed reading "The Devil's Gentleman." I love these murder mystery stories where the backdrop is the history of the tabloid wars that raged at the turn of the twentieth century. This book reminded me of and is just as good as  The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars . In fact, the author here even references that case in the beginning of this book.Harold Schechter seems to be an expert in true-crime and his insights into the history of crime and forensic science also enhance the work.Strangely, the author gives his opinion in his "Notes" at the end of the book, as to whether Roland Molineux really did it. Yet, from reading the book itself, the reader comes away with a very different picture. I wonder why that is. And if the author has more knowledge than what he has put in the book, then why didn't he include it? You'll have to read it yourself to see what I am getting at, but it will be worth it. It is a fast, easy, and fun read. I really couldn't put it down until I knew whether he was convicted or not. I don't like fiction, but I love non-fiction and this book is one of the reasons why. True life is far more interesting than fiction. The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars

fair price and top condition. Had borrowed the library version but as with books I am enjoying bought my own copy so I can finish at my leisure.