~~Ashes on the Wind by Brandy Purdy Book Review!~~

 

Goodreads

Amazon

Print Length: 575 pages

Publication Date: April 15th, 2024

 ISBN ‏ : ‎ 9798322116318

Adult scenes and language: 

Toxic codependent relationship between main characters with some elements of abuse.

Suicide: 

contemplated by one character but never acted on

“I feel too much or not enough, there’s very little in between with me!” Prodded gently by Our Scarecrow, Dr. White’s voice flowed on, as pleasant as a babbling brook”
― Brandy Purdy, Ashes on the Wind: The Love Story Behind The Crime of the Century

 The Book

Nathan "Babe" Leopold was a socially awkward genius who used arrogance as a shield. He cultivated a philosophy of absolute selfishness cherry-picked from his reading of Nietzsche and indulged himself with vivid sexual fantasies about kings and slaves.

Richard "Dickie" Loeb was the brightest of the bright young things, a social butterfly as fragile as the glass inside, hiding his insecurities behind a dazzling smile and a mouthful of lies. He found escape in thrilling tales and fantasies of crime.

They were two brilliant and privileged boys, each harboring secrets it would have been social suicide to reveal in their 1920s world.

When Babe met Dickie, it was like his favorite fantasy had stepped out of his dreams into real life.

When Dickie met Babe, he thought he had found the accomplice who would help make his criminal dreams come true.

Dickie was willing to give Babe what he wanted if Babe would give him what he wanted. Quid pro quo. Until Dickie wanted something more, leaving Babe desperate and willing to do anything to hold onto his dream. Even if it led down a dark path to the Crime of the Century and infamy as the thrill killers Leopold and Loeb.

The Author

Brandy Purdy is the author of ten historical novels. She reads anything that grabs her attention and enjoys watching movies and TV shows, listening to a variety of music, baking cookies and cakes, word search puzzles, coloring, and spending time with her cat.

The Review

Who were Leopold and Loeb? At first, they were casual acquaintances, and in 1921 a sexual relationship blossomed. They were two entitled young men, going to the University of Chicago who thought it would be fun to commit crimes and see if they could get away with it. They did some small robberies and fires but nothing substantial most of the time driving a distance to their target.  They liked stealing cars and smashing storefront windows until they started talking about committing the perfect crime. This crime took place in 1924 with the 100th anniversary that was on May 31st.

"Dickie Loeb, 18 wanted to commit the perfect crime so the entire community of Chicago would notice. 

"Babe" Leopold, 19, was of course leery to participate in this crime. Maybe kidnapping a child? Maybe they could ask for ransom and they could get away with it. 

They discussed it and decided on how to do this kidnapping. Logistics of the ransom was hashed out and they were ready.  rented a car under an assumed name It took them 8 months to get it right, the hows, whens, and finally who? They were ready

It was May 21st 1924 So they started looking for their 'victim' As they were driving around Chicago Loeb spotted his cousin Bobby Franks, 14 years old. They offered Bobby a ride and he refused, Loeb persuaded him saying that he wanted to talk to Bobby about a tennis racket he eventually got in and that was his undoing. 

Bobby was seated in the front passenger seat and Loeb in the back made it easy to bludgeon him with the chisel that they had decided to use along with a length of rope. He was dragged to the backseat and gagged. 

About 25 miles south of Chicago, along the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks,  they undressed Bobby, tossed him in a culvert, and used acid hoping to disguise Bobby's features. With getting rid of Bobby's clothes they never thought that they would be caught Babe didn't know it but his glasses fell out of his jacket pocket. Where they dumped Bobby was also a place where Babe would do his bird-watching. This was kind of dumb on their part but they mailed the ransom note, burned their bloody clothes, and cleaned and returned the car.

By this time an alarm went out that Bobby was missing and on May 29th both men were brought in for questioning. The eyeglasses that were found had a special hinge where there were only a few people having this hinge on their glasses, Babe was one of them. They both had an alibi, but Dickie caved first and confessed, pining it all on Dickie. Dickie then confessed.

A hearing ensued with the families hiring the famed lawyer Clarence Darrow. On September 10th they were both found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with no parole and the judge added 99 years each at Joliet prison for the kidnapping, there was no way they would ever see the light of day.

I am going to stop here, no secrets but even though they were both in prison for life, they did have a life in prison. The author wrote a lot of intimate details about both of their lives, their intimate relationship, and their relationship with others. Dickie did meet and fall in love with another young man. 

This case inspired other authors to write their versions, of newspaper articles, movies, and plays. There is a lot of information out there on the internet. Even now in 2024, there is a myriad of information on just this crime alone.

I have read all but one of Brandy Purdy's novels, since 2010 and I have enjoyed them all including Ashes on the Wind. All the novels were loosely based on real people be they royalty, or people like Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, Piers Gaveston, and now Leopold and Loeb. Brandy spends extensive time doing research and has the knack to tell a great story. I could have given some spoilers but you need to read that for yourselves.  

Excerpt

Part of Chapter 1 of Ashes on the Wind

I hated parties, I'd rather have a tooth pulled than attend one. Even though I was always the most interesting and intelligent person in the rook, I always felt out of my element, like a tropical parrot stranded in the Arctic tundra. 

I never knew quite what to do with my hands until I took up smoking, which everyone agreed was the most elegant solution. If I looked at someone, my gray eyes tended to linger too long and unnerve them, schoolboys always said  I had a bug-eyed stare. The unfortunate combination of heavy dark brows that met in the middle of my prominent nose and thick, droopy lids made me appear sinister and haughty. 

And my smile was always more of a condescending smirk. My attempts at small talk veered between the most asinine inanities and the pompous and the pedagogical. I always felt like I should either be sitting in a corner wearing a dunce cap or standing behind a lecturn. Mother and Aunt Birdie always tried to reassure me, but I already knew people often felt cowed in the presence of genius.

Author Note

This is a work of fiction inspired by the lives of Leopold and Loeb. Creative liberties have been taken. For a factual account, I recommend Hal Higdon's Leopold and Loeb The Crime of the Century and Erik Rebain's excellent website 

I purchased a copy of the book for review purposes only