Chicago, May 21, 1924. Brilliant, wealthy, and troubled companions Nathan Leopold (age 19) and Richard Loeb (18) set out to commit “the perfect crime.” Their unlucky victim: 14-year-old Bobby Franks, lured into the young men’s car and promptly murdered. Despite extensive corruption in the Chicago Police Department, the involvement of journalists in the investigation, and the questionable investigative practices used at the time, the not-so-perfect murder was quickly solved; the perpetrators were arrested and soon confessed. Clarence Darrow, the attorney who defended them, took a novel approach in urging Leopold and Loeb to plead guilty so that he could argue mitigating circumstances—but not insanity, which would have required a jury trial—in front of the sentencing judge, with the goal of evading the death penalty. Exhaustively researched, this gripping account covers the planning and execution of the deplorable crime, the investigation, the judicial process, and punishment for the offenders. The individual lives and personalities of Loeb, who today would be considered a psychopath, and Leopold, who was in thrall to Loeb, are compellingly detailed. (Both were gay, Jewish, and neglected by their parents as children.) Historical context is clear throughout the book, especially regarding the homophobia, antisemitism, and psychological practices of the 1920s.   (Age 13 and older)