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For the Thrill of It
- Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, True Crime
Summary
It was a crime that shocked the nation: the brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectuals - too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. When they were apprehended, state's attorney Robert Crowe was certain that no defense could save the ruthless killers from the gallows. But the families of the confessed murderers hired Clarence Darrow, entrusting the lives of their sons to the most famous lawyer in America in what would be one of the most sensational criminal trials in the history of American justice.
Set against the backdrop of the 1920s - a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and hedonistic excess in a lawless city on the brink of anarchy - For the Thrill of It draws the listener into a world of speakeasies and flappers, of gangsters and gin parties, with a spellbinding narrative of Jazz Age murder and mystery.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about For the Thrill of It
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eric Leafblad
- 24-02-18
Narrator was too dramatic.
Narrator was too dramatic in his reading of the book. Other than the "performance " of the book, it is a great book.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anne Ashley
- 05-05-17
Excellent!!!
I couldn't stop listening to the story. I knew of the incident/case but this is brilliant!
7 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
- SM
- 13-10-20
Oration, not narration
The narrator seems to think he's Cicero orating at the Roman Senate. Either that or there are 20+ hours of a highschool-quality performance of Hamlet's "to be or not be" speech. Trying so hard to be dramatic, you can actually hear him gasping for air and wetting his lips while over-articulating every single syllable. I gave up in the middle of the 2nd chapter, so I can't rate the book itself. Even as a freebie with Audible Plus, this was horrible.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Deborah Steffen-Mellott
- 28-07-19
Fair retelling of landmark crime
Sometimes I order and enjoy an audiobook about a story I know well, for the added enjoyment of hearing it retold with fabulous narration. This is not one of those times. I don't know if the narrator is a stage actor, but i found the telling a bit (although not hugely), over the top with regards to enthusiasm and expression. Fairly written, albeit with a little repetition and over-explanation, but not great.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P'an
- 27-08-20
Great book, awful narrator
It's so hard to choose a Worst Audiobook Reader Ever award recipient, because there are seemingly infinite ways to be terrible at it. This guy, though..... this guy's special. I'm actually really worried about him. Does anyone know if he's ok? There's no way this.... um... performance(?) didn't injure him seriously. And there's no way he could digest all the scenery he chewed. There's a very distressing combination of over-enunciating AND over-salivating. I don't even enjoy this much spit-sucking in porn. One does feel one needs an umbrella. Really though, is he alright? It sounds like he's horribly straining every part of himself.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Margaret
- 26-09-19
Good story, narration makes it a chore
This book should be read. It seems well written and informative.
But the narrator sounds like some hack trying to perform Shakespeare. Way over the top dramatic. I don’t usually write bad reviews, but this author and audible need to be aware.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sue Smith
- 08-07-20
Listen at 30% faster speed
Intriguing tale that risks being ruined by poor narrator, but I enjoyed the whole book anyway by increasing speed by 30%.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Polly L. Mccall
- 04-05-19
Awful narration
I almost stopped and returned this one - only powered through to hear the story.
The narration is unnaturally precise and overly dramatic. Just awful
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jason Gansauer
- 27-10-20
Do Your Homework
I admit, the narrator’s performance is stilted and excruciatingly precise, but it fits the material, being unemotional and exact. What is a gross fault, however, is the apparently careless attention to the pronunciation of place names. One would think a reader and his producers would have done their homework before pronouncing “Kankakee” as “kon kocky,” “Manteno” as “Mon tenno,” and “Charlevoix,” as “Char la voh.” These are local place names....and there are at least 6 others mispronounced. Unfortunately, I kept waiting for the reader to make another glaring mistake and interrupt my concentration.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vickie Snow
- 31-08-20
Good book, terrible narration!
The book itself is great but I could take the narration. It’s like sitting through a high school play.
1 person found this helpful