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Furious hours : murder, fraud, and the last trial of Harper Lee  Cover Image Book Book

Furious hours : murder, fraud, and the last trial of Harper Lee / Casey Cep.

Cep, Casey N., (author.).

Summary:

"The stunning story of an Alabama serial killer and the true-crime book that Harper Lee worked on obsessively in the years after To Kill a Mockingbird. Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell's murderer was acquitted -- thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend. Sitting in the audience during the vigilante's trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own In Cold Blood, the true-crime classic she had helped her friend Truman Capote research seventeen years earlier. Lee spent a year in town reporting, and many more working on her own version of the case. Now Casey Cep brings this nearly inconceivable story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South. At the same time, she offers a deeply moving portrait of one of the country's most beloved writers and her struggle with fame, success, and the mystery of artistic creativity."-- Dust jacket.
Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell's murderer was acquitted-- thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend. Sitting in the audience during the vigilante's trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own true-crime classic. Cep brings this nearly inconceivable story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South. -- adapted from jacket.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781101947869
  • ISBN: 1101947861
  • Physical Description: xii, 314 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2019.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-314).
Formatted Contents Note:
Part one: The Reverend. Divide the waters from the waters ; Minister of the Gospel ; Death benefits ; Seventh son of a seventh son ; Just plain scared ; No exception to the rule -- Part two: The lawyer. Who's in the stew? ; Roses are red ; The fight for good ; The Maxwell house ; Peace and goodwill ; Tom v. Tom ; The man from Eclectic ; What Holmes was talking about -- Part three: The writer. Disappearing act ; Some kind of soul ; The gift ; Deep calling to deep ; Death and taxes ; Rumor, fantasy, dreams, conjecture, and outright lies ; Coming back until doomsday ; Horseshoe Bend ; The long good-bye.
Subject: Maxwell, Willie.
Lee, Harper.
Maxwell, Willie.
Lee, Harper.
Serial murders > Alabama.
Murder > Investigation > Alabama.
Trials (Murder) > Alabama.
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY > Literary.
TRUE CRIME > Murder > Serial Killers.
HISTORY > United States > State & Local > South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Murder > Investigation.
Serial murders.
Trials (Murder)
Alabama.
Genre: True crime stories.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Homer Library. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Homer Library System. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Homer Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Homer Public Library 364.15232 CEP (Text) 000151351 Nonfiction Available -

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1001 . ‡aCep, Casey N., ‡eauthor.
24510. ‡aFurious hours : ‡bmurder, fraud, and the last trial of Harper Lee / ‡cCasey Cep.
250 . ‡aFirst edition.
264 1. ‡aNew York : ‡bAlfred A. Knopf, ‡c2019.
264 4. ‡c©2019
300 . ‡axii, 314 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations, map ; ‡c25 cm
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
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504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 307-314).
50500. ‡gPart one: ‡tThe Reverend. ‡tDivide the waters from the waters ; ‡tMinister of the Gospel ; ‡tDeath benefits ; ‡tSeventh son of a seventh son ; ‡tJust plain scared ; ‡tNo exception to the rule -- ‡gPart two: ‡tThe lawyer. ‡tWho's in the stew? ; ‡tRoses are red ; ‡tThe fight for good ; ‡tThe Maxwell house ; ‡tPeace and goodwill ; ‡tTom v. Tom ; ‡tThe man from Eclectic ; ‡tWhat Holmes was talking about -- ‡gPart three: ‡tThe writer. ‡tDisappearing act ; ‡tSome kind of soul ; ‡tThe gift ; ‡tDeep calling to deep ; ‡tDeath and taxes ; ‡tRumor, fantasy, dreams, conjecture, and outright lies ; ‡tComing back until doomsday ; ‡tHorseshoe Bend ; ‡tThe long good-bye.
520 . ‡a"The stunning story of an Alabama serial killer and the true-crime book that Harper Lee worked on obsessively in the years after To Kill a Mockingbird. Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell's murderer was acquitted -- thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend. Sitting in the audience during the vigilante's trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own In Cold Blood, the true-crime classic she had helped her friend Truman Capote research seventeen years earlier. Lee spent a year in town reporting, and many more working on her own version of the case. Now Casey Cep brings this nearly inconceivable story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South. At the same time, she offers a deeply moving portrait of one of the country's most beloved writers and her struggle with fame, success, and the mystery of artistic creativity."-- ‡cDust jacket.
520 . ‡aReverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell's murderer was acquitted-- thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend. Sitting in the audience during the vigilante's trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own true-crime classic. Cep brings this nearly inconceivable story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South. -- adapted from jacket.
60010. ‡aMaxwell, Willie.
60010. ‡aLee, Harper.
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650 7. ‡aBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY ‡xLiterary. ‡2bisacsh
650 7. ‡aTRUE CRIME ‡xMurder ‡xSerial Killers. ‡2bisacsh
650 7. ‡aHISTORY ‡zUnited States ‡xState & Local ‡xSouth (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) ‡2bisacsh
650 7. ‡aMurder ‡xInvestigation. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01029788
650 7. ‡aSerial murders. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01113115
650 7. ‡aTrials (Murder) ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01156368
651 7. ‡aAlabama. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01204694
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