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by: Joseph Wambaugh
Amazon.com's Price: $7.99 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.152309748
EAN: 9780553269321
ISBN: 0553269321
Label: Bantam
Manufacturer: Bantam
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: September 01, 1987
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: September 01, 1987
Sales Rank: 91360
Studio: Bantam
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
On June 25, 1989, the naked corpse of schoolteacher Susan Reinert was found wedged into her hatchback car in a hotel parking lot near Philadelphia's 'Main Line.' Her two children had vanished. The Main Line Murder Case burst upon the headlines--and wasn't resolved for seven years. Now, master crime writer Joseph Wambaugh reconstructs the case from its roots, recounting the details, drama, players and pawns in this bizarre crime that shocked the nation and tore apart a respectable suburban town. The massive FBI and state police investigation ultimately centered on two men. Dr. Jay C. Smith--By day he was principal of Upper Merion High School where Susan Reinert taught. At night he was a sadist who indulged in porno, drugs, and weapons. William Bradfield--He was a bearded and charismatic English teacher and classics scholar, but his real genius was for juggling women--three at a time. One of those women was Susan Reinert. How these two men are connected, how the brilliant murder was carried off, and how the investigators closed this astounding case makes for Wambaugh's most compelling book yet.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Lacks Photos
Informative and entertaining, the most interesting aspect of the book is the incredible hold that English teacher Bill Bradfield had over his coterie of friends. He told at least three people that Susan Reinert would be murdered by Principal Jay Smith, not to mention numerous other terrible things about Jay Smith (who apparently the whole school knew was weird and dangerous) but they were so enthralled and mesmerized by Bradfield, they somehow lost their sense of responsiblity to a fellow human being. ... Read More
Rating:  - Fascinating Real Life Drama!
I've just finished reading this book and couldn't put it down. But after reseasrching the subject on the internet, I discovered that the drama was still continuing ten years later in this never-ending case--and in fact, one of the main suspects was freed from prison because of a technicality! Another reviewer said that this final chapter is covered in a book entitlted PRINCIPAL WITNESS which I've now got to read.
My only main criticism of this book is that there wasn't a single photo of the ... Read More
Rating: - Well written, but ....
This true crime book about a Pennsylvania murder case is well written. But after this book was written it has emerged that the author Wambaugh did pay the prosecutor and the head of the detectives substantial amounts of money to get access to case material.
The prosecutor Rick Guida were later sent to prison for drug offences. The man who lead the investigation, Jack Holtz, later resigned from the police force after being subjected to internal investigation. One of the two men who were convicted of ... Read More
Rating: - Compelling Reading of a Tragic, Tangled Story
This is a chilling story of deceit, ego, and murder. Author Joseph Wambaugh captures much of the tangled story with vivid effectiveness - a tangled story where the truth proved rather elusive. Susan Reinert was a high school teacher and divorced mother of two in Philadelphia. Tragically, her lover, department chair William Bradfield, and the school principal were ruthless and unscrupulous. Bradfield was an egotistical womanizer, while the principal apparently dabbled in sadism and weapons. The tragic ... Read More
Rating:  - I go to Upper Merion
I go to upper merion and mr. velatis is still there... many old teachers that still teach there never talk about it.. they dont want any of the students reading this book.. but i did anyway.. maybe i like it better then some people cuz my dad went to UMHS when this all happened and i go to it now.. weird stuff..
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