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Scoundrel
Scoundrel: How a Convicted Murderer Persuaded the Women Who Loved Him, the Conservative Establishment, and the Courts to Set Him Free | Sarah Weinman
12 posts | 8 read | 21 to read
From the author of The Real Lolita and editor of Unspeakable Acts, the astonishing story of a murderer who conned the people around himincluding conservative thinker William F. Buckleyinto helping set him free In the 1960s, Edgar Smith, in prison and sentenced to death for the murder of teenager Victoria Zielinski, struck up a correspondence with William F. Buckley, the founder of National Review. Buckley, who refused to believe that a man who supported the neoconservative movement could have committed such a heinous crime, began to advocate not only for Smiths life to be spared but also for his sentence to be overturned. So begins a bizarre and tragic tale of mid-century America. Sarah Weinmans Scoundrel leads us through the twists of fate and fortune that brought Smith to freedom, book deals, fame, and eventually to attempting murder again. In Smith, Weinman has uncovered a psychopath who slipped his way into public acclaim and acceptance before crashing down to earth once again. From the people Smith deceivedBuckley, the book editor who published his work, friends from back home, and the women who loved himto Americans who were willing to buy into his lies, Weinman explores who in our world is accorded innocence, and how the public becomes complicit in the stories we tell one another. Scoundrel shows, with clear eyes and sympathy for all those who entered Smiths orbit, how and why he was able to manipulate, obfuscate, and make a mockery of both well-meaning people and the American criminal justice system. It tells a forgotten part of American history at the nexus of justice, prison reform, and civil rights, and exposes how one mans ill-conceived plan to set another man free came at the great expense of Edgar Smiths victims.
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

After a man went to prison for killing a teen girl, he developed a relationship with William F Buckley Jr when he lost access to The National Review. Buckley firmly believed in his innocence and helped work toward his release. This was a big mistake. I thought this was a fascinating exploration of a sociopathic mind as well as a reminder that just because someone shares your politics, that doesn‘t necessarily mean they‘re trustworthy.

52 likes1 stack add
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britt_brooke
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Convicted murderer Edgar Smith was a master manipulator and incredible con artist. While on death row, he maintained ardent epistolary affairs, built relationships on deceit (most notably with conservative political commentator William F Buckley), and ultimately got what he wanted. A scarily brilliant psychopath; mediocre book.

Cinfhen I bailed on this one 🤷🏼‍♀️ 2y
62 likes1 comment
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MicheleinPhilly
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🇺🇸 SUPER SALE ALERT! #KindleDailyDeal

MrsV I saw this deal and snatched it up real fast! 2y
Megabooks I think you‘d like this if you haven‘t read it! 2y
46 likes2 comments
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tphil10283
Pickpick

It‘s about 3.5 stars in my opinion. It‘s an interesting story about a sociopath and unfortunately it is all too familiar.

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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

I read something that described this as a “reverse false imprisonment story” and that‘s pretty spot-on. This is the unbelievable account of murderer Edgar Smith‘s crimes, time in prison (and lack thereof), relationships (notably with William F Buckley Jr —politician) and multiple trials. Unsettling to read 2 books so close together about white men who literally get away with murder in our criminal justice system while innocent BIPOC sit in prison.

Megabooks Great review! 3y
92 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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EvieBee
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Pickpick

scoun·drel /ˈskoundrəl/ : a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a rogue.

“This is a man with extraordinary intelligence, sensitivity and perceptive capacity, and he uses all of this to get around people. And if there are three things that we know about Mr. Smith, he‘s antisocial, he‘s manipulative, and he‘s extremely dangerous.” —Richard Neely, San Diego Prosecutor

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#truecrime

jlhammar Such a crazy story! Great read. 3y
EvieBee @jlhammar So crazy! Had never heard of him before this. 3y
aa_guer2021 🙃🙃🫣🫣😧😮💀 (reaction to premise) 3y
EvieBee @aa_guer2021 I know, right?!? 3y
59 likes4 comments
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

Once a murderer, always a murderer...

This is the unbelievable true story of Edgar Smith, a man convicted of murdering a teenager girl, who sat on death row until he garnered William F. Buckley‘s support. He hooked Smith up with a publisher and after his memoir was released, getting him acquitted became a cause célèbre, but no one was prepared for what happened next. Sometimes the craziest stories are the true ones!

Cathythoughts I dread to think what happened next … stacking ! 3y
squirrelbrain What @Cathythoughts said…and also stacking! 3y
Megabooks @Cathythoughts @squirrelbrain I hope you enjoy it! Definitely a wild story. 3y
Cinfhen Sold!!! 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen definitely an enjoyable #audiobook 👍🏻🔪 3y
83 likes6 stack adds5 comments
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jlhammar
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Pickpick

Scoundrel indeed. Master manipulator. This is one crazy story very well told. Definitely recommend to my fellow true crime readers.

Addison_Reads I just put this on hold at my local library. 3y
jlhammar @Addison_Reads Oh good, I think you'll like it. Look forward to your thoughts. 3y
45 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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jlhammar
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New BookPage! I‘m very interested in Booth and just grabbed Scoundrel at the library yesterday.