Interesting, extensively researched... but somehow just not satisfying. I wish Edgar Smith had at some point in his life actually told some truth so we could really know his motivations... the title of the book says "how" but it isn't really how. We can't know how because he never really told us.

I just didn't have time for this one. So many people with great stories to tell, and the only thing the story of this Edgar Smith person had going for it was the audacity of the fact that he was allowed to go free.

This story is an interesting one, though it was told very poorly throughout this book. For as much as the author seems to criticize the writing of Smith, I can't say hers was great either.

A lot of this book relied heavy on publishing the writing of other people, and cobbling it together to make some sort of story out of it, though the way it was presented was tedious at best, buying the lead at the end and making me wonder WTF I had missed in the rest of the book.

I'm not sure if there are other books on Smith (not that I'd care to read them again anyway), but I feel all in all like this would have been better edited into a podcast with a clear storyline.

3.5 stars. Very interesting read of a murderer befriended by William F Buckley. WFB helps Edgar get a publisher for his memoir of a murder he was convicted for while he was on death row. He eventually is released but he is his own worst enemy.

a factual recounting of a man convicted of murder and how he spends his time after sentencing. It was kind of true crime, but without the pomp and flare that are usually added to make it appealing to a broad audience looking for “entertainment”. It felt like a … masters thesis. I listened to it, but it would not surprise me if the text were full of foot notes and end notes and citations. I actually like this and prefer it over popsci drama. The book spent very little time on the crime itself. Instead the book was primarily focused on the criminal, his court proceedings, his time in prison, his appeals, the book he wrote. The problem was… he wasn’t a very interesting person or criminal. I understand writing an entire book about Manson who was a complete nutcase, but this guy seemed pretty … run of the mill. All the women falling in love with him I will never understand (though I know this is a thing). The book reported the interaction between Sophie and the criminal in a factual way, so the interpretation that I had was that the criminal was using her and she was deluded about the “feelings”. Otherwise how could the book have been published? Anyways, I feel more informed about this small story (in the grand scheme of things). I’m not sure who I would recommend it too though…

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.