Describes five dramatic trials of the twentieth century with details on the crime, the police investigation, and the court proceedings, and examines the outcome and aftermath of each trial Noted criminologist Geis and law school lecturer Bienen present vivid accounts of five of the most famous crimes and trials of the 20th century. The cases of Leopold and Loeb, the Scottsboro boys, the Lindbergh kidnapping, Alger Hiss, and O.J. Simpson certainly merit inclusion, though the Sacco-Vanzetti case is inexplicably missing. Though each case is covered from crime through punishment (or acquittal) in fewer than 50 pages, the depth of historical detail and legal analysis is remarkable. The authors are particularly adept at placing these crimes within both their immediate historical settings and the larger societal issues (e.g., racism, Cold War anxiety, pre-World War II isolationism) that run below the surface. They likewise provide considerable insight into the effects of highly publicized trials on the popular perception of the administration of justice. After the discussion of each trial, the authors include an extensive and informative guide to books for further reading. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Patrick Petit, Catholic Univ. Law Lib., Washington, DC Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Geis is a professor of criminology at the University of California, Irvine; Bienen is a lecturer in the law school at Northwestern University. In their recounting of five important trials, they rarely break new ground in revealing facts of the cases, though many of the previously known but obscure facts are quite interesting to those with only passing familiarity with some of them. However, the author's primary concern is the political and social background that make the cases so sensational. They describe with chilling effect the racial environment that allowed the travesty surrounding the Scottsboro "boys" trials. In the case of Alger Hiss, the authors hold up a mirror to the rapidly widening schisms in our post-war political culture. Many of the details of the Simpson trial are familiar, but Geis and Bienen offer interesting perspectives on why some important witnesses were perceived as credible. For legal scholars as well as social historians, this work is a valuable tool, and laymen should find it an enjoyable read. Jay Freeman A look at five famous trials that transfixed a nation. Geis, a criminologist, and Bienen, who teaches at Northwestern School of Law, contend that the five cases they discussLeopold and Loeb, the Scottsboro boys,the Lindbergh baby, Alger Hiss, and O.J. Simpson have left a major imprint on our collective consciousness because they represent a mysterysuch as he ambiguity of rebuttable evidence or a defendants unwavering claims to innocence, or, in the case of Alger Hiss, the impeaccable credentials the accused and the disreputableness of his accuser. Successful trials are overly dependent on skilled, high-priced lawyersand on the passions of the times. They also argue that these cases highlight the tensions, the inadequacies, and the underlying processes of our justice system. The O.J. Simpson case, they argue, underscores the sloppiness with which judges give warrants to the policea sloppiness that passes unremarked on until a high-priced legal team is able to publicize it. The authors offer a fair analysis of celebrated cases that address the need to see that true justice is done.s -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. "In setting out the details of these cases, the authors have done a remarkable job of including an enormous amount of valuable information in a relatively short volume....Each case is set firmly in its historical and political context. This aspect is critically important: it enables students, who seem, at least to this reviewer, to have little sense or appreciation of history, to understand why the case developed as it did in its time, and to understand the community's response....These cases and their central characters are personalized. The resulting 'color' commentary makes for good reading and invites the student to realize that this was real life for real people, with consequences that lasted far beyond the verdict....This is simply an excellent volume, well written and researched, and complete with a detailed annotated bibliography for each case. It is a pleasure to read." -- Susan Jacobs, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Justice Quarterly , Vol 16 No. 3, September, 1999, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Crimes of the Century has many virtues...the authors speak with a comfortable tone, with clarity, and succinctly (about 200 pages)....Each case, however, is treated in considerable depth -- indeed, the authors provide a kind of meta-analysis, both of the evidence in the cases...and the findings of earlier scholars and writers....Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Geis and Bienens analysis is their examination of the[fi