December 2022 MBR The Criminology Shelf

The Criminology Shelf

Boston Tabloid: The Killing of Robin Benedict
Don Stradley
Hamilcar Publications
https://hamilcarpubs.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9781949590555, $18.99, PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Tabloid-Killing-Robin-Benedict/dp/1949590550

Synopsis: The disappearance of a twenty-one-year-old woman from a Massachusetts suburb became one of the most discussed crimes of the twentieth century. The discussion intensified when the public learned that she worked as a prostitute in Boston's notorious red-light district, the "Combat Zone", and was linked by a trail of blood to a famous professor from Tufts University.

When Robin Benedict vanished the investigation and media circus that gripped the city of Boston hadn't been seen since the days of the Boston Strangler case. On a Sunday morning in March 1983, a small-time pimp walked into a police station and claimed his girlfriend was missing. He said she had been on her way to visit a client named William Douglas. In the year that followed, the case drew in detectives, state troopers, scores of journalists, and even psychics. But Robin was never found.

With the publication of "Boston Tabloid: The Killing of Robin Benedict" by Don Stradley reconstructs a grisly murder, and explores one man's bizarre obsession. In revisiting this legendary crime, Stradley consulted journalists involved in the media frenzy, prison authorities, arresting officers, and psychiatrists, all in an effort to unravel a most tangled story. Why was the city, and the nation, swept up in this sordid tale? It remains a grim and fascinating moment in Boston's history.

Critique: An exceptionally well written, organized and presented study of a notorious homicide and the mysteries that surrounded it, "Boston Tabloid: The Killing of Robin Benedict" is a riveting read from cover to cover and is especially recommended for community library True Crime collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Boston Tabloid" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212241298, $31.95, CD).

Editorial Note: Don Stradley (https://muckrack.com/donstradley) is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in various publications, including The Ring, Ringside Seat, and ESPN.com. Along with his boxing coverage, he's written about baseball, NASCAR, and professional wrestling. When not writing about sports and crime, he's written about the movies for such magazines as Cinema Retro, Noir City, and Inside History. He can be followed on Twitter @DonStradley

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