Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee

In the 1970s, Reverend Willie Maxwell was accused of murdering five family members for insurance payouts in rural Alabama. Despite the rumors of voodoo and clear financial motives, he remained free until he was shot at a funeral by a grieving relative. Casey Cep details the life of the Reverend, the legal maneuvers of his eccentric attorney, Tom Radney, and the subsequent trial of his killer. This courtroom drama drew the attention of Harper Lee, who spent years in Alexander City attempting to report the story for a true-crime book titled The Reverend. Cep reconstructs Lee's struggle with writer's block and the weight of her fame during her failed attempt to finish this final project.

Readers interested in the intersection of Southern Gothic history and literary biography will find a granular account of the American legal system and the difficulties of creative production. The narrative provides a look at how regional folklore and insurance fraud shaped a small-town scandal. People who follow the history of To Kill a Mockingbird will understand why Lee never completed another book and how real-life crime influenced her perspective on justice. You walk away with a factual record of a serial murder case and an explanation for the long silence of a literary icon.

Balanced in tone; a moderate read.

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