Adirondack Tragedy: The Gillette Murder Case of 1906

by Joseph W. Brownell and Patricia W. Enos

Book Overview

Relive the heart-wrenching story of one of the most famous crimes in New York’s history; the murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette at Big Moose Lake. Made famous by a media frenzy fueled by the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966512901
• ISBN13: 9780966512908
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: North Country Books
• Length: 212 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Well researched; well written

One of my favorite movies is "A Place in the Sun" starring Montgomery Cliff, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelly Winters. It is based on one of my favorite fictional books, "An American Tragedy," by Theodore Dreiser. Both are inspired by the Gillette murder case of 1906, the subject of "Adirondack Tragedy," a factual, deeply researched and well written book. In addition to presenting the murder case in a straight forward and non-sensational manner, the authors of this book also detail how Dreiser's novel and the movie diverged from the facts, the myths that have sprung from the case and live on to this day, and the subsequent lives of the individuals concerned. Even if you are not familiar with the novel and movie, you will find this an interesting book. One area I wish the authors had covered is whether under today's legal system (especially regarding disclosure and rights of the alleged criminal and forensic and DNA sciences) the result of the trial would have been the same as it was 100 years ago.

A Fascinating Story

Anyone who a) lives in upstate New York (as I do), b) is a fan of Theodore Dreiser, or c) watches old movies is sure to know about the famous Chester Gillette murder case. The incident was turned into the famous novel, 'An American Tragedy" and later into a movie. This book is excellent because it gives all the details of Chester's life, his trial, and love letters written between him and his girlfriend whom he later murdered. For people reading the novel, which I am doing now, it is also helpful because there is a chart telling who each of the characters was actually based on in real life. This book is out of print nationwide, but you can still find it here in upstate New york in giftshops or bookstores. I got my copy at the Herkimer Jail where Gillette was kept in 1907. They still have tours here.

A captivating true story!

This is a book detailing the true historical account of the Grace Brown Murder (done in by Chester Gillette). Occurring at the beginning of the century, Theodore Drieser based his novel, AMERICAN TRAGEDY, on newspaper accounts of the murder and trial. Later, Hollywood used this same story for A PLACE IN THE SUN - an Academy Award winner. Joseph Brownell has spent decades researching the case and getting (never before allowed) family interviews. He still lectures about the case. The book is now in a revised print