Genealogy of a Murder

Four Generations, Three Families, One Fateful Night

By: Lisa Belkin

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

Independence Day weekend, 1960: a young cop is murdered, shocking his close-knit community in Stamford, Connecticut. The killer remains at large, his identity still unknown. But on a beach not far away, a young Army doctor, on vacation from his post at a research lab in a maximum-security prison, faces a chilling realization. He knows who the shooter is. In fact, the man—a prisoner out on parole—had called him only days before. By helping his former charge and trainee, the doctor, a believer in second chances, may have inadvertently helped set the murder into motion. And with that one phone call, may have sealed a policeman's fate.

Alvin Tarlov, David Troy, and Joseph DeSalvo were all born of the Great Depression, all with grandparents who'd left different homelands for the same American Dream. How did one become a doctor, one a cop, and one a convict? In Genealogy of a Murder, journalist Lisa Belkin traces the paths of each of these three men—one of them her stepfather. Her canvas is large, spanning the first half of the twentieth century: immigration, the struggles of the working class, prison reform, medical experiments, politics and war, the nature/nurture debate, epigenetics, the infamous Leopold and Loeb case, and the history of motorcycle racing. It is also intimate: a look into the workings of the mind and heart.

©2023 Lisa Belkin (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

different

This story was very different than the usual true crime I listen to. I found it very interesting but a little confusing with the huge number of different families and family members. this is where the print version would have been helpful.

Thoroughly captivating

This brilliant book touches on many elements of American culture, from prison history to medical ethics. It’s like brain food, but also a real page-turner. Everything comes together at the end, which is also superb.

Not a murder. Not a genealogy.

A very bloated true crime story about a life-long petty criminal who returned fire and killed a policeman, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. ...and about the person who influenced the criminal be released from prison because he was adept at medical technology. Deep details about the families of the 3 main characters are uninteresting and unrelated.

Excellent

Good research, a well-written true story weaving so many lives together, and a very good performance. I struggled a bit with all the characters and the families and their interactions no doubt because I was listening and couldn't read the book myself and make some lists in the front of who was whom. By a little after midway I pretty much had everybody where they belonged on the chessboard. The history of Leopold and Loeb was fascinating.