... a riveting chronicle.

... [a] powerful new book from Ottawa-born writer and editor Sarah Weinman.

In straightforward prose, Weinman diligently and chronologically recreates the judicial proceedings, literary lunches, letter exchanges, prison visits, stays of execution and romances (there were many!) that led from incarceration to exoneration and back again. Her research is meticulous and extensive, allowing us to witness step by shocking step how Buckley and Wilkins chose to believe and then hand a microphone to a murderer.

The narrative's goal isn't to grip readers using a what-happens-next approach...but rather to explore how and why things happened the way they did — and who helped him become one of the most famous convicted murderers of his time.

... provocative and unsettling. It compels the reader to ponder weighty questions: Did a savage thug exploit smart, decent people? Can altruism sometimes be as lethal as psychopathology? Evil pervades this book, but it makes for a terrific read..

Author Sarah Weinman digs deep.

... meticulously researched.

As Sarah Weinman recounts in compelling detail in Scoundrel, there was to be a second act to this tawdry drama, one in which Smith, briefly and implausibly, played the role of wronged man.

Weinman is reluctant to try to explain why Smith committed the crimes he did. Instead, she lets him speak for himself, quoting extensively from his correspondence to show how he flattered the prejudices of those around him. This builds a dramatic irony more tasteful than the kind one often expects in this kind of story, though even so it’s never quite clear to what extent Smith was deluding himself as well as his confreres, or to what extent he even thought of himself as a criminal.

... gripping and affecting.

Weinman weaves a strange and compelling tale about murder, deception, fame, and friendship.

Electric.

With this enthralling book, Weinman details the twisted, extraordinary story of a murderer who manipulated his way to freedom and fame.

... a near-flawless account.

This is a captivating history on several levels. Impressively detailed and wonderfully written, it chronicles the Edgar Smith case from all aspects. In its own style, it exposes celebrity and the criminal justice system from a different perspective. Sadistic criminals often have another character trait --- they are extraordinary con men. Great books have been written about them. Scoundrel is such a book, and Edgar Smith is such a man..

... meticulous, well-researched, sometimes overlong.

Weinman’s book is not only a disturbing study in how 'brilliant people' and the institutions they serve can be successfully conned. It is also a reminder of how society has always used talent as a way to excuse male acts of aggression and violence against women.

In this mesmerizing account, Weinman does a masterly job resurrecting a stranger-than-fiction chapter in American criminal justice.