Few incidents in crime history have been as notorious - yet mundane - as the 1927 murder of Queens suburbanite Albert Snyder by his wife and her lover. Resonant of the foot-loose Jazz Age, it made persistent headlines, led to a sensational trial, spawned a 1920s Broadway play, and two classic film noirs of the 1940s: "Double Indemnity" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice". This book assesses the entire case, from grisly slaying and shabby cover-up to sharp police work and aftermath. Moreover, it explores sociocultural questions that beg to be answered: what effect does news reportage exert...