Hellhound on His Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History

Hampton Sides' masterful storytelling once again captivates readers, transforming a familiar historical narrative into a compelling and enlightening exploration. Despite my initial skepticism about another account of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, Sides' exceptional writing breathes fresh perspective into this pivotal moment in American history, revealing nuanced details and insights that challenge and deepen our understanding.qay that it became a "page turner" for me!

Bottom line - very well done. A well told story, actually many stories, that leaves one both fulfilled but also reflective. It is much more than just the story of James Earl Ray, the man who killed MLK. The real beauty of Hampton Sides' writing is that he ties together several different stories to create a clear picture of a moment in history. HellHound is a great example of this skill; just as his earlier book Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission was a great example of his skill. The real power of Hellhound on His Trail is not the story of James Earl Ray. Actually that in and of itself would have been a fascinating read. However, it is the story of the Sixties, of the Civil Rights movement, of a country and society that was tearing itself apart, and above all a ast of characters that tell the story of their time. J, Edgar Hoover, MLK, RFK, LBJ, George Wallace, the leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the King family, and law enforcement and government leaders are all there, warts and all. Credit to Sides as an author - he does not hesitate in being historically accurate - he talks of people how they were, not just what their reputations or image was. Hellhounds on His Trail is a great read as just a stand alone book. IT keeps your attention, is easy to read, but is also a great piece of historical writing and research. Yet what has stayed with me is how it makes one stop and think "this was only 40 odd years ago". How people thought, what was seen as "right and wrong", how judgments were made, the lenses people saw events through, makes one reflect on how things are seen today, and how they will be viewed with 40 years of hindsight. Well done on every level. If one wants more of the MLK story, there is nothing better than Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (Perennial Classics) but for shear readability and enjoyment, as well as a great overview on a time, the men and women of that era, Hellhounds is a great book.

Hampton Sides's Hellhound on His Trail recounts the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the manhunt for killer that followed. It is a fascinating, well-written piece of narrative nonfiction that captures a tumultuous time in American history. Sides covers the final months of King's life while interweaving the movements of James Earl Ray - his killer - up until to the moment they violently intersect on April, 4, 1968. Sides succeeds by portraying King as a complicated man overburdened by his commitment to the Civil Rights Movement and his own fading popularity on a national level. Doggedly pursued by Hoover's FBI (who had an axe to grind) and disintegrating marriage, Sides paints King in nuanced strokes - fully capturing what made him such a force to reckoned with and what made him human. While reading Hellhound, I was reminded how little I actually knew about King's assassination and his killer. James Earl Ray is an enigmatic and puzzling character - there are large gaps in our historic knowledge of Ray precisely because he seemingly lied to everyone, including himself. The book's standout moment is the assassination itself. Sides chronicles the minutes before and after the Ray pulls the trigger in near real-time - following the trajectory of the bullet, to the frantic rush to the hospital, and the confused and panicked response of the local authorities. In the midst of the massive riots triggered by King's death, the FBI - once tasked with digging up dirt on the Reverend - were now in charge of finding the man's killer. The details of the sixty-five day manhunt - which encompassed two continents - makes up the back half of the book. A harrowing testament to a moment in a time and good old fashioned police work, Hellhound on His Trail is a fascinating look at two very different men who will forever be linked together by an act of shocking violence. The afterward included in the paperback edition discounting the numerous conspiracy theories is also well worth the read.

Hampton Sides nimmt eine reichlich bekannte Episode der amerikanischen Geschichte und verwandelt es ein unlaublich packendes, interessantes, facettenreiches Lesevergnügen. Er schreibt großartig (praktisch wie ein Thriller-Autor), packt jede Menge neue Details in seine Story und zieht den Leser durch einen tollen Aufbau mit jeder Seite tiefer ins Geschehen. Zeitgeschichte auf bestmögliche Art niedergeschrieben. Nur zu empfehlen. Ebenso wie Sides Bücher "Das Geisterkommando" und "Blood and Thunder".

This is the second book I have read by this genius writer, Hampton Sides. The first was "The Wide Wide Sea" published in New Zealand this year. Both books are amongst my favourites. "HellBound" alternates between Martin Luther King's life and the life of his assassin. Superbly researched and beautiful written, I feel as though I have been on a journey back in time similar to the way I felt after reading "The Wide Wide Sea" on Captain Cook's last journey. Can't wait to read more books by this author.

This book is a must read for anyone that cares about civil rights and MLK!

Another brilliant and interesting read

Hampton Sides revisits the 1968 murder of Dr Martin Luther King and for those who have never read `An American Death (1972)' by Gerold Frank or `Killing The Dream (1998)', by Gerald Posner, this book will provide a reliable introduction and overview to the case. In terms of style, `Hellhound' is very different from the aforementioned books. Sides is a fine writer and the book moves along at a great pace. He shifts the scene of the action repeatedly as he paints pictures of Memphis, the life and times of James Earl Ray and the career of King as he moves ever closer to his death in Sides' home-town. All of this is done against some excellent historical background material. Sides presents the troubled city of Memphis and the stand-off between the striking sanitation workers and the intractable Mayor Loeb. It was this long-running dispute which, ultimately drew King to the city. In terms of detail regarding the murder, Sides doesn't really add much that isn't already known. Both Posner and Frank offered more nitty-gritty in their books. The author does provide some insights into the thoughts and deeds of the Memphis FBI staff, who were being pushed hard by Hoover, DeLoach and Attorney General Clark. The latter two men left Washington for Memphis in order to demonstrate a commitment and determination to track down Dr King's killer. The author stays with the story throughout the pursuit, capture and conviction of Ray and he explores the possibility that members of Ray's own family might have been aiding and abetting him as he set about his task. Sides chronicles some of the turmoil within King's inner-circle after the assassination and he makes sure to include the Poor People's March which did go ahead after the murder. Ray's jailhouse antics are touched upon and the protracted - and ultimately futile - attempts to earn a re-trial are exposed for the nonsense that they were. The book finishes with a few flourishes as the author considers some of the conspiracy theories which he dismisses with the same ease that Posner did. The faked `cablegram', Loyd Jowers, Betty Spates, `Alpha 184' and the appalling accusation made against Billy Eidson by William Pepper are all summarily dismissed as the lunacy that they all were. The 1999 `trial' that Pepper claimed as his moment of triumph is also set into context and, once there, its importance and consequence are seen to be illusory. All-in-all, a very good book which really does read like a thriller (even though Sides is uncomfortable with such a description). There isn't much new information here for those who have read the case before but, unlike previous authors, Sides has a gripping writing style. barry