Boston Tabloid by Don Stradley

Boston Tabloid by Don Stradley

"A thoughtful, compelling reexamination of an intriguing story of fatal obsession and its enduring mysteries."—Kirkus Reviews "Well-researched and a page turner..."—Library Journal The disappearance of a twenty-one-year-old woman from a Massachusetts suburb became one of the most discussed crimes of the twentieth century. The discussion intensified when the public learned that she worked as a prostitute in Boston's notorious red-light district, the “Combat Zone,” and was linked by a trail of blood to a famous professor from Tufts University. When Robin Benedict vanished the investigation and media circus that gripped the city of Boston hadn't been seen since the days of the Boston Strangler case. On a Sunday morning in March 1983, a small-time pimp walked into a police station and claimed his girlfriend was missing. He said she had been on her way to visit a client named William Douglas. In the year that followed, the case drew in detectives, state troopers, scores of journalists, and even psychics. But Robin was never found. Boston Tabloid  reconstructs a grisly murder, and explores one man's bizarre obsession. In revisiting this legendary crime, Don Stradley consulted journalists involved in the media frenzy, prison authorities, arresting officers, and psychiatrists, all in an effort to unravel a most tangled story. Why was the city, and the nation, swept up in this sordid tale? It remains a grim and fascinating moment in Boston's history.

"A thoughtful, compelling reexamination of an intriguing story of fatal obsession and its enduring mysteries"

—Kirkus Reviews

"Well-researched and a page-turner..."

—Library Journal

"An exceptionally well written, organized and presented study of a notorious homicide and the mysteries that surrounded it... A riveting read from cover to cover."

—Midwest Book Review

"Boston Tabloid answers the call to take to take true crime to the next level—a true page-turner, it brings the reality of Boston's underbelly to the forefront for perhaps the first time."

—M. William Phelps, New York Times bestselling author and host of iHeartMedia's podcasts Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps and Paper Ghosts

“Boston Tabloid is everything a top-notch true-crime book should be and more.”

—Linda Rosencrance, author of Murder at Morses Pond and co-author of The Mafia Hit Man's Daughter

“Don Stradley has captured perfectly the addictive, exhilarating hopelessness and desperation embodied in a sunken part of Boston that no longer exists.  Taking no shortcuts and never showing off, Stradley’s restraint and interest in getting details right combine to elevate true crime writing to a level that turns it into something brand new.  Unsettling and unflinching, Boston Tabloid will stay with you whether or not you want it to.”

—Charles Farrell, author of (Low)life: A Memoir of Jazz, Fight-Fixing, and the Mob

“Boston Tabloid is a remarkable book written by a gifted storyteller. Don Stradley tells the gripping tale of the professor and the prostitute in captivating prose that may just keep you up at night! Once again, Stradley exposes Boston’s seedy history in a way that reimagines true crime and contemporary American history.”

—Bob Batchelor, author of The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius

“With the panache of a tabloid newspaper scribe, Don Stradley recounts the sordid but undeniably fascinating case of the prostitute murdered by a renowned college professor. With a wealth of detail, Stradley traces the spiral of obsession and addiction that led to the death of Combat Zone hooker Robin Benedict at the hands of professor William Douglas. Even more fascinating are Stradley’s descriptions of the investigation and how the shifting tides of public perception in the 1980s could turn a perpetrator into a victim.”

 —Stephanie Schorow, author of Inside the Combat Zone: The Stripped Down Story of Boston's Most Notorious Neighborhood

"The author takes a deep dive into one of Boston's most notorious murders in the 1980s. He offers compelling theories related to the case's many unanswered questions. The book will reignite interest in a particularly vicious but nearly forgotten homicide, as well as the Combat Zone, a sleazy part of Boston that no longer exists. Excellent reporting in classic noir-like tabloid fashion made this a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience."

—Robert Mladinich, author of Case Files of the NYPD: More than 175 Years of Solved and Unsolved Crimes

 

Don Stradley is the author of The War: Hagler-Hearns and Three Rounds for the Ages (one of The Progressive magazine’s “Favorite of Books 2021”); Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero; Slaughter in the Streets: When Boston Became Boxing's Murder Capital; and A Fistful of Murder: The Fights and Crimes of Carlos Monzon, all from Hamilcar Publications. Slaughter in the Streets was named by CrimeReads in 2020 as one of “The Classics of Boxing Literature.” Stradley’s work has also appeared in The Ring, Cinema Retro, and on ESPN.com. He lives on Boston's North Shore. 

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781949590555
ISBN 10	1949590550
Title	Boston Tabloid
Author	Don Stradley
Series	Combat Zone Trilogy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Hamilcar Publications
Year published	2022-11-03
Number of pages	232
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable