The Butcher's Tale Murder and Anti-Semitism in a German Town [Paperback]

[A] pioneering study, at once tightly focused and broadly conceived&This is a lucid exemplar of social and cultural history at its best.Smith brilliantly pursues the many clues in the case, tracing the transformation of lies, gossip, spurious facts, and the reporting of the anti-Semitic press into conviction.As absorbing as a mystery novel&stimulating, thoughtfully argued, informative and eye-opening.Chilling&reads like a thrilling true-crime story.This powerful volume will appeal to true-crime readers and anyone interested in the dynamics that can turn a peaceful community into a place of hatred and violence.A disturbing and often downright frightening examination of how easily 'civilized' societies can succumb to their prejudices and cross over into hysterical barbarism.One of the most dramatic explorations of a German town in the grip of anti-Semitic passion ever written.