"Hellhound on His Trail": An Unforgettable Tale of the Greatest Manhunt in American History

andrew selzer: a complete history of the event and times

United States on Mar 17, 2024

Richard J. Moore: massive amount of details in book about the case. not a quick read but fascinating background history of James Earl Ray and MLK.

United States on Mar 12, 2024

Amazon Customer: Another brilliant and interesting read

Spain on Jan 02, 2024

Mary’s Prime Music: This book is a must read for anyone that cares about civil rights and MLK!

Canada on Apr 02, 2018

Tom Weikert: Hampton Sides could not have chosen a darker period in American history as the backdrop for his latest effort, "Hellhound on His Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History." The civil rights era of the 1960s was characterized by both soaring hope and sinking despair and, in between, all the tumult and conflict of a convulsing American society. The late 60s, in particular, were a cataclysmic period marked by freedom marches and violent demonstrations; our society was seemingly coming apart at the seams, riven by diametrically differing views.

To be sure, these years made us question what we as a nation really valued. Was it equal rights for all, or only for a few? Would we fulfill the vision of our forefathers, or would we shrink into a safer, less threatening pretense of social equality that we could comfortably rationalize? These fundamental questions divided the country and provided fertile ground for anarchists and extremists alike. Indeed, 1968 witnessed an ugly confluence of events culminating with a bitterly fought presidential election.

There was one heinous event that year, though, that no American could turn a blind eye to and...

United States on Dec 02, 2014

Maverick: Rarely have I been so gripped by a book. The pathos that Hampton Sides generates for the central characters in the drama is wonderful. Martin Luther King, despite his flaws, was a great man. The 1960's was clearly a tumultuous decade in American history. J. Edgar Hoover and Lyndon Baines Johnson feature prominently in the book, as well as King and those around him. Sides paints a beautiful picture of King's right-hand man, Ralph Abernathy, and, of course, Coretta Scott King. Jesse Jackson is portrayed more negatively than the others close to King. He is presented as being driven by ego and personal ambition.

The other central character is, of course, King's killer. James Earl Ray's movements prior to the shooting, as well as the weeks after, are fully documented. It's hard to know exactly what to think about Ray. King's own family didn't seem to view him with hatred. After all, he may have pulled the trigger, but it was America that killed the greatest civil rights leader of the twentieth century. It was King's willingness to take time out of his enormously busy schedule to help the struggling garbage workers of Memphis that ultimately led to his death. The night before his...

United Kingdom on May 10, 2014

Barry Ryder: 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,...

United Kingdom on Jan 15, 2014

Bama: 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".

Germany on Jun 25, 2012

Johnny 88: This book is a fast easy read. The in retelling the events he alternates every few pages between what Martin Luther King was doing versus James Earl Ray. The book is 397 pages, the assassination takes place on page 166, from there the book alternates between the personalities in Kings entourage, the authorities investigating the murder, and James Earl Ray. The book is VERY well researched covering minute detail that had been reported by store clerks, motel owners, laundry mat workers, prison guards, FBI agents from low level to high level etc. This covered James Earl Ray escaping prison about 1 year before the assassination to the time he get captured about 2 months after the assassination.
One very interesting aspect of this story is how James Earl Ray did not plan out his escape from the MOMENT he pulls the trigger. But he still was on the run for about 65 days, gets to Canada, then England, then Portugal, then back to England!
However, there is a style the author used that did not embellish on important detail, but is a style to retell the story. Here is an example from page 138 (Galt is James Earl Ray):
"The desk clerk, Henrietta Hagermaster, put him in room 34. After...

United States on Feb 01, 2011