In Satan’s Circus, historian Mike Dash follows the activities of Charles Becker, a New York City police officer who was tried and convicted of the murder of Herman Rosenthal, a gambler and casino owner in Manhattan, making him the first and only American police officer to receive the death penalty for murder. However, Becker’s descent into corruption didn’t begin with the murder. He began his career as a police officer in a section of Manhattan appropriately termed Satan’s Circus for its extremely high rates of prostitution, gambling, drug trafficking, and murder, in the 1890’s, a time where the NYPD was very corrupt (police officers accepted bribes for criminals’ protection and worked their way up the ladder by paying off their superiors with these bribes). Becker was especially good at earning money this way, and eventually worked his way up to becoming a Lieutenant while gaining a sum of $100,000 illegally. In July of 1912,…show more content… Not a single detail is left out in this book, down to detailed descriptions of every character’s clothing at any given time. Because there’s so much covered, the reader is given a very clear picture of every single situation. The use of descriptive footnotes and extra citations/evidence makes the tale of Charles Becker that much more realistic and impactful. Dash’s word choice is simply brilliant, making the story seem more like a fiction novel than a true account of events. Because of this, students everywhere would be glad to be released from the usual generalized overview of topics/events. The index is also extremely helpful for references. This book would be an excellent source for any reader looking to know everything there is to know about not only the Becker-Rosenthal trial, but also simply urban life in Progressive America. There wasn’t much of a thesis to speak of, as it's simply an unbiased description of Becker’s trial, but nonetheless, it is a great
