This book discusses the case of Thomas Gilbert Junior, the son of a wealthy financier. Growing up in this environment, he lived in a very nice home and got essentially anything and everything he could have wanted. He was educated at some elite schools, including Deerfield Academy and Princeton University. He began to show signs of mental distress, complete with extreme paranoia and delusions. He also began showing an extreme hatred of and anger toward his father. Unfortunately for him, he chose to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, which did not help his distresses. He eventually murdered his father, for reasons that are debatable. Is it possible that Junior was suffering from untreated mental illness? Yes, in fact, it is certain. Could this have led to the murder? Absolutely. Was being a coddled, affluent youth part of the reason he was not receiving treatment that could have prevented this? Most likely. Another theory put forth by the prosecution was that he was a coddled, affluent youth who did not want to grow up and do adult things at the age of 30, so he took his anger out on his father. That is also a possibility. My personal opinion is that is was a combination of all of the above, with no comprehension or care of consequence.

I really enjoy books by this author. John Glatt is always a stickler for details, providing an adequate look at all of the key figures in this case. His coverage of the facts and the courtroom portions are detailed, yet not dry and tedious like a lot of other true crime authors. I had never heard of this case, which surprised me since it is fairly recent. (This crime occurred in January 2015.) His mother is a strong advocate that he did not premediate this murder, despite having purchased a weapon months before. She maintains that he has mental health issues, which I do not dispute, and that he should get an appeal since his insanity plea was rejected. Overall, this book was very informative about the case, and if you are interested in it, it is currently available on Audible Plus if you prefer that over a physical copy.