Butterfly in the Rain

Reviews / Votes

It's hard to imagine a more depressing narrative than the kidnap-murder recounted by film historian Neibaur in this intriguing but embellished account of the crime. In 1927, a man entered a Los Angeles elementary school and asked to take 12-year-old Marion Parker out of school, claiming that her father, Perry, had been in an accident. Despite indications that the man was lying, the teacher released the child. That night, the Parkers received a telegram from the kidnapper, the first in a series of demands that ended tragically. When Perry finally handed over the ransom, after seeing Marion and believing her to be alive, he received a bundle that contained the dismembered corpse of his daughter, her eyes sewn open to simulate life. A fingerprint the killer left behind led to his swift identification and apprehension, and much of the book focuses on the perpetrator, William Edward Hickman, a 19-year-old who had been fired from Perry's bank for forging checks. Neibaur follows the crime, short investigation, and trial as well as the national uproar over the horrific crime. The latter included criticism of the motion picture industry after Hickman's love of movies became known . . . Neibaur puts forth a fast-paced, highly readable book for those who can tolerate the gruesome nature of the crime. * Publishers Weekly * [Neibaur] improves on earlier books about the case by inserting atmospheric bits of '20s music and movie lore into his account of this truly nutty Jazz Age crime. * LA Weekly * The abduction and murder of Marion Parker by William Hickman was at one time the crime of the century, and rivaled the horrible crime of Leopold and Loeb in 1920s America. James Neibaur's new book vividly captures this true crime and the workings of the criminal justice system in California, showing how far things have changed in some regard (e.g., the swift execution of Hickman) and how other things remain the same (e.g., the existence of heinous crime). Butterfly in the Rain is a fascinating book that will interest not only true crime buffs, but also crime historians and criminologists of any stripe. -- Matt DeLisi, Iowa State University, professor, Iowa State University Butterfly in the Rain is a genuine "life is stranger than fiction" account of a little known and long forgotten capital crime. Neibaur recounts the Marion Parker abduction and murder in a fast-paced, action-packed read that will captivate criminologists and crime buffs, alike. -- J. Mitchell Miller, Professor, University of North Florida; Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Fellow James Neibaur has stepped out of his usual offerings of movie and drama criticism and crafted a truly beautiful reading book of True Crime that captures your imagination from the very start. The book is a case of abduction and murder of Marion Parker, forgotten and crowded out by time and events. Neibaur has written a very descriptive tale that captures the spirit and time of the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, and the heyday of the silent movies and the post war era period of brilliant literature, the Charleston as only a master of true crimes writing and of Hollywood cinema and movies could deftly perform. -- Donald A. Tubman, former New York State Medicological Investigator and Private Investigator Historical true crime at its best. A sensational depiction of a senseless crime. As vivid a portrait of a psychopath as I've read in a long time. -- Michael Benson, author of The Devil at Genesee Junction