Double Madness: The True Story of the "Double Indemnity" Murder
by Jerry Jamison
A husband is murdered. The wife and her secret lover point the finger at each other. As layers to this shocking crime unravel, the Roaring Twenties media circus propels “The Dumbbell Murder” into the trial of the century and the inspiration for the movie Double Indemnity.
For readers of A Murder in Hollywood and Scoundrel comes Double Madness.
Historical true crime author Jerry Jamison delivers a vivid narrative exploring psychological delusion, gender expectations, and human stupidity, drawn directly from contemporary coverage, trial archives, and a long-lost prison memoir.
Bored with her domestic life, 1920s Queens housewife Ruth Snyder begins an intense extramarital affair with corset salesman Judd Gray and manipulates him into plotting the murder of her husband, Albert, to collect a lucrative insurance policy. After a series of botched attempts, the lovers brutally execute the murder and stage a clumsy burglary, but their poorly hidden clues lead to their arrest. Quickly caught, the two former lovers’ undying passion turns on each other, triggering a massive tabloid media frenzy.
Against a backdrop of sensationalized Jazz Age press wars, the trial explodes into America's first true “media circus,” attracting thousands of gawkers, souvenir vendors, and celebrity onlookers before ending in the lovers’ ultimate convictions and executions—one in which a famous secret photograph documented Snyder’s last moment on the electric chair and the first time the capital punishment had ever been recorded.
This real-life New York City noir featuring a femme fatale, a weak-willed man, and a fiery betrayal sets the stage for a historical true crime murder case never to be forgotten.
About the Author
Jerry Jamison has been an award-winning advertising copywriter with more than 60 national writing commendations during his career. As the principal in a California-based advertising agency, he has helped create and guide successful and memorable campaigns for a wide range of clients throughout the country.
“Since storytelling is at the heart of all successful advertising campaigns, it was a natural transition to being a novelist,” Jamison explains. “In this time, I’ve enjoyed pursuing all genres and styles in part, I believe, because advertising writing requires such intense focus and tight parameters. I find a real sense of freedom through creative writing and telling unique stories.”
Following his years as a novelist, he focused on several stories based on true events in history that were fascinating and largely undiscovered. This included lengthy and in-depth biographies that required hundreds of hours of research and tens of thousands of contemporary articles.