The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History

Found this almost by accident as I was looking for Sides's biography of Kit Carson. I had always wondered why it took so long to find King's killer and it is not until you read this account that you get a real idea. Sides writes in a flowing, almost novelistic style, which is a refreshing change from scholastic biographies. The research is there, it just reads better.
A chilling account, well worth the read. In a day when we are disgusted by Islamic slaughter, it is well to remember that it was not that long ago that we had our own racial murderers. One does not excuse the other but I think it is fair to say that much has changed peacefully in this country since this awful event.

Hampton Sides presents the story of the assassination of Martin Luther King in such a smooth and easy style, that you are tempted to stay up well past bedtime to finish it. The story he tells covers the various elements of the story. All the characters of the tale - from Dr. King himself to his murderer, James Earl Ray; J Edgar Hoover, police, Civil Rights Leaders, Robert Kennedy, and more - are brought to life in Sides' prose style. I highly recommended this work of non-fiction that reads like a novel.

This book follows the path that brought on the killing of Martin Luther King by James Earl Ray and all the travels and plans that led up to that killing. It also includes the investigation and pursuit to capture Ray. Good read with lots of historical information. The details of the investigation and the perseverance of law enforcement officials is interesting also. I learned a great deal about James Earl Ray that I had overlooked before. Hampton Sides is a good writer and has a style that flows very well. Give it a try!

This book of non-fiction reads like a high-quality mystery novel. It is the story of how a man stalked Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ultimately killing him with a single shot and then follows the international hunt for the killer. Having lived through the era in which this book is set, I was fascinated to read the inside details of the preparation for the killing and then the hunt for the killer. Dr. King's aura has continued to glow brightly since his death and this book helps to illustrate why that has happened.

Hampton Sides is a master of the narrative nonfiction genre and this is one of his best efforts. I would have given the book five stars but for the fact that he left several threads hanging. I do not refer to grand conspiratorial things, but basic facts, such as why and how Ray made the decision to change rifles. But by all means get and read this; writ large, it chronicles a truly pivotal moment in American history.

Sometimes,from my great age, I look at high school kids, with their electronics and lazy spelling, and think, "how are they going to keep the world going?" This trip back to the sixties reminded me that I must have been just like these kids of today. Big things were going on around me, but I was only minimally aware.(then again, if I were to live another 50 years, I might read a history of today and realize, again, that I knew nothing). Most of the details in the book were new to me. It was disconcerting to read history done like a detective novel. It made for an easy read, but sometimes the style just seemed silly, with its overdone details and drama. I'm not sorry I read it, but this author won't be on my must read list for anything else.

Once again, Hampton Sides weaves a richly detailed picture of the build up to the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King and then the hunt for James Earl Ray. Even for those of us who think we recall many the details of that most tumultuous year, 1968; Mr. Sides writes in such a fashion that you can truly visualize the scenes as events lead up to the moment the trigger is pulled...and in most instances, as you read, you can almost sense that you are getting inside the head of the killer as well. The book reads quickly and is hard to put down.

This book was a selection of our Fathers Book Club. While I probably would not have considered it on my reading list, I was surprisingly pleased that we read this excellent account of a fairly recent historic national tragedy.

This is a great read. Lots of details I personally never knew about the civil rights movement or the hunt for James Earl Ray. My bad; yes. My better understanding; yes. This book makes me want to know more, to understand more, about the race issues in America. And, I am challenging myself to take one step forward toward truly opening my mind to a different view of our world and not being content with satisfaction over issues that do not affect me.

There are many books on the Kennedy assassinations, especially John F. Kennedy's. Yes, he was president, and conspiracy theories abound, making it a limitless subject of conjecture. Yet there has been very little written on the subject of Martin Luther King's assassin, James Earl Ray. This book does a wonderful job of bringing Ray to life and showing us who he was. For instance, I never knew he had aliases and engaged in other crimes. For all I knew, he was a Jack Ruby type, going for the big act at the end of his own life. This book is thoroughly researched and entertaining to read. I started Side's "Ghost Soldiers" but it was too vivid to stay with, too horrible. That's the mark of a good story teller. He brings his subject to life. Thank you for this historical book. It will educate a lot of people. I did me.

Hampton Sides is a world class investigative reporter who has convincingly presented the evidence that James Earl Ray was solely responsible for the murder of Martin Luther King. Sides writes a gripping narrative recounting the minute to minute actions of Ray stalking King ;carrying out his murder in Memphis at the Loraine Hotel and Ray's ingenuity as a fugitive as he nearly escapes on an international manhunt chase. Every American interested in the Civil Rights Movement should read Sides haunting ability to document this horrendous moment in American history. Sides alternates chapters recounting King's brilliant leadership navigating the roadblocks to Civil Rights progress with chapters summarizing every diabolical movement of James Earl Ray stalking King and successfully murdering this American hero and practitioner of non-violence.

Book is well done and moves the reader through the events leading up to and following the assassination of MLK. Raises a lot of still unanswered questions about whether there were multiple people engaged in the planning and how Ray supported himself before and after the murder. Good treatment that captures the feelings and biases of the time.

I've never read anything written by Hampton Sides, but I will definitely read the rest of his books. Reading about James Earl Ray and MLK was surprising. His attention to detail is incredible. I wasn't born yet in 1968, but obviously knew the basics of this tragic murder. It reads like a fiction novel, and makes you realize what a terrible year 1968 was for America. Read this book and tell your friends to read it as well. It IS that good.

Being born and raised in Memphis TN and living through this horrible time period, I thought I knew the truth about the assasination of MLK. I was wrong. This book is a fascinating read into the mind of a crazed killer and the mind of a gentleman who only wanted all races to be equal. Hampton Sides wrote in a format that was easy to follow.

Hampton Sides has written a nearly perfect account of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King. Sides research has to be commended for the depth and for his accountability to list recorded fact on each chapter. There are a few comments that I would disagree with: mostly these are Sides personal opinions. For example: I DO believe that Dr. King becoming a martyr made him more of an icon in death than he would have been had he lived (surely his drinking and womanizing would have been revealed and diminished his influence, and anyone who dies tragically young, be it John or Bobby Kennedy or Elvis or John Lennon is larger in death than life)--I also do not feel that simply because a person was for George Wallace for president that this made that person a racist..my Dad was for Wallace and grew up a sharecropper's son working with black americans picking cotton. Beyond a few flaws like this I would highly recommend this book.

I picked this up because I was impressed with Hampton Sides' writing in another volume. This one had me in a vice grip from which I could not be freed until I had finished the story. His highly nuanced and humane treatment of both assassin and assassinated made the story both deeply upsetting and touching. If you are looking for a thriller, this will do you well. If instead you want insight into an incredibly important and complex moment in our history, Sides' story throws a brilliant spotlight on our flawed and racist culture simultaneously so noble and so cruel.

Heallhound on his Trail was a very well written book which kept my attention for the course of the book. It is written like a thriller but with the relevant facts taken from the investigations.

I knew little of this story beforehand but enjoyed learning more about MLK and his ministries.

David Scott

A great summer (or anytime) read. Transports you back into a time before computers, to a world that for most baby boomers has been subsumed by the modern digital age. Hopefully someone truly talented has optioned this to make a movie. Like so many historical events and people, it's far more interesting and compelling than 90% of the fiction on the market today. If In Cold Blood broke the mold on non-fiction, Hellhound On His Trail casts a new monument to journalistic storytelling at its best.

I read this book when it was first published and (I'm getting old) forgot that I had. So I bought it for my Kindle and about 10 pages in I realized that I'd already read it but saw no reason to stop. In fact, I'm very happy to have read it again. It's an excellent history lesson, one of those books that SHOULD be used in schools rather than the dry and boring texts prescribed to suffering students.

Mr sides just describes events as they unfold without taking sides or voicing opinions and makes this an interesting read where credit and blame are their own conclusions
It was really good and interesting I felt like an investigator not knowing who the killer was but having to flow clues
It was educational as I did know about the poor people's March in DC nor the sanitation strike in Memphis nor the personalities in Doctor kings entourage

I had an opportunity to hear Hampton Sides give a live telling of his research on how this book came to be. It was absoluely amazing. I've not been a Martin Luther fan, but to hear of the horrible people that tracked him to kill him was really hard to listen to. King was a great leader in his time. To read this book was terrific. The research for the details is what impressed me on such a high level. Fantastic!!!

This was so well written and so thourghly covered all events. Sides was very objective and all his research was so impressive. I loved it. I live in Memphis. About half way through the book I found myself on South Main looking at the motel and the building he shot from. It was very surreal after reading this account.

Learned a lot about this very important event that i had forgotten or maybe never knew at the time. He is very thorough but never gets so detailed as to be boring. Following JER as he plans and makes his escape using his aliases was a great way to tell the story. He also depicts MLK as a human being as well as the great leader he was.

Highly recommended.

An important part of American history is covered in the first half of this book: The assassination of MLK. The second half deals with the manhunt to capture the killer. A real page turner, very well told.

This was a very well-researched and very well written nonfiction book.I had no idea about this James Earl Ray and found an astounding amount of information on him..He was a man of immense racial hatred.Sadly,it is still going on today.The way his story was written kept me in suspense from chapter to chapter.A very good read!

A great read for us that lived during that period in the US. it was such a time of upheaval and confusion that I never before read the facts in this case. From the Memphis garbage-men strike to the march and encampment in Washington...a well researched and fascinating story of our country.

I found it very interesting to read, but honestly I got so bogged down by all of his details that I kind of got bored. It does not shed a particularly flattering light on MLK, but I suppose it is supposed to be a true story.

I thought I knew this story, however Hampton Sides dissected all angles and presented an easy read, hard to put down story. It is written as two parallel stories that converge on that very sad night in Memphis. It is very well written and a book I think of often.

Lots of interesting and detailed info on Martin Luther King's assassination as well as his assassin. Eric Galtz becomes a pretty impressive character. Could he have managed alone?? Really well done.

A great read for us that lived during that period in the US. it was such a time of upheaval and confusion that I never before read the facts in this case. From the Memphis garbage-men strike to the march and encampment in Washington...a well researched and fascinating story of our country.

I found it very interesting to read, but honestly I got so bogged down by all of his details that I kind of got bored. It does not shed a particularly flattering light on MLK, but I suppose it is supposed to be a true story.

I thought I knew this story, however Hampton Sides dissected all angles and presented an easy read, hard to put down story. It is written as two parallel stories that converge on that very sad night in Memphis. It is very well written and a book I think of often.

Lots of interesting and detailed info on Martin Luther King's assassination as well as his assassin. Eric Galtz becomes a pretty impressive character. Could he have managed alone?? Really well done.

Sides is one of my favorite authors. He takes on many different stories and always thoroughly covers the subject. He provided very detailed coverage of the King assassination along with exactly who James Earl Ray was. The story clearly made sense in all of its tragedy.

We have all heard the basics about the King assassination and know that James Earl Ray was the man who pulled the trigger. There was so much more to the story! This book does a great job of taking you back in time and giving you a real sense of what our country was like in those days before and after this tragedy. The cleverness of James Earl Ray, an uneducated common citizen, was astounding. Highly recommend this book.

Well researched. Easy reading. I'm 64 and lived through this era, but Hampton Sides really brings the characters (Doctor King and James Earl Ray) to life. A great read that delves in to minute details of the lives and personallity of those involved. Would I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely!

Hampton Sides has a rare talent to weave exhaustive investigation and reporting into captivating books. Liked his afterword and focus on the perpetrator as well as personal vignettes of the King family.

One of the most intriguing, hard to put down books I've read in recent memory. I loved reading about the incredible police and investigative work that went into the capture of James Earl Ray. Very well told - reads just like a great novel.

Hampton Sides knows how to tell a story. Never showing off, never resorting to overly colorful or pretentious prose, always sticking to the dreadful matter at hand, he keeps his narrative riveting. This is history meeting true crime at its best.

This was the BEST written material that I have read concerning the killing of Martin Luther King. Hampton Sides covered the matter step by step and was very descriptive in his writing. I HIGHLY recommend this to any reader.

An excellent account of the events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr's assassination in 1968. Sides has done a monumental amount of research but manages to present it in an engaging style that holds the reader's attention while bringing to life the many characters involved in this pivotal tragedy.