Hellhound on His Trail

The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin

By: Hampton Sides

Narrated by: Hampton Sides

Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

From the acclaimed best-selling author of Ghost Soldiers and Blood and Thunder, a taut, intense narrative about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the largest manhunt in American history.

On April 23, 1967, Prisoner #416J, an inmate at the notorious Missouri State Penitentiary, escaped in a breadbox. Fashioning himself Eric Galt, this nondescript thief and con man - whose real name was James Earl Ray - drifted through the South, into Mexico, and then Los Angeles, where he was galvanized by George Wallace's racist presidential campaign.

On February 1, 1968, two Memphis garbage men were crushed to death in their hydraulic truck, provoking the exclusively African American workforce to go on strike. Hoping to resuscitate his faltering crusade, King joined the sanitation workers cause, but their march down Beale Street, the historic avenue of the blues, turned violent. Humiliated, King fatefully vowed to return to Memphis in April.

With relentless storytelling drive, Sides follows Galt and King as they crisscross the country, one stalking the other, until the crushing moment at the Lorraine Motel when the drifter catches up with his prey.

Against the backdrop of the resulting nationwide riots and the pathos of Kings funeral, Sides gives us a riveting cross-cut narrative of the assassins flight and the 65-day search that led investigators to Canada, Portugal, and England - a massive manhunt ironically led by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI.

Magnificent in scope, drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished material, this nonfiction thriller illuminates one of the darkest hours in American life - an example of how history is so often a matter of the petty bringing down the great.

©2010 Hampton Sides (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"Sides's storytelling packs a visceral punch, and in Hellhound on His Trail, he crafts an authoritative and riveting account of two intersecting lives that altered the course of American history." (Amazon.com review)

Tragic history comes to life

Sad, hard to listen to at times, told in a very fast paced, detailed manner. Thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to all. Some may not like all the detail or some of the manner in which it is told, but I enjoyed throughout. Sad, true tale.

Interesting

Nice telling of a subject matter that I wanted to know more about. A little tedious at times but overall, very well done

Fascinating Story & Details

Very interesting background on MLK, his family and friends, the assassin, and government officials.

I like the author's style of weaving the realared stories together.

Very Good Listen ..

The account was bereft of background detail which I find tedious in most writings. The telling of the story is fast-paced and, with very few exceptions accurate.

As a current and life-long Memphis area resident I picked up on a couple of mistakes in some items but, to anyone not a “Memphian” alive at the time of the murder, these things are unimportant.

All-in all a great 12 - hours spent!

History Comes Alive

I remember the final tumultuous years of the 60's as a televised tableau of rioting and demonstrations capped by the horrific nightmare of back to back assassinations. Hampton Sides examines the people and motives behind the events. Be prepared for new perspectives on the familiar characters of the headlines. Martin Luther King can't give up his mistresses, LBJ can't fathom why his War on Poverty doesn't prevent a demonstration on his doorstep, and J. Edgar Hoover does the right thing in the end. The pathos of the widow's walk -Coretta Scott King, Jackie and Ethel Kennedy- is masterfully retold. I sympathized with Ralph Abernathy as he surveyed the muddy wreck that once was the Poor People's March and is forced to come to terms that he will never be the leader that MLK was. By far, however, the most complex character was James Earl Ray, the product of a dismally poor, dysfunctional family of many generation's duration, cunning yet clueless, and so unremarkable that most acquaintances describe him as ordinary, if they are able to remember him at all. Thousands of lawmen in five countries bring to a successful conclusion one of the most extensive and successful manhunts of the twentieth century. The re-telling of the story is fast paced enough to read like a thriller, yet detailed enough for fresh insight into the era. Hampton Side's narration is understated and well done. I highly recommend the book and the author to anyone with an interest in American history and especially to those too young to remember social upheaval of the 60's.

Such A Vivid Telling Of MLK's Murder

I was a little young to be aware of all of the details of Martin Luther King's life and death. This book really brought the details to life and helped me not only to understand how great a man and movement (the Civil Rights era) this all was, but the tremendous odds that had to be overcome.

Excellent!

History told as what becomes a suspense novel. So good! (And important!) Highly recommend to anyone!

Masterful story telling and pleasant narration

I didn’t know much about the circumstances surrounding MLK’s assassination and I he’s good reviews of this book. It exceeded my expectations and kept my interest throughout. Highly recommend.

Phenomenal Effort

As with other reviewers, I was AMAZED at the amount of detail and research that went into this novel.

The story follows all of the relevant characters in MLK's life through the months and weeks leading up to his assassination, and collide at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, and continues through the manhunt and capture of the assassin, James Earl Ray. It is probably one of the most detailed accounts of an historical event that I have ever read or heard.

Likewise, it is eye-opening to realize there is so much to this story that is not available in mainstream literature and/or teachings surrounding this event. The only criticism I can offer is that occasionally, the author gives us a little too much detail, describing what was in someones pockets at a given point in time, e.g., toothpaste. It's irrelevant to the story or the history. It's my guess that the author was simply showing off the level of detailed research.

Another interesting gem in this story is to see JESSE JACKSON exposed for the shallow, self-centered lying weasel that he is; I can’t believe people actually follow this guy based on his history and his beliefs in his one great cause – “himself”.

Anyway, I highly recommend you add this to your "MUST LISTEN" list!!

Well done Hampton Sides

So good! Couldn’t put down. Highly recommend ! I usually don’t like it when the author narrates but Hampton has a nice voice and did a fine job!