Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Devil and Harper Lee
    The Devil and Harper Lee
    The Devil and Harper Lee

    UNLIMITED

    Audiobook3 hours

    The Devil and Harper Lee

    Written by Mark Seal

    Narrated by Charlie Kevin

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    In the 1970s, a mysterious man captivated and terrorized a small Alabama town. He was elegant and handsome, a charismatic pastor and leader in the African American community. But rumors swirled. Preaching on Sunday, people would say, killing on Monday.

    Far away in New York City, one of America’s most beloved writers was about to get caught up in the strange and violent tale of Reverend Willie J. Maxwell. Harper Lee, author of the modern-day classic To Kill a Mockingbird, was searching for her next book when the perfect story came her way: There was a man, the Reverend, who had allegedly murdered five of his family members, and managed to do it without getting caught. Thanks to the skills of his talented lawyer, he collected sizeable amounts of money from insurance policies that named him as the beneficiary. It was said the Reverend used voodoo to commit the murders and that his magical powers made him untouchable. And then, at the funeral of his most recent alleged victim—his sixteen-year-old stepdaughter—someone pointed a pistol at Reverend Maxwell’s head and shot three times.

    Mesmerized by the string of bloody deaths, Harper Lee returned to her native Alabama. She spent months in Alexander City, getting to know the town and the people, slowly pulling out the threads of this macabre tale. She found a story that only a writer of her caliber could do justice to: a modern southern gothic tale of death, fraud, superstition, and race. But apparently she never finished the book. After all that research, all the time spent tracking leads, speaking with crucial sources, and examining records, she dropped the project. Why?

    Acclaimed investigative reporter Mark Seal, himself an Alabama native, follows the trails of both the Reverend and Harper Lee, bringing the lurid tale back to life. He interviews key players, including relatives and other survivors who bear witness to this astonishing true story. One can only wonder how Lee herself would have told it. With The Devil and Harper Lee, Seal has woven together a new and uniquely American mystery.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEverand Originals
    Release dateApr 29, 2019
    ISBN9781645399735
    Author

    Mark Seal

    Mark Seal joined Vanity Fair as a contributing editor in 2003, covering stories as varied as the Bernie Madoff scandal, Ghislaine Maxwell, Tiger Woods, the fall of Olympian Oscar Pistorius, the making of classic films such as Pulp Fiction, and many more. His 2016 Vanity Fair article “The Over the Hill Gang,” about a gang of retired thieves who pulled off the biggest jewel heist in British history, was the basis of the 2018 film, King of Thieves, starring Michael Caine. In addition to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli, he is the author of the books Wildflower and The Man in the Rockefeller Suit. His website is Mark-Seal.com.

    More audiobooks from Mark Seal

    Related to The Devil and Harper Lee

    Related audiobooks

    Literary Biographies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      The 40 Greatest Books To Read Before You Die

      Apr 25, 2021

      Books, books, books. They will increase your lifespan, lower your stress and boost your intelligence. They will give you fuller, thicker hair. Whatever the breathless claims about reading, one thing is certain: losing yourself in a great novel is one

      14 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      'Most Prolific Serial Killer' In America Confesses To Murdering 5 More Women In Ohio

      Jun 7, 2019

      The new charges filed by prosecutors in Ohio are the latest decades-ago murders carried out by Samuel Little, who authorities say killed women in 19 states over nearly half a century.

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Four Best Audiobooks Of June To Take You Places

      Jun 23, 2020

      Hardboiled mysteries, obscure farming communities, and tales of home and family provide ample entertainment in June’s audiobook roundup.

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      America’s Deadliest Serial Killer Preyed On The ‘Less Dead’ For Decades – A New Documentary Seeks Answers

      Apr 20, 2021

      In 2018, while serving a life sentence for three killings dating back to the 1980s, Samuel Little, then 77 and in poor health, began talking. Over hundreds of hours, he confessed to a total of 93 murders. At least 50 of these confessions have been ve

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Life For a Life

      Jul 7, 2022

      A Life For a Life
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Great Read

      Jul 12, 2023

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Great Read

      May 18, 2022

      Great Read
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Fabulous Fiction

      Dec 11, 2020

      Defence attorney Mickey Haller is pulled over by police, who find the body of a client in the boot of his car. Mickey elects to defend himself and as he is unable to afford his bail, he must strategise and build his defence from his jail cell in the

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Storytime

      Jan 25, 2023

      Family DRAMA Louisiana, 1953, nurse Vivian begged husband Ellis to leave the warmth for cold San Fran after a Klansman with a shotgun dragged her father to his death. When Ellis dies, leaving Vivian with three young daughters, she makes the journey o

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Now We Know Their Names

      Feb 2, 2022

      Now We Know Their Names
      15 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Sick Ripper

      Jan 27, 2022

      The battered black and blue 1985 Ford van could often be seen driving around New Britain, Connecticut. It belonged to drifter William Devin Howell. He used it while he did odd jobs and mowed lawns in neighbourhoods in 2003. Originally from Hampton, V

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Summer Reading

      Dec 29, 2019

      A wealthy bibliophile brings a treasured manuscript to her Paris binder. The pages are creased, yellowed and pungent with the nutty aroma “that old paper exhales as it decays”, and underneath the title is a jumble of figures. It is an alternative pag

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Summer Reading

      Jan 1, 2020

      A wealthy bibliophile brings a treasured manuscript to her Paris binder. The pages are creased, yellowed and pungent with the nutty aroma “that old paper exhales as it decays”, and underneath the title is a jumble of figures. The book is broken up in

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Nowhere To Hide

      Jul 10, 2020

      Nowhere To Hide
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The History Detective

      Dec 28, 2022

      The History Detective
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Her Foot In The Fridge

      Mar 3, 2022

      Some people’s lives are so tragic, they almost sound like a soap opera. But Jose Luis Calva’s was more like a horror story. Born in June 1969, his father died when he was just 2 years old. And he later complained his domineering mother Elia Zepeda li

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Allende, Smith, Eisenberg, Cummins, Chayka, and More

      Jan 21, 2020

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from the likes of Isabel Allende, Danez Smith, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Jeanine Cummins, Kyle Chayka, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read ou

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Holiday Reads

      Dec 2, 2022

      Holiday Reads
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Devil and Harper Lee

    4/5

    546 ratings34 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a captivating and meticulously researched account that delves into the mysterious life of Harper Lee. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of Lee's life, her relationships, and the controversies surrounding her only published novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' While some reviewers found the narrative to be repetitive and the chronology confusing, others appreciated the intriguing true crime story and the insights into Lee's personality and writing. Overall, the book is praised for its attention to detail and the wealth of information it provides about Lee and her world.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Interesting about familiar people and places. Alabama and Harper Lee
    • 5/5
      The mystery of not wanting to harm another was also within my grandfather gene fowler.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful book with a great narration. I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      Great account of how Harper Lee investigated a series of questionable deaths committed by a preacher in Alabama. This audiobook made me want to immediately find “To Kill a Mockingbird”.
    • 3/5
      Interesting chapter of history . Disappointing ending on several fronts.
    • 4/5
      A interesting look behind the closed curtains of Harper lee and a novel that was never to be.
    • 5/5
      Super interesting, with a great reader. Thank you for this story.
    • 5/5
      This is a well-researched and fascinating account of a serial murder case investigated by famous author Harper Lee and the mystery of her unwritten book. I greatly enjoyed it.
    • 3/5
      The Devil and Harper Lee is a strange story. Not a novel; not a memoir or biography. It is a glimpse of the social history of Alabama mixed with some insight into the life and character of the celebrated novelist. Her practice of diligent reportage contrasts with the obviously lax fact- checking of the author. ( He states that Hank Williams’s song Kaw-Liga is about an historical person; the first line of the song belies that. So you have to wonder about everything else in the book.)
    • 5/5
      Surprisingly fascinating story , man that rev was a psycho just wish it went deeper into his story instead of Harper Lee’s . Great ether way
    • 4/5
      Interesting story that I had no idea existed
      Harper lee
    • 5/5
      1970’s True crime, history, intrigue. Narrator does a good job. If Harper Lee had chosen to publish the manuscript it would have been a best seller. Easy to listen to and well organized.
    • 5/5
      Kept me interested for the entire book. Highly recommend. Great listen
    • 5/5
      A non fiction story about how the famous author Harper lee, who in her 50s has started to look for an idea for her "To kill a mockingbird " follow up book.... that is when she comes across an Alabama murder mystery involving the death of 5 members of the family of One Reverend Willie Maxwell.... Harper lee follows up on the facts and spends many years interviewing the people of the small city including the person who shot the reverend during his last victims wake.... however something happened along the way and Harper lee stops writing the novel and never finished it.
    • 5/5
      The narrator had a great range of voices for story telling and accents, and the topic is fascinating. I just wish I could read The Reverend by Harper Lee!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Nicely written. Biggest takeaway is that Harrper Lee never wrote anything after her famous book because she really wasn't a writer... To Kill a Mockingbird was crafted over 2 years of heavy editing by a professional editor. Her backstory made for good copy, but she was not great except at being at the right time and place once upon a time in New York.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Loved the book. Interesting story regarding Harper lee and her life.
      Learned a bit about her personality her writing and the famous people she knew. Good history about the South
      years ago regarding racial discrimination.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The details that were outlined from beginning to end help shed some light on areas that have been lost in the stories that were shared through the years in the rural south of Alexander city, Alabama. I appreciate the effort that Harper Lee poured into the story while also making sure the facts about Rev. Maxwell were told.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I couldn’t put this down! Intriguing, spooky true crime story. I would have liked to have seen a more tightly edited piece. But if you’re looking for information about Harper Lee’s thwarted second book or the Reverend William Maxwell case, Mark Seal has added an astonishing amount of generous research. I’ll be reading lots more of his work!
    • 3/5
      The writeup and narration was believable. I recommend this


      2 people found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Where do they get "performers" like this? The guy reading sounded like one of those computer generated voices that read out the newspaper getting all the nuances wrong. And the ACCENTS. He made every putatively Black person sound like a literal idiot. As for the book or article itself, well Seal is no Capote, and he sure does repeat himself not only in the torturous time hopping but also within paragraphs. I had fun with the voodoo descriptions and the horrific parts were well done but overall I wish I hadn't "completed" my image of Harper Lee with this boring account.
      -- Coming back a couple of days later, I amend: I am glad Seal told us that Lee was not just a "research assistant" to Capote!

      2 people found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Great story, but some of the voices the narrator did were offensive.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Keeped and held my attention, which has been hard to do lately with Audiobooks. I

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Occasionally hard to follow; the segments jump around in chronology, but otherwise well written and entertaining. A very intriguing story! I recommend!!

      3 people found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Strong narration, but chronologically all over the place and very little about Harper Lee herself. I would be mad if I had actually bought a physical copy instead of it being included in my Scribd membership.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      An excellent telling of the book never written. Cool story. It was short and to the point. As a former journalism student I really appreciated the attention to detail as well as the sources used and the facts facts facts. Also tho written in the true crime novel style ala Capote.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Pretty good, but writer was a bit murky on setting out the actual case. As the book's title would imply he seems fixated on Harper Lee which leads to the conclusion of name dropping to increase sales.

      5 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Eye opening! Wow, Hatper Lee had no fear and I learned so much.

      3 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Fascinating. I had no idea that Harper Lee after extensive research abandoned a true crime novel about suspected killer Reverend Willie J. Maxwell.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Compelling story...makes me wonder what would have been a great book if Ms. Lee had finished and published it.

      2 people found this helpful