Terrible Thunder

"A Terrible Thunder relates the story of Essex and his weeklong siege on New Orleans in a graphic, compelling narrative. The account is a moving document that captures the mayhem and chaos that surrounded the event and the stark terror of the victims. Moreover, Mr. Hernon has dug deeply enough into Essex's background to portray him as something more than the psychotic cipher we might easily assume he was—and to illuminate some of the possible motives that led to the tragedy. Mr. Hernon's account of Essex and his final, violent debacle is handled skillfully and with balance. It reads as fluently as a novel." 

On December 31, 1972, revelers gathering in downtown New Orleans for the New Year's celebration found themselves running for cover as a sniper opened fire. The shooter targeted police officers, killing several over the following week before a final showdown on the roof of a hotel, where he was killed. Journalist Hernon's 1978 title unfurls the story of sniper Mark James Essex, a U.S. Navy veteran who declared war on white society. A solid title for true-crime collections.