Book Review: Blonde Rattlesnake

Blonde Rattlesnake

Burmah Adams, Tom White, and the 1933 Crime Spree that Terrorized Los Angeles

by Julia Bricklin

Rowman & Littlefield

Lyons Press

History , True Crime

Pub Date 01 Jun 2019

I am reviewing a copy of Blonde Rattlesnake through Rowan Littlefield and Netgalley:

Burmah Adam’s was born in January of 1914 leaving her only nineteen at the time of the crime spree that terrorized Los Angeles. Tom White was born in July of 1897, and was also part of this devastating, terrorizing crime spree.

At the time of the crime spree Burmah was on her honeymoon, she had attended Sant Anna High school and was formally a hairdresser, she and her ex con husband White had been married for less than a week.

Burmah’s husband of only five days was killed by the cops after he and Burmah’s two day run of terror over Los Angeles!

The worst of their crimes was shooting the popular elementary school teacher Cora Withington and former publisher Cromblie Allen Who was teaching Cora to drive his new car. A few days after the pair were shot, two detectives dressed as mechanics kept an eye on the apartment Build they stayed at until Burmah and white showed up one day. Burmah tried to throw herself out a window while White shot at officers and was gunned down. Ultimately Burmah would go to prison but she would spend less than eight years there to be released in 1941.

I found Blonde Rattlesnake to be an interesting historical true crime story and find it to be worthy of five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!