Hellhound on his Trail

On April 3, 1968 Martin Luther King gave his final speech in Memphis, Tennessee entitled I’ve been to the Mountaintop. His concluding thoughts were ominous and prescient. “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has it’s place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

The following day he was assassinated by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Motel. While most know about the man who was the face of the Civil Rights movement, few know about the days leading up to his murder and the subsequent manhunt that followed. But this book is much more than that as the author adeptly covers the year leading up to the assassination with a detailed look in to the lives of both King and Ray. Hampton Sides combines meticulous research and excellent storytelling to capture this dark moment in our country’s history.