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True Crime Read In 2018-19: Post Reviews Here!

Yep, it's one that haunts you for along time afterwards. :(

This is the first of Phelps books that I've read and I'm only half-way through. I find this book extremely interesting, it's not your typical true crime retelling, but an examination of the relationship between Phelps and Keith Hunter Jesperson. I find this in some ways similar to Claudia Rowe's The Spider and The Fly, as in each situation these authors through their relationships with serial killers seem to experience a deep need for self-reflection.

2 stars
This was an interesting case, but I came away feeling as if I hadn't read the story of this man's life yet. There was no sense of how many crimes he committed, how many rapes or murders, how he made his living (honestly or dishonestly?), why he moved when he did, what his relationships were like or anything else. Did he get along with his bosses? Did he have friends? How did he meet his wife? The author says Howard was obviously psychotic but gives no evidence of that at any point. And he kept getting regular prison, not treatment of any kind. There is not a scrap of information about his trial, and all the book says about his police interviews was that they were surprised at how pleasant and normal he seemed. Tell me more!!!

3 stars
This was an intriguing introduction to Romanian serial murder. The text was handicapped by very awkward writing but that didn't slow me down. I longed for more detail on many of these stories though. Who were the people buried under the house? What kind of treatment do they give the criminally insane in Romania (if any)? What was up with that father and son murder act? Was the son right or not when he said his father was the only killer? Who were all the bakers? In one case I read that the killer had some connection to all his victims, but the connections were never explained. And I really want to know more about the investigation than "the suspect was identified and arrested." Inquiring minds want to know!

4 stars!
A real page-turner, full of cases new to me. Even the chapters on old, familiar cases offered a lot of new information. Every chapter ends with a bit of psychoanalytic wisdom on why the killer did what he did and whether he was mentally ill. I liked this one so much I immediately ordered another book by the same author.

3 stars
This guy almost got away with murder and would have if someone hadn't discovered that this was the second time a wife of his died in a horrible accident after he had taken out a huge life insurance policy. He is a bizarre human being and a mean you know what. Interesting case.

3 stars
This was an unusual story -- I hope! -- about a criminal investigation that was radically mishandled, putting the wrong person in prison, destroying a family and allowing the real perps to continue committing crimes. It was overall well-written, but the author insisted on telling us almost from the first page that the police were dead wrong, instead of letting us find out for ourselves as we read. He didn't ruin the end of the story, though. I'm still trying to decide whether I'm supposed to see two other men, much discussed in the course of this book, as viable suspects or purely as red herrings.

3 stars
Another great read, the second book I've come across in this series. All the stories are well-written page-turners. One thing I noticed in this book was that not all the crime cases were about crimes; at least two chapters asked whether any crime had been committed at all, and one situation -- no, come to think of it, make that two of them -- were clearly not crimes depending on which side of the case you were standing on. Well worth your time.

3 solid stars
This was a really absorbing read about one of the first woman attorneys in the country who went on to do detective work and influenced public policy. The book focuses on a really atrocious sex murder she helped solve, but takes us with her as she travels the country and the world doing investigations. Her passion was always what we now call human trafficking. This massive book was painstakingly reconstructed from old newspaper accounts, newsreels and so forth, bringing to life a woman who would have been utterly forgotten otherwise. I finished it just as Women's History Month was starting; how perfect is that?

2 solid stars
A well-written, convincing account of Bob Crane's inexplicable murder. Illustrated by the author. They didn't get into the biography of Bob Crane until pretty late in the book, but it was there & fairly satisfying despite that fact that a lot of people involved in his life -- his wives, most of his kids -- didn't contribute a word. I felt a little queasy reading about so much evidence from a case that was still waiting to be prosecuted. Is it really wise to share this much with the public? There were also a couple of times I had to ask how the police could be so dense. But none of that explains why this case just sat there unprosecuted for all these decades...

3 solid stars
This is about an international crime spree inflicted on very young girls -- 18 was too old for this killer -- by a man so weird and dysfunctional his own family paid him to make him stay away. But you can't always help being crazy. What I couldn't get over in this story was the half-hearted police work. These guys are supposed to be professionals! Nobody should have had to die at this man's hands, but some of the blood is on the hands of all those police...

3 solid stars
This is about an international crime spree inflicted on very youn..."
I just couldn't get over his audacity ... to walk into a dorm, full of young girls, and proceed with his deeds. Unreal. And, then to get up, and stroll out the door.


So true!


I know! There were so many WTF? moments in that book. Amazing.

3 stars
A good, interesting read with a few cases that were new to me. As with the previous Norman Lucas I read, even the most familiar cases offered a few new details. Well-written and hard to put down. What really intrigued me in this one was the fact that the author seemed directly involved with several of these cases... but in a way never clearly spelled out for the reader. Is Lucas a police investigator himself? A journalist? Maybe an attorney? Couldn't quite tease out where he fit into these cases...

3 solid stars
This little book concerns the unsolved deaths of 8 women who lived in Jennings, LA. At least that's where it starts. All the dead women lived in a small area of a small town, all of them knew each other and some of them were clearly murdered. From there, though, the story gets much more complicated and tangled. Mason lays out a lot of intriguing possibilities but ultimately lets you decide for yourself.


When I started this book I thought it was going to be the usual wife-kills-husband-for-the-money story, but this story has many twists and turns, the biggest one being the transgender angle. The author does an excellent job of getting inside the head of the criminal, VonLee Titlow. In case the following is a spoiler I'll scroll down a bit....
One thing I found interesting and never considered, does a transgender male living life as a woman go to a men's prison or a woman's? There are problems with either choice.
Another problem to consider, if someone is an accomplice but the main murderer goes to trial second and gets off, should the accomplice be convicted?


3 stars
This was a good read about a very unusual crime, one so obvious that the police almost couldn't solve it. How it got cleared up -- and why it happened in the first place -- is what this story is about. There was a whole lot of information on the killer's psychology in here -- straight from the killer, not a bunch of speculation! -- and that really helped the situation make sense. My only issue with the writing is that it was hard to keep names straight because the characters were hardly described at all. There was a lot of description of people's clothing but the actual person would be described only as short or balding. The killer was described as "almost handsome." What does that even mean? His girlfriend was described as wearing "a black outfit over a red sweater." Wouldn't it have to be the other way around? This was a very good read anyway. Well worth your time.

3 puzzled stars!
I've never read anything quite like this. It has a cheeseball tabloid feel and has plenty of shocking or just embarrassing crime stories, like the college professors caught trying to pay for sex acts with opioid drugs or the DUI column featuring a photo of everyone busted for drinking and driving. But in between these items are every kind of story you can imagine about fishing. Sex murder! Try using cocktail shrimp as bait! Obama bestows the Medal of Honor on renowned journalist associated with the Watergate investigation! Rod and reel competition Thursday! Burglars caught by innovative new technique! You can fish ALL YEAR 'ROUND on the Patuxent River! Internet surveillance captures wrongdoers! Bass, bass and more bass! It was a great read.

2 stars

I feel a little heartless to say a book about a 6-year-old boy who was abducted 40 years was pretty dull, but.... and I dont think this is a spoiler but scroll down if you must....
The boy has never been found and the person they think did it has never confessed so I didnt feel there was any closure at the end of the book. There is really no biographical information any of the people in the book. It dwells on what little evidence they have and how the parents dwelt with the kidnapping. It just didnt move along fast enough for me and I didnt feel I got to know any of the people.


Australia's Most Murderous Prison: Behind the Walls of Goulburn Jail
Author: James Phelps
3 Stars = It was okay. I'm glad I read it.
James takes us behind the scenes at Goulburn. It was interesting to hear from folks who work there, and what they have to endure. Also, some tidbits about some of the more well-known inmates.
I wasn't as shocked by the conditions inside the jail, or the behaviour of the inmates, as some reviewers seem to be. Maybe I've just read too many true crime books, and have read accounts of other jails that are similar to Goulburn.
Of course, Supermax (high security section inside Goulburn) holds several of Australia's worst monsters, like Ivan Milat, and Bilal Skaf.

Thankfully there is Shanna Hogan. I loved all her books so far although I had one annoyance with her last book because it felt a bit too sides. Victim was an angel with no faults and the killer had nothing good and was devil. But I am glad to say her last book
Secrets of a Marine's Wife is excellent!
(Tried the target html code so it opens in a new browser but forgot the exact code.)
♥ Marlene♥ wrote: "To me it seems there are not many great true crime books being published over the last few years with thankfully some exceptions. Kathryn Casey's last book comes to mind.
Thankfully there is Shann..."
Hi Marlene! Good to hear from you. Dianne Fanning is having a book released this year and Ron Franscell has a new book.
Thankfully there is Shann..."
Hi Marlene! Good to hear from you. Dianne Fanning is having a book released this year and Ron Franscell has a new book.

2 measly stars
This read like a hastily-banged-out summary of Tom Jackman's fine book on the same case, Rites Of Burial. There was no new information or insight in here and the writing was often pretty clumsy.

4 stars!
A very good read, co-authored by one of the case investigators. In this true story we see the police's point of view first, as they find one mutilated body after another in a small area in California. Then we backtrack through the killer's entire life, taking us through crimes the Riverside investigators didn't know about until much later, then go back through the women's murders in order, seeing them in terms of what was going on in the killer's head. Despite being told the whole story twice I never saw the book as repetitive. The authors treat the victims with a lot more respect than the killer was capable of. I did long to hear more from the killer's family of origin and his ex-wives. Not to mention his defense counsel. What did they see going on with this guy? I highly recommend this book. Be warned that the crime-scene photos are truly hideous.

3 stars
Two brothers are murdered in two separate incidents. One is solved, the other is not. I didnt get a feel for the characters so it was hard to get into this book. The moral of the story is: money doesnt buy happiness.
Just finished Murder, New England: A Historical Collection of Killer True-Crime Tales by M. William Phelps. A departure from his usual, this is a compilation. A couple of really old cases, and a few new ones.

I wonder if one of the cases in there is the true case behind Only In New England: The Story of A Gaslight Crime...I still have not been able to chase down what case it is.


This author Shanna Hogan has written about a cruel and devastating crime committed by a man with no remorse whatsoever. What a story to be told and she wrote it straight from her heart. An incredible amount of rescuers, detectives, police and canyoneers searched everywhere when she went missing. The news spread with people calling but time was of the essence and running out. I found this was not just a coincidence because it was the last day before they were calling off the search. The family and friends who helped were frantic. I could not put this book down and highly recommend it. 5+ Stars

4 stars!
The first story in here was so horrible I thought they were probably tapering down to something uplifting and inspirational. They weren't. All the stories, takes from the pages of "Seventeen" magazine, involve teens being murdered, killing someone else or doing something else that's pretty unthinkable. The photos are all in full color; most of these stories have clearly never been collected anywhere else. I felt a little as if I'd been punched in the gut when I finished the book.

2 stars

Even though there were many players involved Charles Manson, the author focuses on just two, Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel. The author attempts to get inside their heads to figure out how two normal young girls could commit horrible murders. This could possibly work if the author had a background in psychology, but she is a journalist. She interviews the two subjects, but they are not very forthcoming and so the psychological aspect doesnt really work. She gives a lot of background into the murders, but if you have read anything at all about the murders you aren't going to learn anything new here. This book is more a memoir about the author. I was left scratching my head as to how she tried to compare the murders to her Jewishness, the holocaust and her brother's incarceration. If you want to know more about the Manson murderers there are better books out there.


Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson
Author: Carlton Smith
3 Stars = It was just 'okay'.
This was published before Phil's trial, so, if you're hoping to know how it all turns out, this book won't tell you. In fact, there is not all that much about Lana's death, or her life. If you took out the few pages about her, you could easily publish this book as a biography of Phil's life.
Unless you're a big Phil Spector fan, you may not get much out of this. For true crime fans, it leaves a lot to be desired.


Katie.com: My Story
Author: Katherine Tarbox
3 Stars = It was just 'okay'.
Katie was a lonely 13-year-old who made friends with someone called 'Mark' in an online chat room. Eventually, they began to talk on the phone, too. Then Katie decided to meet Mark in person. She only told one girlfriend - who didn't approve, and said so. If you read the blurb, you'll get a good idea of how that meeting went, so, I won't write anything on that, to avoid any 'spoilers'.
It was just an 'okay' book for me. Others may get more from it.


Night Games: Sex, Power and Sport
Author: Anna Krien
3 Stars = I'm glad I read it.
This book is about the rape trial of an Australian Rules footballer. Collingwood players, Dayne Beams, and John McCarthy, were accused of raping a woman, in a Melbourne townhouse, after their team’s 2010 Grand Final victory. A local league footballer, Fraser James Pope, a friend of the Collingwood players, was accused of raping her in the alley outside the townhouse shortly afterward. Of the three, only Fraser was charged, and went to trial.
Anna became 'close' to Fraser's family. The woman refused to talk with her, as is her right. So, the viewpoints aren't exactly balanced, but this happens often in books about trials, in my reading experience.
As you can imagine, the subject matter brings into consideration the issues of sexism in sport, rape laws, and heaps more. If you're interested in these topics, you'd probably like reading this book.


Suburban Legends: True Tales of Murder, Mayhem, and Minivans
Author: Sam Stall
3 Stars = I'm glad I read it.
A collection of true tales ranging from humorous to scary. Sam writes in a very journalist style, and since there are so many tales, he hasn't room to devote heaps of pages to each one. I have included the table of contents, for your reference.
Section 1: INHUMANLY BAD HOUSEGUESTS
The Prime-Time Poltergeist
The Little Girl in the Window
Disturbing Developments
Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
Windbreaker of the Damned
Surreal Estate
The Haunting of 2115 Martingale Drive
Ghost Dad
Terror by Design
Light My Fire
Make Room for Danny
Section 2: THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR
Historic Preservation
Family Guy
Demolition Man
The Randy Rabbi
The Game of Death
Shreds of Evidence
The House of Horror
Section 3: HELLISH COMMUTES
Roadside Assistance
Resurrection Mary, Quite Contrary
Close Encounters of the Worst Kind
Death Takes a Holiday Inn
The Dead Zone
The Parkway Phantom
Our Lady of the Savings and Loan
Highway to Hell
The Devil's Lawn Ornament
The Haunted Car
The Spectral Horsemen of Route 895
Making Tracks Through Devil's Swamp
Section 4: BACKYARD BEASTS
Leaping Lizards
The Beast of Bray Road
Big Birds
Better Lake than Never
Hello Kitty
The Dover Demon
Attack of the Killer Spores
The Terror of Levittown
The Goatman Cometh
Section 5: REALLY DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Death Becomes Him
The Soccer Mom's Secret
Serial Mom
Love and Bullets
Rest in Pieces
Section 6: LAWN OF THE DEAD
The Backyard Boneyard
Concrete Evidence
Graveyard Shift
Frozen Asset
Army of Darkness
On Dangerous Ground
Home Improvements from Hell
The Vanishing Pattersons
Groundbreaking Discovery
Section 7: SUNDRY CUL-DE-SACRILEGES
Ghosts "R" Us
Noise Pollution
You Want Frights with That?
Water, Water Everywhere
The Runaway Retention Pond
Hanging by a Thread
Ho, Sweet Ho
The UFO in the Attic
The Ring
Fly Away Home


Born to Kill: The Twisted Life and Bizarre Death of the Man Who Murdered Gianni Versace
Author: Wensley Clarkson
3 Stars = I'm glad I read it.
During a 3-month span of time in 1997, Andrew Cunanan killed five men (that we know 0f), and himself, for a total of six. His crimes became well-known because victim number five was Versace, the fashion designer.
Andrew was highly intelligent, he could speak at least 5 languages, and had a photographic memory. But he dropped out of school, and spent much of his life as a 'companion' to older, wealthy gay men. Life was mostly a rollercoaster of financial (and emotional) ups and downs.
It's hard to know why Andrew did what he did, since he died without leaving any note to explain. Wensley (as always!) fills in the gaps with his opinion of what probably went through Andrew's mind. Wensley is not one of my favourite true crime authors, as you've probably already deduced. But I read his books to glean what I can about the crimes he covers.
Here is a photo of the men Andrew killed. It bothers me that the other men's names, and faces, seem to have been forgotten, and only Versace's matters.



This psychological suspense thriller pulled me in just by its title and cover alone and upon turning the page giving me a taste of what is to come. The story and the way it unfolded was a roller coaster ride that kept me on the edge of my seat. The only other genre that can hold me captive like this thriller is true crime.
The story gets even creepier which keeps me intrigued and wondering what happens next. I thought it couldn't get any worse then this, but it did. As I was reading, I pretended to be an author while trying to figure out what the next devious deed would be. Another unexpected and surprise twist. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 Stars and beyond.


For this suspense novel it was equally as incredible keeping me gripping my seat. A very clever psychological thriller at it's finest that plays with your mind. The dangers and twists came from everywhere when you least expected it.
So much for trying to be a pretending author and believing the untrustworthy characters following not just one but two jaw-dropping unexpected twists at the end. This is a dark and all-consuming novel that kept me up way into the night. What a ride! I highly recommend this book and can't say enough about it. It too get 5 stars and beyond!!!

4 stars!
This is the happiest, most positive true-crime story I've come across in ages. Told from the point of view of a very new police officer, the very first black detective Colorado Springs PD ever had, who was working an intelligence detail when he stumbled across an unusual opportunity, and grabbed it and ran with it. There were some genuinely satisfying, and hilarious, results. Some people are just born to break new ground, but who on this planet expects to be the first-ever black member in good standing of the KKK? The story is simply not to be missed. Well written, too -- I found exactly two (2) typos in the whole book. Read this book!!!

4 stars
This was the unusual story of an extraordinarily vicious murder in Huntington, Indiana, committed by someone everyone thought of as an all-American boy, perfect in every way. Still waters certainly run deep in his case. The authors hammered us over and over about what great guys the killer and his main accomplice were. I couldn't help noticing how much more time and less consideration the third guy got, the one who had almost nothing to do with it but who went into the situation with a bad reputation and paid for that for the rest of his life. It's as if the individual's reputation were more important than the acts he committed. R.I.P. Eldon Anson, the murder victim who was almost entirely lost in the sauce. Well-written and more than worth your time if you are interested in social criticism, true crime, psychology, or what makes kids go wrong.

"In January 1986 the Wheat Ridge Police Department uncovered one of the most vicious crime sprees in Colorado's history. Dating back to 1920, in the small town of Stratton, Colorado, the officers discovered decades of brutal killings and slaughter involving transient farm workers that had been hired to work the fields of the now infamous McCormick farm.
With over 70 bodies buried on the 2,800 acre farm and dozens of others scattered around the country, the body count was extreme.
But with murder, comes the ghostly remains of the dead.
Faced with angry spirits and buckets full of body parts, brought up by their plow, the farms new owners contacted S.P.O.O.K.S Paranormal team for help.
Join author Tracy Beach as she digs through mountains of police casefiles, missing person reports, interviews, court transcripts, autopsy reports and two scrap books full of decomposed bodies being removed from the earth, in her quest to piece together the demented mind of Michael McCormick and figure out what made him tick...and who is really haunting the farm
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Books mentioned in this topic
Whatever Mother Says...: A True Story of a Mother, Madness and Murder (other topics)Final Justice: The True Story of the Richest Man Ever Tried for Murder (other topics)
Body Count: Devoted Father, Decorated Pilot, Serial Killer... (other topics)
A Date With Death (other topics)
Seven Days of Rage: The Deadly Crime Spree of the Craigslist Killer (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Wensley Clarkson (other topics)Gregory White Smith (other topics)
Steven Naifeh (other topics)
Burl Barer (other topics)
Michele R. McPhee (other topics)
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Stolen Away: The True Story of California's Most Shocking Kidnap-Murder
Author: Michael Newton
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
For some inexplicable reason I ended up reading two true crime books, back to back, wherein a 12 yr old girl is murdered. I told my husband I wouldn't be repeating that pattern again. Too much grief, and horror.
Anyway, back to this book. Another cruel, cruel killer. Another innocent, trusting child. The murderer is William Edward Hickman. The child is Marian Parker. Her father, Perry Parker, went through a horror upon finding his daughter's body that would send most people 'round the bend. I am a mother ... of a daughter ... and I'm not sure I would have kept my sanity, if I saw what Perry saw.