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True Crime Read In 2021
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Targeted: A Deputy, Her Love Affairs, A Brutal Murder by M. William Phelps4 stars
I was surprised that this book was not Phelp's usual lengthy tome. Perhaps because he makes a point at the beginning of the book that he is now with Wild Blue Press. His forward is very interesting because he tells us all of his gripes with the True Crime industry. Ok, on to the story.
I thought the crime itself was very interesting. The author leaves it up to the reader if the indicted former female sheriff is the one that killed her boyfriend. So from here on would probably be a spoiler for those who havent read the book. If you have read the book, I would be interested in what you think.
I have never read a True Crime book that left me with so many questions. At first all of the evidence points to the sheriff, Tracy Fortson, as being the person who committed the crime. But I wondered about two things that didn't ring true to me. First, what was her motive? She broke up with her boyfriend, the victim. But that was it. Second, how in the world did one woman stab and kill her boyfriend, then put him in a horse trough, encase him in cement, then get the trough in the back of a truck and take it to the place where it was dumped. We are told that her boss, who she charged with harassment, may have had a motive to frame her but that doesn't seem to be explored either by the police or the author. None of these points were explored much in the book. Anyone have any thoughts? Aside from that it was a good read.
She Survived: Melissa by M. Williams Phelps4 stars
A master of the true crime genre has written a trilogy of short books about women who survived brutal attacks. In this one the victim, Michelle, almost died but managed to hang on until an ambulance came. But she didn't let her attack define her. What the attacker is charged with will surprise you. It was a good book but one star deducted for being fairly repetitive.
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Madness, Sex, Serial Killer: A Disturbing Collection of True Crime Cases by Two Masters of the Genre by M. William Phelps
Finished Sep 3, 2021
M William Phelps has (or had) a TV show. This books goes 'behind the scenes' of the TV show. Detailing some of the reasons for the why he chose these cases, what kind of research he does to prepare etc.
Very interesting and a rather quick read.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson4 stars!
This was a pretty outstanding read. I thought it was strictly going to be about Walter McMillian, but it was the author's memoir of a lot of cases he handled over the years. McMillian case was the most outstanding legal clusterfunk in the batch but there were so many different cases, all of them gone horribly wrong in one way or another. Some of the injustices in here were a whole new breed of cat to me. I came away very, very impressed by the excellent work the author's firm is doing against incredibly steep odds. Read this one!
Standing Strong: An Unlikely Sisterhood and the Court Case that Made History by Diane Reeve 4 stars
One of the first, if not THE first, court cases against a man who knowingly infected many women with HIV. The book is written by one of his victims who was with this man for 4 years, not knowing that he was having numerous affairs. The author was instrumental in gathering as many infected women as possible to have him arrested. This case has been on several true crime tv shows so can easily be found on Youtube.
Beauty Killers: The True Story of a Successful Businessman, His Young Lover, and Their Murderous Rampage by kathy Braidhill5 stars!
This was an exceptional read. Well-written, well-organized, Braidhill imposed order on a nightmarish crazy story. It's full of most of the worst things you can expect to find in a true-crime book but the reader comes away with the definite impression that many, many more crimes were committed that never came to light. It's a wild ride. Don't miss it...if you think you can stomach all this horror.
See How Much You Love Me: A Troubled Teen, His Devoted Parents, and a Cold-Blooded Killing by Amber Hunt2 stars
Kid kills his parents and then has a party afterwards with the bodies in the bedroom. When you are done reading this book that's what you will take away from this book. Apparently there was no motive. The author barely touches on the family dynamics or the personalities of the parents or the two sons. Maybe could have been a good book if the author would have dug a little deeper.
Manson in His Own Words, as told to Nuel Emmons4 stars!
I put off reading this one for ages because I expected it to be a collection.of Manson's pithy quotes. Was I ever wrong. This is close to a complete memoir of his life (up until his early 50s), including most of the story of the Manson murders. This book comes across as believable and it explains some areas of the story I'd almost given up on learning about. Well written by Nuel Emmons and very much worth your time. I don't know that I can believe every word Charlie says in here but it makes more sense than other versions of the story. Funny that Charlie, a diagnosed schizophrenic, seems so much less crazy than some of his biographers...
A Deadly Secret: The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst, by Matt Birkbeck4 stars
The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is the unfortunate fact that the author had to end us on a cliffhanger, with half a zillion unanswered questions about the suspect. Decades of good sleuthing has led us right up to the precipice of knowing everything -- or maybe nothing -- about this weird guy. Well-written with short, punchy chapters that kept me turning the pages.
Halloween Mysteries: 9 Terrifying Stories that Took Place on Halloween: True Tales, by Roger P. Mills3 stars
A collection of true mysteries that happened on Halloween, all unsolved to this day as far as I know. The only piece of one mystery that has been cleared up since the book was released, as far as I know, is the identity of "Orange Socks," a woman who was found dead on the side of a Texas highway on Halloween, 1979. (Her name is Debra Jackson. They still don't know who left her there.) All of them are maddening in different ways. I would have liked this one better if I had not been familiar with so many of the stories already, but it was an interesting, quick read about people who disappeared, people who appeared without identities, and murders that may or may not be murders at all.
The Vampire Next Door: True Story of the Vampire Rapist and Serial Killer, by JT Hunter4 stars
This story is soooo messed up. All those who love true mysteries, true horror stories and true crime should seek it out. There aren't too many stories like this to be found anywhere. I hope.
Caged Heat, by Wensley Clarkson3 lukewarm stars
This was just okay. Not really up to the author's usual standard. Several capsule summaries of super-famous cases and just a half-handful of new ones. In only a single case did the author appear to have personally interviewed the inmate in question. There was a disturbing emphasis on the level of the convicts' sex drives, something I have never seen in a TC about a male suspect or convict unless he was a serial killer. But a few of the stories were interesting.
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3 lukewarm stars
This was just okay. Not really up to the author's usual standard. Several capsule summaries of super-famous cases and just a half-ha..."
I think I read this a long time ago. Going to check.
OK I posted it here in 2012, but apparently read it long before that.
"February 15, 2012 – Shelved
January 1, 1999 – Finished Reading"
Hungary's Finest Killers: by Maia Morgan3 reluctant stars
I paged through this one in probably a couple of hours. It was made up of very brief summaries of the crimes of Hungarian multiple murderers, starting with good old Bela Kiss, ending with Erszebet Bathory and branching out in between to include a number of people I never heard of in my life, including that rarest of birds, a female necrophiliac serial sex killer. The writing was understandable but someone should have "Englished" the text to make sure the translation really made sense. And oh, man, did I ever long for more photos and details!
His Name is Ron: Our Search for Justice, by the Goldman Family5 stars!
This was an outstanding read. There is probably no way to fully capture what the Goldman family went through after their son Ron was murdered by O.J. Simpson, but this book does a remarkable job. Long stretches of the story took place in courtrooms, which usually makes for a tedious read, but the authors pulled it all together in a way that made me miss sleep because I had to keep reading. This is especially remarkable considering that I already knew going in how it was going to come out. The other great strength of this book is I came away with a real sense of who Ron Goldman was, a taste of his personality, as well as a sense of the personality of the Goldman family. So many books of this type just don't give you that. Now I feel I know what we all lost, what the world lost when O.J. stabbed Ron Goldman to death. Read this one!
The Millionaire's Wife: The True Story of a Real Estate Tycoon, his Beautiful Young Mistress, and a Marriage that Ended in Murder by Cathy Scott2 stars
The book seems to be taken entirely from court records and newspaper articles. Very repetitious. There was nothing that set this book apart from the many other books that have been written about spouses murdering spouses for the insurance money.
My James: The Heartrending Story of James Bulger by His Father, by Ralph Bulger4 stars
This book was so painful to read that I kept having to stop and take breaks from it. It's the story of the most shocking single murder of the 1990s, or do I mean all of human history, seen from the point of view of the devastated victim's father and his family. The dad and his co-author manage to encompass the whole first 20 years of their ordeal and the British legal system's completely inadequate response. They lay out exactly where they found gaping holes in the system and make suggestions to start addressing them. Well worth your time if you have a strong stomach. Well worth your time if you don't.
The Life and Death of Anna Mae Aquash, by Johanna Brand3 stars
This was described as being about Anna Mae Aquash herself, and her murder, but most of the book was about the events surrounding the shooting war between the FBI and the American Indian Movement shortly before Aquash's murder. Those events were inextricable from her death but as in real life, I felt Anna Mae was pretty much lost in the sauce. For all that it was an interesting mini-biography, written very much in context.
Othello Rising: the Hunt for the Harvard Student Boston Strangler and Zodiac Suspect by Hank Brewster1 measly star
This book is like reading Steve Hodel if he wrote his Black Dahlia books after flunking his GED test. What a disappointment this book was. I hoped for a serious investigation into the man called "David Parker" in books on the Michigan Murders and the Boston Strangler case, but what I got was a bizarro theory that this man -- never named in the book -- was personally responsible not only for some of the Boston murders, but for the Michigan Murders, the Zodiac killings, the Santa Rosa series, the Original Night Stalker murders, and any other unsolved killings he stumbled across. It would be preposterous even if many of the cases hadn't already been solved. If he had presented a shred of evidence for any of it I would have listened, but he just didn't. He appears to dismiss actual police investigation out of hand, contradicts himself wildly, and the text itself is so randomly spelled and punctuated that this alone would have cast doubt on everything he was saying. He never even told us "David Parker's" real name which would have been at least a crumb of fact. A guy who thinks the University of Michigan and Michigan State are the same school and that college students join the Peach Corps is just not trying very hard.
Koren wrote: "A Tangled Web by Leslie Rule 5 stars
Leslie Rule's mother is Ann Rule, one of my favorite authors. Her books were always on my Christmas wish li..."
Great Review! Going to put it on my TBR!
Fishface wrote: "In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agent's Relentless Pursuit of the Nation's Worst Predators, Jeffrey Rinek5 stars!
A great read, full of well-told stories of true crime cases...."
Anxious to read this one! Thanks for your great insight and review.
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Obsessed with True Crime
Books mentioned in this topic
In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agent's Relentless Pursuit of the Nation's Worst Predators (other topics)A Tangled Web (other topics)
Othello Rising: the Hunt for the Harvard Student Boston Strangler and Zodiac Suspect (other topics)
The Life and Death of Anna Mae Aquash (other topics)
My James: The Heartrending Story of James Bulger by His Father (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
M. William Phelps (other topics)Peter Brackney (other topics)
Melina Druga (other topics)
Harold Schechter (other topics)
Caitlin Rother (other topics)
More...
3 stars
This is the coffee-table book you have been looking for if you're into true crime. It's a photo essay of sorts, almost devoid of text except for a couple of items left behind after the Starkweather/ Fugate investigation, including a written confession by the defendants, a few entertaining little items found in Bob Jensen's wallet at the scene of his death and a postcard Chuck wrote to his parents after his arrest. There was also a little booklet tucked in a back pocket with critics' rhapsodies about Patterson's photos and, finally, a listing explaining more or less what the photos were. This book added a dimension to my understanding of the events and gave it all a much more 3D feel.