Obsessed with True Crime discussion
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True crime read 2022-2023: Post reviews here!
Fishface wrote: "The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt3 stars...or was it 4?
This book was exhausting in the way that [bo..."
Sounds interesting, at least a bit different than the norm.
Murder, Interrupted by James Patterson4 stars
Two true crime cases in one book. Both were interesting. The first is about a husband who hires a hit man to kill his wife, but it is not as cut and dried as it sounds. There are some twists and turns and some bizarre characters. The second is about Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and probably the worst case of Maunchausens by Proxy ever. This one sounded familiar and I know I have read about it before. As usual, Patterson's books move along quickly and don't dwell on details. He sums up the trials in a few sentences. I am deducting one star because I would have liked it if he had delved into the past lives of the main characters more and explored what made them the way they were, especially the mother with Maunchausen's by Proxy.
Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod, by Casey Sherman4 reluctant stars
This was OK, but there was not much "untold story" here at all. It was precisely the same story I just got through re-reading in In His Garden: The Anatomy of a Murderer. The author did do a great job of putting the story in the context of all the other craziness in the news just then. I didn't realize that the Truro murders happened pretty much back to back with the first moon landing, the publication of the novel that made Kurt Vonnegut a household name, Chappaquiddick, and the Manson Murders. A lot of the "untold story" here was pure fancy on the author's part, telling us what Costa thought about this, that and the other -- thoughts he had no way of knowing. Also, the book needed a serious final copyedit to remove the usage errors ("he shuffled passed the two paintings" being a typical example). With all that said, this version of the story has a wonderfully cinematic quality and it was a very enjoyable read.
Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz5 enthusuastic stars!
This was a really outstanding read. I literally noticed my jaw hanging at some of the twists and turns in this story. As I read I had to keep adding the book to more shelves in the TC library because this guy was into so many bad things. I read it only because another book I was reading mentioned a character's sadness that Nixon's VP had to step down for tax evasion. But there is so very much more going on here! Well-written and really kept me turning the pages. I'm sorry I didn't buy this instead of getting it from the library.
Fishface wrote: "Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz5 enthusuastic stars!
This was a re..."
Ooh, Rachel Maddow...didn't know she had written a true-crime book. Interesting!
Fishface wrote: "Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz5 enthusuastic stars!
This was a re..."
I will look that one up. Love Rachel! Fishface, do you think his crimes were fairly tame compared to what is going on today?
A Mind for Murder: the Real-Life Files of a Psychic Investigator by Noreen Renier3 stars
Interesting look at how a psychic works to solve crimes. It would be hard to be a skeptic after reading this. The only complaint I would have about this book is halfway through the book the stories started to sound the same and there was little background information about the crimes except for her part in it.
Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz5 enthusuastic star..."
Honestly, he looks like a direct ancestor to what's going on today, but yes, in some ways milder.
The Murder of Jeffrey Dryden: The Grim Truth Surrounding Male Domestic Abuse, by Troy Veenstra3 reluctant stars
This was a short read, very heartfelt, but still very hard to get through because of the writing. It's the kind of book you have to stop reading periodically to go back, re-read and try to figure out what point the author was trying to make. It's full of contradictory statements, 25-cent words, even a few words he appears to have made up himself, and oy vey. I think the points he did make in here are important and need to be better known -- I can summarize it by saying that battered men are still in the same position today that battered women were in circa 1970 -- but for crying out loud, man, hire a copyeditor! RIP Jeff. I looked up the killer on OTIS and she was smiling happily in her mugshot. Scrod help any guy who crosses her path after she's released.
Just finished it and it was a quick read. Poor Jeff. We have all made our share of mistakes in picking partners, but at least most of us have survived. The killer is on a pen pal website and could be out in 2025. Lock up the steak knives.
K.A. wrote: "Ooh, Rachel Maddow...didn't know she had written a true-crime book. Interesting!"VERY highly recommended!
Mom, Dad, Mike and Pattie by Bonnie Remsberg4 solid stars!
An excellent read that made a serious attempt to understand this terrible crime without sinking to the usual level of shoot-from-the-hip psychoanalysis. Full of interesting facts about the investigation. Very informative and insightful. Well worth your time.
Secrets of a Marine's Wife: A True Story of Marriage, Obsession, and Murder by Shanna Hogan5 stars
Shanna Hogan is an excellent True Crime author. She is becoming one of my favorites. The thing I liked best about this book was that I felt like I got to know all of the characters and their families. I liked that there was new information in the investigation and trial and what we already knew was condensed. I refrained from reading the back cover and looking at the pictures so for quite a while I was wondering if the husband killed the wife or the friend. Kept my interest from beginning to end.
(Update to review):
Rather than do an edit I decided to do an update. I think I heard this before as it sounded familiar but I had totally forgotten about it. Shanna Hogan died 2 years ago after falling and hitting her head in a swimming pool. Her small son was with her but had a flotation device on and he was fine when Shanna's body was found. So I am sad there will be no more books from Shanna.
I read Hogan's Dancing with Death and I highly recommend it as at the top level of the 300+ true crime books that I have read.
Bill wrote: "I read Hogan's Dancing with Death and I highly recommend it as at the top level of the 300+ true crime books that I have read."Agree!
Hometown Killer by Carol Rothgeb1 star
If you like your true crime to be word for word transcripts then this is for you. Otherwise, skip it. Can you even be called an author if all you do is copy transcripts? I'm not really sure why I finished it, but mostly I skimmed.
Murder of an Elvis Girl: Solving the Jenny Maxwell Case by Buddy Moorehouse4 stars
Not as much a true crime story as a biography of a young woman who had a brief shot at stardom, but pretty much ruined it with drugs and alcohol and irresponsibility. The crime itself is a short part of the book. Very interesting story and I had a hard time putting this down. There was only one thing that kept this from being a 5 star book for me and that is because there is a lot of conversation and saying what her thoughts were, and I wondered if the conversation was made up or where it would have come from.
Tamam Shud: The Somerton Man Mystery by Kerry Greenwood4 stars!
I really enjoyed this head-scratcher of a case which may or may not be a crime story. Well written and moves right along. I came away feeling that the answer was almost within reach, but then the author included a short story she wrote 'solving' the mystery, just to remind me that until we have a solid answer, every theory about the Somerton Man is mostly fanciful.
Koren wrote: "Hometown Killer by Carol Rothgeb1 star
If you like your true crime to be word for word transcripts then this is for you. Otherwise, skip it. Can y..."
I found it hard to get through too, but because of the competemcy and ethical issues involved I wanted to see how it came out. It was such a slog!
Mod
Reposting to add link: Dancing with Death: The True Story of a Glamorous Showgirl, her Wealthy Husband, and a Horrifying Murder by Shanna Hogan
Mod
Book by Novoneel Chakraborty"
Could be wrong, but I don't think this is True Crime. On the off chance I am wrong I am going to leave it.
Lady ♥ Belleza wrote: "Pramod wrote: "Whisper to Me Your LiesBook by Novoneel Chakraborty"
Could be wrong, but I don't think this is True Crime. On the off chance I am wrong I am going to leave it."
Someone added a romance novel to the shelves not long ago. Obviously she didn't even notice what we are about here. "Hey, maybe these people who like to read about Ponzi schemes and terrorist attacks will think my love story fits into their library..."
Mod
My first response was WTF or LOL, then I remembered some authors will just spam a bunch of groups with their book and not even look at the name of the group. However I have been accused of not being supportive of fledgling TC authors so I tread lightly now.
Lady ♥ Belleza wrote: " My first response was WTF or LOL, then I remembered some authors will just spam a bunch of groups with their book and not even look at the name of the group. However I have been accused of not being supportive of fledgling TC authors so I tread lightly now."Accused by who?
Say You Love Satan by David St. Clair4 stars
October seemed like the perfect time to read this book about teenagers who got into Satanism, drugs, alcohol and sex. This book is not for the faint of heart. The murder is quite gristly. The crazy thing about this murder is that the kids didn't come from poor backgrounds. In fact, some of them were very privileged. I thought it was sad to think about how young these kids were and how drugs basically ruined a lot of lives.
Koren wrote: "Say You Love Satan by David St. Clair4 stars
October seemed like the perfect time to read this book about teenagers who got into Satanism, drug..."
I keep meaning to re-read this one!
True Crime Stories You Won't Believe: A Cavalcade of Chaotic Justice by Romeo Vitelli3 solid stars!
An enjoyable, interesting read. Some of the cases were very familiar but others were totally new to me. As promised, every one of the cases was loopy in some way. I look forward to the second volume. My only quibbles with the writing are that some of the names are misspelled and the author needs to master the use of the past-perfect tense. That's spectacular praise for a book that appears to have been self-published.
Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps4 stars
The murder of Dustin Wehde by Tracey Richter. There is never a dull moment in this book. The murderer got away with it for 10 years before 2 investigators took a look at the case and decided to reopen the case. How it wasn't solved earlier is beyond comprehension. The author does a great job of getting inside the head of the murderer, which is a Phelps trademark. I loved the epilogue at the end of the book. It didn't just summarize the whole story but he shares insights that happened during and after the writing in the book. It is certainly worth your time to do a google search to read more about the people supporting the murderer.
Koren wrote: "Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps4 stars
The murder of Dustin Wehde by Tracey Richter. There is never a dull moment in this book. The m..."
Does he say how he got inside the head of the murderer? Did he interview the guy in depth, read anything written by the guy concerning his internal life and motivations, or a memoir actually written by the guy, or affidavits of reports of people who examined the guy, or anything with some authenticity? Or is it Phelps' supposition about the subject?
I'm tired of authors "ideas" of what is or was in the guys head.
Koren wrote: "Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps4 stars
[bookcover:Beautifully Cruel|3505307
The murder of Dustin Wehde by Tracey Richter. There is never a dull moment in this book. The m..."
Can you answer a question for me, Koren?
Does phelps include an index, an appendix of sources, maybe a bibliography? I like to know whether I am reading for entertainment only or for actual valid insights.
Here is a list of the best true crime books I’ve read The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy: A Life From Beginning to End
I'm Not Guilty: The Development of the Violent Mind: The Case of Ted Bundy
Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen
History of a Drowning Boy: Dennis Nilsen – The Autobiography
Our Story
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
All That Is Wicked: A Gilded-Age Story of Murder and the Race to Decode the Criminal Mind
A Stolen Life
The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer
Deity World wrote: "Here is a list of the best true crime books I’ve read The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy: A Life From Beginning to End
[book:I'm Not Guilty: The De..."
Nice list
Hari wrote: "Koren wrote: "Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps4 stars
[bookcover:Beautifully Cruel|3505307
The murder of Dustin Wehde by Tracey Richter. There is never a dull moment in this ..."
No index or reference list.
Hari wrote: "Koren wrote: "Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps4 stars
The murder of Dustin Wehde by Tracey Richter. There is never a dull moment in th..."
If you've ever read Phelps, that is his trademark, to delve into the psychiatric side of the story. He used to have a show on ID network and used profilers on his show and there was a guy that was in shadows that was a murderer and helped him dig into what goes through a serial killer's mind. The last chapter tells us some of the process he went through to talk to some of the people, but the Killer Tracy was advised by her lawyers not to talk to him because until all appeals had been exhausted.
Love Me to Death by Steve Jackson3 stars
The first half of the book was interesting, although pretty graphic and grisly. The second half was word for word testimony that was mostly repetition. This is the case of William Lee "Cody" Neal, who murdered 3 women and kidnapped and raped several others.
Tell Edith Goodbye: A True Crime Story of Depravity and Obsession During the Great Depression by Michael Grimm 4 stars
I thought the story was made more interesting knowing that the two victims were relatives of the author. He did a lot of research to find out what happened to two of his uncles back in the 30's. It was a different time and I think people were more trusting then. The murders happened almost 100 years ago. Today people would not be so naive to trust a 20 something man to be alone with a 12 year old girl. It is a sad story and the follow-up at the end is even sadder. I wish there would have been more recent pictures of the family but all-in-all a good story.
Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas' Most Notorious Female Killer, by Glenn Puit4 stars!
A good read! This one moved right along -- there were several bombshells tucked away in these pages -- and the story was not repetitive at all. The courtroom proceedings were described well without belaboring everything we already knew about the investigation from earlier chapters. there was not much from the mouth of the defendant, but I suspect she didn't have a lot to say to the author charting her downfall. Includes grody crime-scene photos and quite a few maddening, unanswered questions.
In the Middle of the Night: The Shocking True Story of a Family Killed in Cold Blood by Brian McDonald2 stars
I went back and forth on how I felt about this book about two men that killed a mother and two daughters and severely injured the father. At first, I thought it was going to be a 5-star book. But after a while, I started to realize the author was focusing on one of the murderers and not really anyone else. Perhaps because this criminal was the only person who cooperated with the writing of the book. As I got closer to the end, I realized that the trial hadn't happened yet, and a search told me that in fact the murderers didn't go to trial for about 2 weeks after they were arrested. Normally, I complain if there is too much investigation and trial, but this book had virtually none. It was pretty much all about the one murderer and his background. That was interesting but needed to be a much more rounded book. I also got a laugh when the author commented that he had left the murderer's spelling errors in the letters he mailed to the author. The author didn't say anything about his own typos, which were numerous.
The Lost, by Jack Ketchum3 stars
Started reading this before I remembered that it was already on our Fictionalized TC and Charles Schmid shelves. This was pretty OK. Ray Pye was not a bad match for his real-life counterpart, but Ray's exploits were far removed from Smitty's true story, and there were a few other issues too. The sentences were much too long and after the author moved Smitty's story 5 years into the future, around the time of the Manson murders he moved the hazards of prison life 10 years past that, into the early 1980s, and the slang used by the characters all the way up into the 1990s, so all of it was just subtly off. With that said, this was a grim, gripping, suspenseful story, with many horrifying moments. Worth your time.
Mod
2 stars
[bookcover:In the Middle of the Night: The Shocking True Story of a Fam..."
I haven't read any books about this case but I remember reading the news articles.
Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod by Casey Sherman 3 stars
If I had read the author's notes that are at the end of the book first, I would have probably put this book down before I started it. While the crime was interesting, I couldn't help feeling that the conversations and the characters inner thoughts were made up. Then at the end, the author explains that they were made up and explains why he felt the need to do that. I'm not a fan of mixing nonfiction with fiction just to keep the story interesting. The main reason I kept going with the book was to figure out what Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut had to do with the crime. That was the most interesting part of the book. I think if the author had stuck to the nonfiction story it could have been a 5 star book for me.
Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story by David Robertson and Scott Henderson3 stars
I was hoping for an actual biography but this proved to be a graphic novel, short even by the standards of that genre. It told me more about the hideous crime against her and put her murder in the larger context of crimes against First Nations women in Canada. RIP Betty.
Charles Manson and the Killing of Shorty Shea by Edwin Colin3 stars
A really good read that told me a great deal about Don "Shorty" Shea, his family and friends, and life at the Spahn movie ranch -- one of the wellsprings of the Manson murders. This book includes quite a decent amount of "what ever happened to this person after the trial" biographical detail. I was thrown to learn nothing more at all about Juan Flynn, who counted Shorty as his best friend, but I learned a great deal more about some of the others in this cast of characters. Worth your time! The authors know the difference between "hone" and "home" but I still don't understand why they kept putting an asterisk after a statement and then putting the "footnote" -- if it really was a footnote -- 2 paragraphs away or immediately afterwards in the text. Made no sense at all to me. Timelines were scrambled and people met for the first time after they had worked together for years, in a series of surreal touches you'll find throughout the text. But those are quibbles; this is a great place to learn about the doomed ranch hand and his colorful life.
The Devil's Harvest: A Ruthless Killer, a Terrorized Community, and the Search for Justice in California's Central Valley by Jessica Garrison5 stars
Very well-written true crime case. There are many layers to this story and a great amount of research that went into this book. I'm always interested in the immigrant experience and this book gives an excellent account of what immigrants go through when they come here wanting to work and the landlords take advantage of them. On top of that, she does a lot of research into the drug trade. The murderer in this story got away with his crimes for 20+ years and probably murdered at least 35 people. The strange thing about him was that most people thought he was a really nice guy, but you didn't want to make him mad. Even after he was caught, the cops were amazed at how cooperative he was. His name was Jose Martinez and most of the book takes place in the San Joaquin Valley in California.
Koren wrote: "Say You Love Satan by David St. Clair4 stars
October seemed like the perfect time to read this book about teenagers who got into Satanism, drug..."
Hown8n the everlovin' blue-eyed world did you get hold of an affordable copy!? When I read your review and decided that, yeah, I wanted to re-read this one, used mass-market paperbacks were going for $55 at the cheapest. The first one listed for sale was over 300 smackers!
Mod
In other words, just keep reading and post your reviews here!
Lady ♥ Belleza wrote: "Since there are only 99 posts, I decided to edit the title instead of making a new thread. In other words, just keep reading and post your reviews here!"
I wonder what that's about. Are people not reading TC or not posting what they've read?
Say You Love Satan by David St. Clair3 stars
I revisited this several decades after it first came out. I remembered almost none of it other than Gary's death scene and the fact that there was not a single photo of the victim in the book. A sorry, depressing situation followed by a gobsmacker of a trial that kept this story from being just a reiteration of the TC movie RIVER'S EDGE. Well-written, albeit slightly odd in some ways. Did everyone in Long Island in the 1980s really call their weed "marijuana cigarettes"? The final analysis delivered by a welfare mom at the end of the book nailed the psychology of the situation perfectly. If you can find a copy it's well worth your time.
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Obsessed with True Crime
Books mentioned in this topic
The Trees (other topics)A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy (other topics)
Imprisoned by Fear: A true, tragic story of teens, drugs, burglaries and a homeowner?s fear of death by his own guns (other topics)
The Amish Wife (other topics)
Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders (other topics)
More...
3 stars...or was it 4?
This book was exhausting in the way that The Levy caper was: the author galloped all over the world, again and again, chasing something just out of her grasp. The more frustrated she became, the more she wanted it. If you like crime this book has plenty of it, starting out with a grisly murder and moving from there into all areas of bad activity, from questionable research practices and smuggling to genocide and gang violence. But I found myself wondering what the author was even doing here.