10.7 (Beware the Ides of March)

[Cynthia]

10.7 - Beware the Ides of March
On March 15th in 44 BC, Julius Caesar, leader of Rome was stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and several other Roman senators...Read a book of True Crime. Ex. The Darkest Night: The Murder of Innocence in a Small Town

If you need suggestions OR have suggestions for books to read for this task post them here.

[Sara ♥]

True Crime, according to Wikipedia

Ideas, anyone? Something that isn't going to give me nightmares?

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

In Cold Blood?

Would Columbine work? I saw it on a list of true crime but it was one of the GR lists soo sometimes things just get put on there.

[Sara ♥]

Scary... I found a list of true crime novels on one of the Newsletters, and Catch Me If You Can was on there. I think I might go that route...

[Melissa]

Ann Rule writes a lot of true crime:

If You Really Loved Me
And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano, the Deadly Seducer
Every Breath You Take: A True Story of Obsession, Revenge, and Murder

[Nicole]

I am going to read A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder And Its Aftermath.

I highly recommend In Cold Blood. It was excellent.

[Cait]

I highly recommend In Cold Blood. It was excellent."

That's what I'll be reading, and I'm really looking forward to it.

[TMBookluvr]

would The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town work?

[Jenna]

Cait wrote: "I highly recommend In Cold Blood. It was excellent."

That's what I'll be reading, and I'm really looking forward to it.

"

I'll be reading this as well. I've had it lined up for other challenges but never got to it. Hopefully I can read it for this one!

[Cynthia]

Jamie wrote: "In Cold Blood?

Would Columbine work? I saw it on a list of true crime but it was one of the GR lists soo sometimes things just get put on there."
Columbine works

Tracey wrote: "would The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town work?"
Yes

[Fiona (Titch)]

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, I think I might read this 1, is this ok?

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Thanks Cynthia!

[Sarah (Mood Reader)]

There is also Deadly Deception by Brenda Gunn and Shannon Richardson as well as Kill Grandma For Me. Anyone know any good books about The Zodiac?

[kiki]

i would think that Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts would work for this, no? it's fabulous, if anyone is looking for a fun and fascinating read.

[Sara ♥]

Would The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession work?

[Sara ♥]

kiki wrote: "i would think that Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts would work for this, ..."

Transylvanian pelt smuggling??? *RANDOM!!* That sounds fascinating!

[Megan]

OH! I definitely read "Transylvanian PET smuggling." Silly me. It still sounds funny, though, and since I'm not a fan of this genre, it could be a good choice for me.

[Rachel Erin]

Sarah wrote: "There is also Deadly Deception by Brenda Gunn and Shannon Richardson as well as Kill Grandma For Me. Anyone know any good books about The Zodiac?"

I haven't read it but Zodiac by Robert Graysmith but it's supposed to be really good.

In general, I highly recommend The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America but I did find it a bit scary (of course I'm also a wimp)

[Cynthia]

I'm not a huge fan of this genre either but I can highly recommend Shot in the Heart - I read it is a criminal psych class in college and LOVED IT as it reads like fiction.


Sara ♥ wrote: "Would The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession work?"
Yes

Fiona (Titch) wrote: "The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, I think I might read this 1, is this ok?"

Yes

[Jenna]

Rachel Erin wrote: "Sarah wrote: "There is also Deadly Deception by Brenda Gunn and Shannon Richardson as well as Kill Grandma For Me. Anyone know any good books about The Zodiac?"

I haven't read it ..."

Devil in the White City is great! I would recommend this one too!

[Angela]

Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge
by Jim Schutze

While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family (Hardcover) by Kathryn Harrison

[Cait]

John Douglas is a personal hero of mine. I highly recommend
The Cases That Haunt Us, as well as Journey Into Darkness and Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit.

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi is an excellent (and incredibly disturbing) book. He also wrote And the Sea Will Tell, which I have on my monstrous TBR list.

[Patricia]

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

[Donna Jo]

Ann Rule has written a number of true crime books. Bitter Harvest was written about a murder case here in the Kansas City area, but she's done lots of others, usually crime involving family members.

[Rachel Lee]

Donna Jo wrote: "Ann Rule has written a number of true crime books. Bitter Harvest was written about a murder case here in the Kansas City area, but she's done lots of others, usually c..."


Donna Jo-thanks for that suggestion! I have always meant to read "bitter harvest" but had totally forgotten about it. The husband in this book was my grandfather's cardiologist during the time he was being poisoned so this case has always fascinated me!

[Janice]

Here are a few I found to be really good.

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi
Author was the prosecutor in the case.

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
This is the book that began her career as a true crime author. She worked with Ted Bundy at a suicide hot line center. They were actually friends.

Alone With the Devil: Famous Cases of a Courtroom Psychiatrist by Ronald Markman
Markman is the psychiatrist who analyzed Manson, Marvin Gay Senior, and other infamous killers to decide if they should be labeled as sane or insane.
It's a tough read, due to the violence, but it is also extremely interesting to learn how the court deciphers between intent and madness. It would seem obvious, but it is a very fine line. I also liked it because of the author's writing style. You want to put it down, but you can't.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt
This book is great. Berendt's descriptions of the people and culture of Savannah were so engaging I actually went there, last year, for Halloween. I loved it.

[Usako]

Thanks Rachel Erin! Yesterday I planned to recommend that book but I couldn't recall the title!

[Bridgit]

Rachel Erin wrote: "Sarah wrote: "There is also Deadly Deception by Brenda Gunn and Shannon Richardson as well as Kill Grandma For Me. Anyone know any good books about The Zodiac?"

I haven't read it ..."

Oh gosh - i HATED Zodiac. was one of the slowest most boring books i have ever read. It needed to be about 200 pages shorter.

[Julie]

I'm reading The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. I checked it out of the library a week before the list was posted.

[Cicek]

for those of you who want to take a different route, there are some pretty good art theft/forgery books out there. ex: I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger or Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa

I was wondering if a book on piracy would work? for example Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates or Piracy: The Complete History

[Katie]

Cicek wrote: "for those of you who want to take a different route, there are some pretty good art theft/forgery books out there. ex: [book:I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest For..."

That's an interesting idea, Cicek. Thanks for the recommendations. Do you have a favorite?

[Jan (the Gryphon)]

Nutcracker: Money, Madness, Murder - A Family Album by Shana Alexander is about a really odd family dynamic that includes a real life murder.

[Rach]

I read Columbine last summer and highly recommend it!

[Liz M]

Amanda wrote: "Would Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood work?"

Cynthia has the final say, but true crime is typically non-fiction.

[Cynthia]

Liz wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Would Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood work?"

Cynthia has the final say, but true crime is typically non-fiction."
It needs to be non-fiction for this task.

[Sarah (Mood Reader)]

Would She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall work for this task?

[Cynthia]

Sarah wrote: "Would She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall work for this task?"

No because it's not really about the crime just a bio of one of the victims.

[Diane]

Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation by Janine Latus
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt

[Usako]

Under the Banner of Heaven to me wasn't completely true crime. It opens with the crime but dwelves into the history of Mormenism for over half the book. The trial is in the latter portion.

Fascinating book though.

[Katie]

Diane wrote: "Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
[book:If I Am Mis..."

The Monster of Florence sounds really scary, Diane. Have you read that one? What did you think?

Tanja, I think Under the Banner of Heaven would work for this task. All of the chapters about the history of the LDS church and its extremist off-shoots are background for the crime, explaining how it's possible for someone to think God has asked him to commit such heinous murder. The crime, rather than the history of the church, was really the central idea. Cynthia would have the final word, though.

[Diane]

Katie wrote: "Diane wrote: "Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
[book:I..."

No, I haven't read it yet. I think it is the book I will be using for this task. I'll try not to read it before bedtime...

[Usako]

Katie, wikipedia listed it as an investigative nonfiction. I suppose it's more the style and the bulk of history which pulled away from the crime itself to me. I do LIKE the book. Just never would have immediately thought it was true crime. Hee! Oh and amazon does categorize it as true crime.

[Liz M]

Diane wrote: "Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy..."

I believe The Black Dahlia does not work because it is fiction.

[Diane]

Liz wrote: "Diane wrote: "Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy..."

I ..."

It is about a real murder case involving Elizabeth Short in 1947.

[Cait]

Diane wrote: "Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
[book:If I Am Mis..."

Thanks for the mention of The Monster of Florence! It looks really intriguing and I've added it to my TBR.

[Diane]

Cait wrote: "Diane wrote: "Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
[book:I..."

Thank you!

[Liz M]

Diane wrote: "Liz wrote: "Diane wrote: "Here's a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
It is about a real murder case involving Elizabeth Short in 1947. "

So is Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, & in message 36, Cynthia said no to Alias Grace & said it had to be a non-fiction book.

[Usako]

Well the Monster of Florence would work for the journalist task since a character in the book is a journalist!

[Cicek]

Katie wrote: "Cicek wrote: "for those of you who want to take a different route, there are some pretty good art theft/forgery books out there. ex: [book:I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century'..."

I haven't read either yet, but I gave I was Vermeer to my husband's grandma for Christmas. She is an artist and she loved it.

Cynthia- would any of those "history of piracy" type of books I mentioned before work for this challenge?

[Cynthia]

Cicek wrote: "Katie wrote: "Cicek wrote: "for those of you who want to take a different route, there are some pretty good art theft/forgery books out there. ex: [book:I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twen..."
Along as they are nonfiction yes because pirates are criminals.