Best of
True-Crime

1998

Sins of the Brother: The Definitive Story of Ivan Milat and the Backpacker Murders


Mark Whittaker - 1998
    Describes his childhood and his relationship with his large family, particularly with his brothers. Examines the events leading up to the killings, the police investigations and the aftermath of Milat's arrest. Draws extensively on personal interviews with members of the Milat family and people involved in the investigations.

Monster


Steve Jackson - 1998
    Her predator's violence had only just begun. Tom Luther enticed a chain of women into his murderous trap. Steve Jackson recounts the pursuit and long-awaited conviction of a charismatic, monstrous psychopath.

Guilty by Reason of Insanity: A Psychiatrist Explores the Minds of Killers


Dorothy Otnow Lewis - 1998
    Among the notorious murderers she has examined are Ted Bundy, Arthur Shawcross, and Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon. Now she shares her groundbreaking discoveries--and the chilling encounters that led to them.From a juvenile court in Connecticut to the psychiatric wards of New York City's Bellevue Hospital, from maximum security prisons to the corridors of death row, Lewis and her colleague, the eminent neurologist Jonathan Pincus, search to understand the origins of violence. Guilty by Reason of Insanity is an utterly absorbing odyssey that will forever change the way you think about crime, punishment, and the law itself.

Trace Evidence: The Hunt for the I-5 Serial Killer


Bruce Henderson - 1998
    Trace Evidence, by contrast, has a steady relentlessness that allows the reader to become fascinated by the characters of the investigators and the facts of how the evidence was assembled. This killer specialized in picking up his victims along Interstate 5, near Sacramento, California, and he had an odd penchant for snipping at their clothes with scissors. As deaths of young women in several different jurisdictions began to form a pattern, a few detectives with contrasting approaches (excitable and given to hunches vs. cool and logical) formed a team. Author Bruce Henderson relates how they followed through on a bewildering number of leads, how they ranked their potential suspects on a point system that proved remarkably effective, and how, finally, a trace evidence expert spent many long hours looking through a microscope to cinch the case with analysis of fibers. Trace Evidence is skillfully structured, emphasizing the investigation rather than the trial, and includes crisp photographs of the key evidence. It would have been a better book if the author had included a timeline of the crimes and a map of the area, but that is a small nitpick about an excellent work of journalism. --Fiona Webster

Obsession


John E. Douglas - 1998
    With a deep sense of compassion for the victims and an uncanny understanding of the perpetrators, Douglas exposes the chilling obsessions that compel the murderers, rapists, and stalkers.

Death Sentence


Jerry Bledsoe - 1998
    When she “accidentally” shot her husband, popular high school coach, Russ, the police were inclined to believe her—until they learned that ten years earlier, her first husband had died in a strangely similar way. Sgt. Rick Buchanan’s relentless investigation into Stager’s life revealed a stunning vortex of compulsive lying, obsessive spending, and sexual promiscuity. With every new discovery, more of Barbara’s impeccable image unraveled. But the greatest shock—a damning piece of evidence Russ Stager left behind—revealed the nightmare truth about Barbara. With “the fine-toothed-comb reporting of [an] ace crime journalist,” this book takes us deep into a spellbinding case of double life, lethal lust, and almost perfect murder (Kirkus Reviews).“A shocking and well-written portrait of a dangerous woman.” —The New York Times“Mesmerizing.” —Ann Rule, New York Times–bestselling author of The Stranger Beside Me “This account of manipulation, compulsive spending, lying, promiscuity, and murder is made even more chilling by the fact that appearances are often deceiving.” —Library Journal“A profile of evil . . . Fascinating.” —The Baltimore Sun“Jerry Bledsoe is the master of true crime, the conclusion to what Truman Capote began. . . . Another stunning success.” —Patricia Cornwell, New York Times–bestselling author of Chaos

Triumph of Justice: The Final Judgment on the Simpson Saga


Peter Knobler - 1998
    Simpson civil trial, he was one of the few people in America who had paid little attention to the Simpson criminal trial. His first inclination was to turn down the case. But as friends and clients urged him to accept, as he got to know not only the Goldmans but the facts of the case and the human tragedy lurking behind it, Petrocelli realized this was something he had to tackle head on.Never having tried a murder case, putting his firm's considerable reputation at risk, confronting a media swarm for which he was totally unprepared, and facing an overwhelming financial disadvantage, Petrocelli nonetheless went on a personal and increasingly passionate mission to bring about justice. Triumph of Justice is a chronicle of that mission.  Petrocelli's insights, observations, and inside information not only show us how he convinced a jury to find O.J. Simpson liable for $33.5 million in the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman--proving to the American people that their legal system does indeed work--he also makes the story a compelling and exciting legal read.Among the revelations detailed in these pages:Petrocelli's ten-day, no-holds-barred deposition of O.J. SimpsonWhat Petrocelli learned from the incendiary depositions and interviews of Kato Kaelin, Faye Resnick, Marcus Allen, A.C. Cowlings, and othersThe surprising realizations that emerged from a mock jury trial, which Petrocelli lostHis dramatic face-to-face courtroom confrontation with O.J. Simpson on the witness standWhat happened that night in BrentwoodPetrocelli also offers insight into the larger issues--of race, wealth, celebrity, and police competence--surrounding the case. He places the trial in its proper context and, in so doing, examines legal questions and issues about our justice system that affect and reflect upon every one of us.Triumph of Justice proves, conclusively, that O.J. Simpson told lie after lie and that he did indeed kill his ex-wife and an innocent man. It is the story you haven't heard about the trial you didn't see and is the closest, most in-depth look at an important murder case since Helter Skelter.

To the Last Breath


Carlton Stowers - 1998
    The next day Renee was dead. "To the Last Breath" reveals what Renee's grandmother had suspected all along: cold, calculating Shane Goode had murdered his own daughter to cash in on her death. of photos. Martin's Press.

Secrets from the Grave


Maria Eftimiades - 1998
    Then, a single shot rang out. Moments later, Marty Dillon, a promising young lawyer, was dead of a gunshot wound to the chest. His friend, Dr. Stephen Scher, later tearfully explained that Dillon had been running with a shotgun after a porcupine, and tripped and fell, accidentally killing himself. But what really happened?Marty Dillon's violent death was immediately declared an accident by the local coroner in 1976. But as Dillon's body was lowered into the cold ground, did a damning secret, one that would haunt his friends and family for decades, go with him?* Were rumors of an affair between Dr. Scher and Marty's wife, Pat, true?* Why did the couple marry so soon after Dillon's death?* If the shot was self-inflicted, why did the bullet come from Dr. Scher's gun?* What was it about Dillon's bloody wound that cast suspicion on Scher?After 20 years of pleading with authorities, and finally hiring their own investigators, Dillon's parents persuaded the Pennsylvania State Police to reopen the case. They exhumed Dillon's body - and his decayed remains told the real story of that tragic day two decades earlier. On October 22, 1997, Dr. Stephen Scher was convicted of the murder of Marty Dillon - final justice for a cold-blooded killer who for 20 years thought he had gotten away with murder.

No Mercy: The Host of America's Most Wanted Hunts the Worst Criminals of Our Time--In Shattering True Crime Cases


John Walsh - 1998
    The host of America's Most Wanted reveals for the first time the inside details of some of the show's most riveting investigations, including the Polly Klaas murder and the manhunt for serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

Jack the Ripper: The Facts


Paul Begg - 1998
    Written by one of the world's foremost authorities on the case, this is a completely rewritten and fully updated edition of Begg's classic title Jack the Ripper. It follows the crimes chronologically and records the most significant events, witness testimonies and aspects of the police investigation. As well as objectively examining the primary police suspects, Begg provides a fascinating and authoritative insight into related political issues and background events.

The Best Defense: True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves with a Firearm


Robert A. Waters - 1998
    Often lost in the statistics, however, is the dynamic of what happens when ordinary, law-abiding citizens are assaulted. What thoughts and feelings go through their minds as the events unfold? How do they react when suddenly thrust into life-or-death situations?"The Best Defense" is a collection of fascinating human interest stories of people who successfully used firearms to defend themselves and others against violent assaults. From Ohio, Florida, and Virginia to Missouri, Texas, Mississippi, and Montana, here is a dramatic portrait of what is at stake in the fight against crime at the level it occurs: victim vs. perpetrator. Here is living proof--thankfully living--that citizens do not have to be helpless in the face of crime and that in many cases self-defense proves to be law-abiding citizens' only opportunity to save themselves and their loved ones.

Beyond Reason: The Murder of a Mountie


Robert Knuckle - 1998
    Once again, he combines a meticulous eye for research with a storyteller's touch to recreate an intriguing real-life drama based on what many consider to the the most interesting story in all the files of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.A desperate, lawless couple, once referred to as Canada's Bonnie and Clyde, are hiding inside a motel room. A wild-west gunfight ensues where one Mountie is killed and two others badly wounded. The only RCMP to escape shoots the female fugitive in the back as the couple flees the scene in a police cruiser.This leads to an extended trail of mayhem and hostage-taking that runs through several farms on the back roads of south western Manitoba and, in turn, ignites one of the biggest manhunts in the history of the province.

A Friend of the Family: The True Story of David Snow (Resources for Biblical Study)


Alison Shaw - 1998
    A fascinating blend of true-crime story and psychological thriller, this book casts painfully revealing light on the life and mind of a sociopath.

Russian Mafia in America: Immigration, Culture, and Crime


James O. Finckenauer - 1998
    It investigates in detail such topics as the characteristics of the Russian criminal tradition of vory v zakone (thieves-in-law), contemporary Russian mobs, criminal activity among Russian immigrants, claims of KGB involvement in American crime, and connections between the crime bosses and gangsters in both countries.

My Brother Peter: Murder or Suicide?


Nomi Berger - 1998
    The police dismissed him as a hippie and his death was ruled an LSD-induced suicide. Nomi Berger was twenty-three when her brother died, and she spent the next twenty-seven years running from his ghost and attempting to exorcise it through her poetry and fiction. Then, in 1995, she suddenly stopped running and decided to re-open her past's deepest, unhealed wound. She set out to uncover the truth about her brother -- and about herself.My Brother Peter is the story of Nomi Berger's Journey to reclaim the brother she lost, and to purge herself of her own, powerful guilt. This book will shock the reader, and tear at the heart, for it is an exquisitely poignant testament to love, obsession and liberation, and a cautionary tale as well, a look back at the sixties, when so many of a generation's best and brightest lost their way in the Garden.

Unorganized Crime: New Orleans in the 1920s


Louis Vyhnanek - 1998
    Book by Vyhnanek, Louis

Encyclopaedia of Scottish Executions 1750-1963


Alex F. Young - 1998
    '

The Valkyrie Operation: The True Story of a British Agent's Battle Against the World's Deadliest Arms Dealer


Wensley Clarkson - 1998
    The book that cleared the name of a British hero who uncovered a conspiracy to supply Saddam Hussein with deadly arms.

Jane Gibbs, "Little Bird That Was Caught"


Anne E. Neuberger - 1998
    

Substantial Evidence


Bill Hubbard - 1998
    They are often labeled liars and frauds by those they've accused, but rarely are they indicted on false charges.This is exactly what happens to Sgt. Bill Hubbard when his investigation into the covert activities of forensic pathologist Dr. Ralph Erdmann and powerful Criminal District Attorney Travis Ware begins to expose layer after layer of deception and corruption.

Young Killers: The Challenge of Juvenile Homicide


Heide - 1998
    Providing an empirical assessment of male adolescent murderers and systematic case presentations of several juvenile homicide offenders, Young Killers addresses psychological assessment, treatment issues and prevention strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of juvenile homicide.

Commonsense Justice: Jurors' Notions of the Law


Norman J. Finkel - 1998
    prisons house over a million inmates, enough to populate a city larger than San Francisco. Building prisons is the new growth industry, as the American public reacts to a perceived increase in violence and politicians take a hard line toward crime. But this eagerness to construct more prisons raises basic questions about what the community wants and will tolerate and what the Supreme Court will sanction.In this timely book, Norman Finkel looks at the relationship between the law on the books, as set down in the Constitution and developed in cases and decisions, and what he calls commonsense justice, the ordinary citizen's notions of what is just and fair. Law is an essentially human endeavor, a collection of psychological theories about why people think, feel, and behave as they do, and when and why we should find some of them blameworthy and punishable. But is it independent of community sentiment, as some would contend? Or, as Finkel suggests, do juries bring the community's judgment to bear on the moral blameworthiness of the defendant? When jurors decide that the law is unfair, or the punishment inappropriate for a particular defendant, they have sometimes nullified the law.Nullification represents the jury's desire not to defeat but to perfect and complete the law. It is the no confidence vote of commonsense justice refusing to follow the path the law has marked out--and pointing to a new path based on what seem to be more just grounds. Finkel brings to life the story behind the jury and judicial decisions, interweaving anecdotes, case law, and social science research to present a balanced and comprehensive view of important legal and social policy issues.

Hoddle Street: The Ambush and the Tragedy


Peter Haddow - 1998