Book picks similar to
Two Faces Of Deviance: Crimes Of The Powerless And The Powerful by John Braithwaite
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Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders
Billy Jensen - 2019
Every story he wrote had one thing in common―they didn't have an ending. The killer was still out there.But after the sudden death of a friend, crime writer and author of I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Michelle McNamara, Billy became fed up. Following a dark night, he came up with a plan. A plan to investigate past the point when the cops had given up. A plan to solve the murders himself.You'll ride shotgun as Billy identifies the Halloween Mask Murderer, finds a missing girl in the California Redwoods, and investigates the only other murder in New York City on 9/11. You'll hear intimate details of the hunts for two of the most terrifying serial killers in history: his friend Michelle McNamara's pursuit of the Golden State Killer and his own quest to find the murderer of the Allenstown Four. And Billy gives you the tools―and the rules―to help solve murders yourself.Gripping, complex, unforgettable, Chase Darkness with Me is an examination of the evil forces that walk among us, illustrating a novel way to catch those killers, and a true-crime narrative unlike any you've read before.
Death Row: The Final Minutes: My life as an execution witness in America’s most infamous prison
Michelle Lyons - 2018
During her time in the prison system, and together with her dear friend and colleague, Larry Fitzgerald, she came to know and like some of the condemned men and women she saw die. She began to query the arbitrary nature of the death penalty and ask the question: do executions make victims of all of us?An incredibly powerful and unique look at the complex story of capital punishment, as told by those whose lives have been shaped by it, Death Row: The Final Minutes is an important take on crime and punishment at a fascinating point in America's political history.
Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century
Peter Graham - 2011
Half an hour later, the girls returned alone, claiming that Pauline's mother had had an accident. But when Honora Parker was found in a pool of blood with the brick used to bludgeon her to death close at hand, Juliet and Pauline were quickly arrested, and later confessed to the killing. Their motive? A plan to escape to the United States to become writers, and Honora's determination to keep them apart. Their incredible story made shocking headlines around the world and would provide the subject for Peter Jackson's Academy Award-nominated film, Heavenly Creatures.A sensational trial followed, with speculations about the nature of the girls' relationship and possible insanity playing a key role. Among other things, Parker and Hulme were suspected of lesbianism, which was widely considered to be a mental illness at the time. This mesmerizing book offers a brilliant account of the crime and ensuing trial and shares dramatic revelations about the fates of the young women after their release from prison. With penetrating insight, this thorough analysis applies modern psychology to analyze the shocking murder that remains one of the most interesting cases of all time.
American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
Monica Hesse - 2017
But Charlie wasn't lighting fires alone: he had an accomplice, his girlfriend Tonya Bundick. Through her depiction of the dangerous shift that happened in their passionate relationship, Hesse brilliantly brings to life the once-thriving coastal community and its distressed inhabitants, who had already been decimated by a punishing economy before they were terrified by a string of fires they could not explain. Incorporating this drama into the long-overlooked history of arson in the United States, American Fire re-creates the anguished nights that this quiet county spent lit up in flames, mesmerizingly evoking a microcosm of rural America - a land half gutted before the fires even began.
Profiling: The Psychology of Catching Killers
David L. Owen - 2010
It begins with an overview of how profiling was first developed as a viable technique, followed by illustrated chapters that describe the specific parts of the profiling process:- The FBI's crime scene analysis procedure- Crime scene facts and evidence- The organized and disorganized classifications of violent serial offenders- Geographical profiling- Types of rape and the clues they leave- A serial killer's crime signature- Identifying child abductors and abusers- Profiling criminals through written documents- How profilers work with other investigators and interrogatorsProfiling focuses on 50 notorious true crimes to explain profiling, describing how crime scene evidence is processed and revealing the psychological clues and how the profilers helped to solve the case. Some of these headline-grabbing cases are:- The Black Dahlia murder investigation- David Carpenter, the Trailside Killer- Robert Hansen, a highly organized killer who abducted prostitutes and left them in the Alaska wilderness so he could hunt them with a rifle- Ted Bundy- Jeffrey DahmerProfiling is the gripping behind-the-scenes story of a topic that has had fans of Criminal Minds and the CSI series glued to their television screens for many years.
When a Child Kills
Paul Mones - 1991
An exploration of the world of parracide presents the stories of eight children accused of killing their parents, discussing the facts in their cases and the outcome of their trials
A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming
Kerri Rawson - 2019
When she opened it, an FBI agent informed her that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children. It was then that she learned her father was the notorious serial killer known as BTK, a name he’d given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, Wichita celebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare. For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning. She was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and a public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life had been a lie.Written with candor and extraordinary courage, A Serial Killer’s Daughter is an unflinching exploration of life with one of America’s most infamous killers and an astonishing tale of personal and spiritual transformation. For all who suffer from unhealed wounds or the crippling effects of violence, betrayal, and anger, Kerri Rawson’s story offers the hope of reclaiming sanity in the midst of madness, rebuilding a life in the shadow of death, and learning to forgive the unforgivable.
Loved Bayou
Brooke St. James - 2016
There had been a media frenzy during the arrest of his parents and their subsequent deaths, and Jacob couldn't escape all the negativity surrounding the ordeal. He decided to buy a house in south Louisiana on a private, wooded lot in the middle of the bayou so he could drop off the face of the earth for a while. He certainly hadn't come to Louisiana to make friends. Unfortunately for him, the neighbors surrounding his property were overly friendly. With the help of his Doberman Pincher, Jacob ran off anyone who tried to welcome him to the area. That seemed to be working pretty well until he met Alex Martin. She simply wanted to offer a little southern hospitality at first, but eventually she realized she might be the only person who could help Jacob rediscover the man he used to be.
Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act
David Stuart Davies - 1999
Watson. Holmes reflects on the old days and comes to realise that not only was there so much that he had shared with Watson in his lifetime but also there was so much that he had not revealed to him: things he had kept hidden, including his deep affection for his friend. Imagining that Watson is present, Holmes addresses this failing and touches on aspects of past cases and the various characters he encountered during his investigations, including ‘The Woman’ Irene Adler and of course Professor Moriarty.Holmes delves deeper into the darker aspects of his own history, revealing at last a shocking secret. Realising now how lonely and isolated he is without his old comrade, adrift in a new modern and war-ravaged age, he comes to wonder whether, like Watson, he too has come to the end of his time…
The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer
Skip Hollandsworth - 2016
But beginning in December 1884, Austin was terrorized by someone equally as vicious and, in some ways, far more diabolical than London's infamous Jack the Ripper. For almost exactly one year, the Midnight Assassin crisscrossed the entire city, striking on moonlit nights, using axes, knives, and long steel rods to rip apart women from every race and class. At the time the concept of a serial killer was unthinkable, but the murders continued, the killer became more brazen, and the citizens' panic reached a fever pitch.Before it was all over, at least a dozen men would be arrested in connection with the murders, and the crimes would expose what a newspaper described as "the most extensive and profound scandal ever known in Austin." And yes, when Jack the Ripper began his attacks in 1888, London police investigators did wonder if the killer from Austin had crossed the ocean to terrorize their own city.With vivid historical detail and novelistic flair, Texas Monthly journalist Skip Hollandsworth brings this terrifying saga to life.
The Complete Quin And Satterthwaite: Love Detectives
Agatha Christie - 2004
Quin, The Shadow on the Glass, At the Bells and Motley, The Sign in the Sky, The Soul of the Croupier, The World's End, The Voice in the Dark, The Face of Helen, The Dead Harlequin, The Bird With The Broken Wing, The Man From The Sea, Harlequin's Lane.
The Case of the Screaming Beauty
Alison Golden - 2015
A young, beautiful woman, Norah Travis, has been found murdered in one of the rooms with no witnesses and seemingly no motive. Detective Inspector Graham, a man with a singular drive, a penchant for tea, and silent demons of his own, has been brought in to ferret out the perpetrator. Joining Sergeant Harris at the sprawling estate, the duo set their caps to solving a mystery that leaves them frustrated. It’s a “whodunit” of crafty design with suspects on all sides and nothing clear cut. The proprietors, Amelia and Cliff, have jokes to share and almost nothing to hide, while their long time guest, Tim, seems shiftier. There is an ex-husband, a housekeeper, an old man, and questions galore. But who could it be? It’s a conundrum. The Case of the Screaming Beauty is a modern murder mystery with an old fashioned feel; a story for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and CSI. Enjoy! Interview with the Author of the Series Q – So, what makes the Inspector David Graham series special? A – When I set out to write these books, I wanted to create something that played like a movie in the reader’s mind. They are books with action, but also soul. They are ensemble pieces containing regular characters that are well drawn with strong personalities, humor and some tragedy. The Inspector David Graham books feel, to me, like good friends that never let me down. Every time we sit down to plan the books, I love to find out what the characters are going to get up to next! The Inspector David Graham books are a great mix of genres. They sit firmly in the cozy mystery category and are set on the beautiful island of Jersey in the English Channel between Britain and France. They feature a British detective who is part-Sherlock Holmes, part-Poirot, and, of course, uniquely himself. Q - In what order should I read the books? A – The Inspector David Graham cozy mysteries can be read, and enjoyed, in any order. The Case of the Screaming Beauty is a prequel to the other books in the series and is set on the mainland. All the books are complete mysteries. I’ve made sure not to include any spoilers for those who are new to the characters and any existing fans of Graham’s adventures will still find plenty of fresh action and mystery as well as perhaps a few answers. All in all, there is something for everyone. The events in this prequel take place a few weeks before The Case of the Hidden Flame, the first book in the Inspector David Graham series of cozy mysteries. If you do want to read them in order, I'd suggest the following sequence: – The Case of the Screaming Beauty (prequel) – The Case of the Hidden Flame – The Case of the Fallen Hero Q – Why should readers give these books a try? A – Because the Inspector Graham series is a gentle, but colorful romp through the wealthy but isolated English island, a place that is picturesque and peaceful but one filled with amoral and snobbish eccentrics with all kinds of vices. Graham is a complex character who is intriguing from the get-go and yet evolves throughout the series while his sidekicks are worthy, interesting characters in their own right.
The City of Falling Angels
John Berendt - 2005
Its architectural treasures crumble—foundations shift, marble ornaments fall—even as efforts to preserve them are underway. The City of Falling Angels opens on the evening of January 29, 1996, when a dramatic fire destroys the historic Fenice opera house. The loss of the Fenice, where five of Verdi's operas premiered, is a catastrophe for Venetians. Arriving in Venice three days after the fire, Berendt becomes a kind of detective—inquiring into the nature of life in this remarkable museum-city—while gradually revealing the truth about the fire.In the course of his investigations, Berendt introduces us to a rich cast of characters: a prominent Venetian poet whose shocking "suicide" prompts his skeptical friends to pursue a murder suspect on their own; the first family of American expatriates that loses possession of the family palace after four generations of ownership; an organization of high-society, partygoing Americans who raise money to preserve the art and architecture of Venice, while quarreling in public among themselves, questioning one another's motives and drawing startled Venetians into the fray; a contemporary Venetian surrealist painter and outrageous provocateur; the master glassblower of Venice; and numerous others-stool pigeons, scapegoats, hustlers, sleepwalkers, believers in Martians, the Plant Man, the Rat Man, and Henry James.Berendt tells a tale full of atmosphere and surprise as the stories build, one after the other, ultimately coming together to reveal a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting. The fire and its aftermath serve as a leitmotif that runs throughout, adding the elements of chaos, corruption, and crime and contributing to the ever-mounting suspense of this brilliant book.
The Best American Crime Reporting 2010
Stephen J. Dubner - 2010
Guest editor Stephen J. Dubner (Freakonomics) joins series editors Otto Penzler and Thomas Cook for the latest annual installment in what Entertainment Weekly has praised as the best mix of “the political, the macabre, and the downright brilliant,” and People Magazine calls, “arresting reading.”What Whoopi Goldberg ("Not a rape-rape"), Harvey Weinstein ("So-called crime"), et al. are saying in their outrage over the arrest of Raman Polanski ; At the train bridge / Calvin Trillin --Smooth jailing / Rick Anderson --What happenned to Etan Patz? / Lisa R. Cohen --Sex. lies, & videotape / Kevin Gray --Trial by fire / David Grann --Flesh and blood / Pamela Colloff --The celebrity defense / Jeffrey Toobin --The chessboard killer / Peter Savodnik --The great buffalo caper / Maximillian Potter --The man who shot the man who shot Lincoln / Ernest B. Furgurson --The boy who heard too much / David Kushner --Bringing down the dogmen / Skip Hollandsworth --Madoff and his models / Ron Chernow --The sicario / Charles Bowden
Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit
Jesse Martin - 2001
At 18 years of age, and after 11 months at sea, he became the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop, and unassisted around the world. This is the story of why Jesse set himself such an astonishing task and how he managed to make his dream come true. A story of courage, loneliness, and danger, it also is an incredible, gripping, true-life adventure.Jesse Martin was destined for adventure. Born in Munich in 1981 while his parents were traveling through Europe in a kombi van, he spent his early years in the beautiful Daintree Rainforest of North Queensland, Australia. By the time he was 14 he had sailed along Australia s tropical coast on a flimsy catamaran and had trekked through southeast Asia. At 16 he kayaked through remote islands of Papua New Guinea and then crewed on a yacht that sailed from Belize to Tahiti. He is an ambassador to a number of youth outreach organizations, including Reach Youth and the Young Endeavor Program.