Crime Books of Note
Crime Magazine's List of Favorite Books on Crime,
Criminals, and Criminal Justice
~ Alphabetical by Title ~
A - B
- C - D - E - F
- G - H - I - J
- K - L - M - N
- O - P - Q - R
- S - T - U - V
- W - X - Y - Z
A
A Racial Crime: James Earl Ray and the Murder of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., by Mel Ayton. ArcheBooks Publishing, 2005. There was no conspiracy. Ray
acted alone in assassinating Dr. King.
Abandoned Prayers,
by Gregg Olsen. Popular Books/Warner, 1990.
Ex-Amish Eli Stutzman who killed his roommate and his own son.
All God's Children: The Bosket Family and the American Tradition of
Violence, by Fox Butterfield. Avon, 1996; Perennial, 2002.
The effects of racism and poverty on one black family that produced generations of intelligent but disconnected capital offenders.
All His Father's Sins: Inside the Gerald
Gallego Sex-Slave Murders, by Ray Biondi and Walt Hecox. Prima Publishing and Communications, 1988.
The story of the only husband and wife serial killers.
All The President's Men,
by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. New York:
Warner Books, Inc., 1974.
The classic account of the investigative reporting of two young Washington Post
reporters who blew the lid on the Watergate scandal.
Alone With the Devil,
by Ronald Markman, MD, and Dominick Bosco. Bantam,
1990.
Cases of a courtroom psychiatrist.
American Trials of the 20th Century,
by
Edward W. Knappman. Visible Ink
Press, 1994.
An even-handed presentation of 145 of the most famous -- and infamous -- trials
conducted in the United States during the 20th century, concluding
with the O. J. Simpson trial.
B
Bad Company,
by Steve Wick. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers, 1990.
The "Cotton Club Murders" of Roy Radin and Larry Greenberger.
Badge of Betrayal,
by Joe Cantlupe and Lisa Petrillo. Avon, 1991.
Cop turned murderer.
Beyond Murder,
by John Philpin and John Donnelly. Penguin, 1994.
The Gainesville, Fla., student murders.
Beyond Reason: A true story of a shocking double murder, a
brilliant and beautiful Virginia socialite and a deadly psychotic obsession,
by Ken Englade.
St. Martin's Press, 1990.
The Derek and Nancy Hansom murders in Virginia.
The Billionaire Boys Club,
by Sue Horton. St. Martin's, 1989.
Joe Hunt and the murder of Ron Levin and Hedayat Eslaminia.
Bitter Almonds,
by Gregg Olsen. Warner Brothers Books, 1993.
The true story of mothers, daughters and the Seattle cyanide murders.
Bitter Blood,
by Jerry Bledsoe. Onyx/Penguin, 1988.
Susie Sharp Newsom Lynch and her cousin Fritz Klenner.
Blind Ambition,
by John Dean. New York: Pocket Books, 1977.
An account of the Watergate break-in and following cover-up by former
presidential counsel John Dean.
Blind Faith,
by Joe McGinniss. Signet/Penguin, 1989.
The murder of Maria Marshall by her husband Rob. The other side of role-model
suburbia.
Blood and Money,
by Thomas Thompson. Dell, 1981.
Joan Robinson Hill died after a mysterious illness. Her husband was tried for
her murder, which resulted in a mistrial. He was murdered afterwards.
Blood Brothers,
by Ron Soble and John Johnson. Onyx/Penguin, 1994.
The Menendez murders. Ends after their first trial.
Blood Games,
by Jerry Bledsoe. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
The story of the death of Lieth von Stein who was beaten to death with a
baseball bat as he slept in his home in Washington, N.C., in 1988. Much material
here concerning the culture of role playing games such as D&D. Will be of
special interest for those who attended or who are attending N.C. State
University.
Blood Rush,
by Patricia Springer. Pinnacle Books/Windsor Publishing,
1994.
Ricky Lee Green was abused as a child and abused as an adult. The story of a
whole family gone wrong.
The Blooding,
by Joseph Wambaugh. Bantam, 1989.
The first use of genetic fingerprinting to capture the murderer of two girls in
England.
Bloodletters and Badmen: A Narrative Encyclopedia of
American Criminals from the Pilgrims to the Present, by Jay Robert Nash. New York: M. Evans and
Company, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-87131-777-X
The Boys on the
Tracks, by Mara Leveritt. St.
Martin's Press, 1999. A
meticulous story of betrayal and public corruption. When local Arkansas
authorities ruled that the deaths of two teenage boys -- run over by a
train as their bodies lay across the tracks -- were drug-related suicides,
the mother of one of the boys launched a decade's long crusade to prove they
had been murdered and to bring their killers to justice.
The Bullet or the Bribe, by Ron Chepesiuk. Praeger Publishers, 2003.
History of the 20-year effort by U.S. law enforcement to bring down the Cali Cartel.
The Columbian drug ring supplied over 70 percent of the world's cocaine and 75 percent
of the world's marijuana.
Buried Dreams: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer,
by Tim Cahill. New
York: Bantam Books, 1986.
An account of the John Wayne Gacy murders. Based on the investigative reporting
of Russ Ewing.
Butcher, Baker,
by Walter Gilmour and Leland E. Hale. Onyx/Penguin,
1991.
Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen.
The Butterbox Babies,
by Bette Cahill. Seal Books/McClelland Bantam
Canada, 1992.
Baby farming for profit in East Chester Nova Scotia.
By Reason of Insanity,
by Shane Stevens. Dell, 1979.
Chronicle of Thomas Bishop, an escapee from an institution for the criminally
insane.
By Way of Deception,
by Claire Hoy and Victor Ostrovsky. General
Paperbacks Canada, 1991.
The insiders portrait of the Mossad.
C
Careless Whispers,
by Carlton Stowers. Pocket Books, 1986.
The murder of three teenagers, and the policeman who promised them he would find
their killer.
Casey: The Lives and Secrets of William J. Casey,
by Joseph E. Persico.
New York: Penguin Books, 1990.
An exhaustive biography of William Casey from childhood, through his OSS years
to his directorship of the CIA. Much light is shed on Casey's role in the
Iran-Contra scandal. The author also attempts to debunk Woodward's claim in Veil
that he interviewed Casey on his deathbed and received a confession of criminal
wrongdoing.
Chop Shop,
by Kathy Braidhill. Pinnacle, 1993.
A gruesome abuse of public trust. The Lamb Funeral Home scandal in Southern
California.
A Civil
Action, by Jonathan Harr. Vintage Books, 1996. A spellbinding account of the civil suit brought against Beatrice Food Cos. and W. R. Grace by the families of leukemia victims in Woburn, Mass.
A Conspiracy of Silence,
by Lisa Priest. McClelland and Stewart
Publishers Canada, 1989.
The death of Helen Betty Osborne. The town knew who the killers were but she was
only an Indian. The 10-year silence.
The Court-Martial of Lt. Calley,
by Richard Hammer. New York: Coward,
McCann & Geoghegan, Inc., 1971.
An account of the investigation following the My Lai massacre in Vietnam in
March 1968.
Crazymaker,
by Thomas J. O'Donnell. Harper, 1992.
The mother who conspired with her own son to kill her stepson.
Crime of the Century,
by Dennis L. Breo and William J. Martin. Bantam
Books, 1993.
The story of Richard Speck by the prosecutor who put him in prison.
Crime Story,
by Nick Pron and Kevin Donovan. Seal Books/McClelland
Bantam Canada, 1992.
Two reporters caught in the middle of the "Body Parts" murder case.
Crimes of the Century,
by Gilbert Geis and Leigh B. Bienen. Northwestern
University Press, 1998.
Insightful analysis of five dramatic trials of the 20th Century: Leopold and
Loeb; the Scottsboro "boys;" Bruno Richard Hauptmann and the Lindbergh
kidnapping; Alger Hiss; and O.J. Simpson.
Cruel Sacrifice,
by Aphrodite Jones. New York: Pinnacle Books, 1994.
The story of the 1992 murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer of Indiana who was
killed by four other teenage girls led by Shanda's ex-lesbian lover. She was
beaten and sexually assaulted with a tire iron and then set afire. This book
takes a disturbing look at young "punk" culture.
Cryptic Crimes, by John Dunning. Arrow Books London, 1990.
A selection of 20 baffling murder cases.
The Cuckoo's Egg,
by Cliff Stoll. New York: Pocket Books, 1990.
The story of a Berkeley UNIX operator's attempts to locate a computer hacker.
Gives a good overview of international computer networking and related security
concerns.
D
Daddy's Girl,
by Clifford Irving. Zebra, 1988.
The Campbell murder case.
A Dark and Deadly Love,
by Ken Englade. St. Martins, 1993.
Published in hardcover as To Hatred Turned. The ultimate revenge upon a husband
and his "other" woman.
Dead Ends,
by Michael Reynolds. Warner Books, 1992.
Aileen Wuornos, a very rare female serial killer.
Deadly Blessing,
by Steve Salerno. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987.
An account of the death of Price Daniel, Jr., a wealthy Texan who married a
Dairy Queen waitress.
Deadly Intentions: An Extraordinary Crime...
the Prosecutor's Own Account, by William Randolph Stevens. Congdon & Weed, 1982.
Deadly Lessons,
by Ken Englade. St. Martin's, 1991.
Pam Smart seduced 15-year-old Billy Flynn and got him to murder her husband.
Deadly Medicine,
by Kelly Moore and Dan Reed. St. Martin's, 1988.
Nurse Genene Jones was addicted to the "Code Blue" emergency. The
story of over 30 infant deaths in Texas.
Deadly White Female,
by Clifford L. Linedecker. New York: St. Martin's
Press, 1994.
Story of the murder of Roger Paulson in Washington, D.C. by a female con-artist
who met him through the want-ads.
A Death in White Bear Lake,
by Barry Siegel. Bantam, 1991.
Back when child abuse was either hushed up or ignored; the story of the death of
one small boy.
Death of Jewish American Princess,
by Shirley Frondorf. Berkeley, 1990.
The acquittal of Sten Steinberg, who stabbed his wife 26 times.
Death Row,
by Bonnie Bobit. Bobit Publishing Co., 1989-2000.
An annual roster of the more than 3,500 death row inmates, with statistics and
analysis, essays and commentary on death-row inmates, capital punishment, and
victims' rights.
The Deaths of Cindy James,
by Neal Hall. McClelland and Stewart Canada,
1990.
A woman plagued for years by assault, robbery etc. found dead in 1989. Was it
murder or was it suicide? The police believe the attacks were self-inflicted.
Doc - The Rape of the Town of Lovell,
by Jack Olsen. Atheneum/Macmillan,
1989.
The story of Dr. John Story's rape of over 150 women in the Mormon community of
Lovell, Wyo..
The Dreams of Ada,
by Robert Mayer. Signet/Penguin, 1991.
The disappearance and murder of a young woman in Ada, Okla. Though her body was
not found, Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot were convicted and sentenced to death.
Dying To Get Married,
by Ellen Harris. Harper/Collins, 1991.
The romance murder of Julie Bulloch by her husband Dennis.
E
Early Graves: The shocking true-crime story of the
youngest woman ever sentenced to death row, by Thomas H. Cook. Dutton Books, 1990.
The Encyclopaedia of Executions,
by
John J. Eddleston. Blake Publications, 2002.
A case by case
account of the 865 people executed in Great Britain during the 20th
century.
Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice, Sanford
H. Kadish, ed.. New York:
Free Press, c1983.
The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers,
by Michael Newton. Checkmark Books,
2000. ISBN 0-8160-3978-X.
An attempt to demystify the serial killer. A wide sampling of the more than
1,500 serial murderers on record broken down into specific killer types,
motivations, and nationalities. Since 1980, 84 percent of the world's serial
killers have been U.S. citizens.
Everything She Ever Wanted,
by Ann Rule. Pocket Books, 1992.
Things got dangerous when Pat Taylor didn't get her way.
Evidence of Love,
by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson. Bantam Books, 1985.
Candy Montgomery hacked Betty Gore to death with an axe, hitting her 41 times...
in self-defense.
Evidence of Murder,
by Bill McClellan. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
An account of the murder of Julie Post, wife of New Orleans businessman, Ed
Post. Julie turns up dead one morning in the couple's hotel room bathtub in St.
Louis, the victim of an apparent slip and fall. But further examination of the
physical evidence reveals a suspicious death. Some good information here about
maintaining a chain of evidence as well as about Louisiana's Napoleonic Code.
F
Fair Game,
by Bernard DuClos. St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1993.
"To big game hunter Robert Hansen, Alaska was paradise. But for his
victims, it was a terrifying wilderness where no one could hear their
screams."
The Family,
by Ed Sanders. Signet/Penguin, 1989.
Charles Manson and his "family."
Family of Spies,
by Pete Earley. Bantam.
The John Walker spy ring.
Fatal Charm,
by Carlton Smith. Onyx/Penguin, 1993.
The North American Bluebeard. Serial wife-killer Randy Roth.
Fatal Vision,
by Joe McGinniss. New York: New American Library, 1984.
The story of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald who was convicted of the 1970 murder of his
wife and two children at Fort Bragg. The author presents a complex and
compelling psycho-theory that attempts to explain how and why MacDonald did it.
Final Harvest: An American Tragedy,
by Andrew H. Malcolm. New York:
Times Books, c1986.
An account of a not-so-famous murder of a New England banker in a small Midwest
town. An interesting expose of culture clash.
Final Payoff,
by Ian Mulgrew. Seal/McClelland Bantam Canada, 1990.
Child murderer Clifford Olson was paid $10,000 by the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police to reveal the location and bodies of 11 of his victims.
Final Vows,
by Karen Kingsbury. Dell, 1992.
A marriage made in prison and murder along the way.
Fingerprints: The Origins of Crime Detection and the Murder Case That
Launched Forensic Science, by Colin Beavan. Hyperion, 2001.
The story of how fingerprints came to revolutionize crime detection.
For Love of Money,
by Mary Walton. Pocket Books/Simon and Schuster,
1987.
Steven Benson (of the wealthy Tobacco Bensons) who killed his mother and his
brother with a car bomb.
Forever and Five Days,
by Lowell Cauffiel. Zebra, 1992.
The deaths of five female patients in a nursing home in Grand Rapids, Mich.
4 O'Clock Murders,
by Scott Anderson.
Dell, 1993.
A Mormon family's revenge. A hit list left by a deceased man to his 13 wives and
60 children.
From Cradle to Grave,
by Joyce Egginton. William Morrow & Co., 1989.
Mary Beth Tinning and the death of her nine children.
G
A Gathering of Saints,
by Robert Lindsey. Dell, 1988.
Master forger Mark Hoffman and the Mormon Church.
Goodbye Lizzie Borden,
by Robert Sullivan. Brattleboro, Vermont: S.
Greene Press, 1974.
An account of the Lizzie Borden murders.
Greed Killers,
by various writers. Pinnacle Books, 1993.
Twenty-five cases of greed killing.
Gross Misconduct,
by Martin O'Malley. Peguin books Canada, 1988.
Ex-NHL player Brian "Spinner" Spencer.
H
Heist!,
by Jeff Diamant. Blair, 2002.
Tale of the wacky $17-million heist at the Loomis, Fargo & Co. warehouse in
Charlotte, N.C., in 1997.
Helter Skelter,
by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry. Bantam 1974.
High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Impeachment and Trial of
Andrew Johnson, by Gene Smith. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985. ISBN 0-07-058478-8
Presents a detailed account of the title subject within its historical context.
I
I Am Cain,
by Gera-Lind Kolarik and Wayne Klatt. Avon Books, 1994.
Newlyweds Nancy and Richard Langert were shot to death April 7, 1990, in
Winnetka, Ill. She left a brief illegible message scrawled in her own blood.
The I-5 Killer,
by Ann Rule. Signet/Penguin, 1984.
Randy Woodfield's attacks of rape and murder along California I-5.
If You Really Loved Me,
by Ann Rule. New York: Pocket Books, 1992.
In
a Father's Rage, by Raymond van Over. Pinnale, 1991.
A marriage made in heaven that became a hell of addiction and murder.
In Broad Daylight,
by Harry N. MacLean. New York: Dell Publishing, 1981.
Excerpt from the back cover: "Ken McElroy had robbed, raped, burned,
shot... and maimed the citizens of Skidmore, Mo., without conscience or
remorse... On July 10, 1981, [he] was shot to death on the main street of this
small farming community. Forty-five people watched. No indictments were ever
issued, no trial held - and the town... has protected the killers with silence
to this day."
In His Garden,
by Leo Damore. Dell, 1981.
The Cape Cod murders of four women.
Inside the Cult,
by Marc Breault and Martin King. Signet/Penguin, 1993.
The store of David Koresh.
Irresistible Impulse,
by Robert Lindsey. Dell, 1992.
Michael Telling, from one of the wealthiest families in England, kills his
American wife and gets away with it.
J
Jack the Ripper: The Uncensored Facts,
by Paul Begg. Robson Books, 1988.
A detailed account of the historical facts of the Ripper case, with large
amounts of evidence presented including excerpts from police documents. Much
detail on suspect Druitt. Unlike most Ripper books, the author's goal is to
present the facts rather than advance his own theories, therefore the work is
very thorough and unbiased.
JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation,
by Steve Thomas. St. Martin's
Press, 2000.
The former lead detective gives his account of the botched investigation and how
the Ramseys managed to avoid indictment in connection with their daughter's
murder.
K
Killer Clown,
by Terry Sullivan. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, c1983.
An account of the John Wayne Gacy murders.
A Killing in the Family,
by Stephen Singular with Tim and Danielle Hill.
Avon Books, 1991.
A 14-year-old confesses to the murder of her stepmother to protect her father.
Killing Time: An Investigation Into the Death Row Case of Mumia
Abu-Jamal, by David P. Lindorff Jr.. Common Courage Press, 2003.
A groundbreaking review of the case involving Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Kings of Cocaine,
by Guy Gugliotta and Jeff Lean.
An investigative history of the Colombian Medellin cartel.
The Kirtland Massacre,
by Cynthia Stalter Sasse and Peggy Murphy Widder.
Zebra, 1991.
Cult leader Jeff Lundgren and the murder of 5 people.
L
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury,
by
Michael S. Lief; co-authored by Mitchell Caldwell and Ben Bycel.
Touchstone, 1998.
A review, with commentary, of 10
of the greatest closing arguments presented in modern law, including the
Nuremberg Trials, the Chicago Seven, Leopold and Loeb, Manson, Medgar Evers,
DeLorean, and My Lai.
Last Rampage,
by James W. Clarke.
Escaped convict Gary Tison and his crime spree over the Southwest.
Life With Billy,
by Brian Vallee. Seal Books/McClelland Bantam Canada,
1986.
The abusive marriage that drove Jane Stafford to murder her husband.
Lust Killer,
by Ann Rule. New York: Signet Books, 1983.
The story of the murders of Jerome Brudos, one of the first of the modern serial
killers.
M
The Man Who Killed Boys,
by Clifford L. Linedecker. New York: St.
Martin's Paperbacks, 1986, c1980.
An account of the John Wayne Gacy murders.
Manson in His Own Words,
by Charles Manson. New York: Grove Press, 1986.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,
by John Berendt. Random House,
1994.
A true story of a murder in Savannah with some very quirky characters.
Milwaukee Massacre,
by Robert J. Dvorchak and Lisa Holuva. Dell, 1991.
Jeffrey Dahmer.
The Misbegotten Son: A Serial Killer and His Victims,
by Jack Olsen.
Delacort Press, 1993.
The true story of Arthur J. Shawcross.
Missy's Murder,
by Karen Kingsbury. Dell, 1991.
Two teenage girls kill another. One other friend, scared for her life, kept the
secret.
Mob Girl,
by Teresa Carpenter. Zebra, 1992.
Arlyne Brickman's thirty-year career in the mob.
The Mormon Murders,
by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith. New York:
Penguin Books Inc., 1988.
An account of a rare documents forger, Mormon Mark Hoffman, who detonated two
pipe bombs in Salt Lake City in 1985 killing two people (and almost killing
himself). This book offers insight into the history and inner-workings of the
Mormon Church.
Most Likely to Succeed,
by Alan.Gelb. St. Martin's, 1990.
Seventeen-year-old Wyley Gates shot his father and his girlfriend, his brother
and a 3-year old orphaned nephew.
A Mother's Trial,
by Nancy Wright. Bantam, 1984.
Murder Along the Way,
by Kenneth Gribetz and H. Paul Jeffers. Berkeley,
1991.
A selection of true crime in suburbia by the man who prosecuted them.
Murder in Boston,
by Ken Englade. St. Martin's, 1990.
The Stuart murder case. Did he shoot his pregnant wife? Answers that went with
him when he committed suicide.
Murder in Little Egypt,
by Darcy O'Brien. Onyx/Penguin, 1989.
The murder of Sean Caveness by his father, Dr. Dale John Caveness.
The Murder of Bob Crane,
by Robert Graysmith. Berkeley, 1994.
After 13 years, the arrest of a possible suspect in the murder of Hogan's Heroes
Bob Crane.
My Dark Places,
by James Ellroy. Vintage Books, 1997.
Popular crime-fiction writer's memoir of his search for the killer of his
mother, who was murdered in 1958 in Los Angeles.
My Name is Katherine,
by Joe Treen and Maria Eftimiades. St Martin's,
1990.
Ten-year-old Kathy Beers abducted and held captive for 16 days in an underground
box.
N
A Need to Kill,
by Mark Pettit. Ivy Books, 1990.
Children murdering children. The crimes of John Joubert who was barely older
than his young victims.
The New Murderers' Who's Who,
by J. H. H. Gaute and Robin O'Dell.
Headline Book Publishing, 1989.
Crime buff encyclopedia.
O
Once a Hero,
by Howard Swindle. Dell, 1989.
Vietnam-vet turned bank robber Jim Little.
P
Perfect Victim,
by Christine McGuire and Carla Norton. New York: Dell
Publishing, 1988.
An account of the kidnapping and abuse of Colleen Stan, a.k.a. "The girl in
the box" in 1977.
Perfection She Dances,
by Robert Davies. Mainstream Publishing, 2001.
A firsthand account of the British author's drug smuggling
and subsequent imprisonment in Shanghai.
The Piano Teacher: The True
Story of a Psychotic Killer, by Robert Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg. New American Library, 1987.
The story of Charles Yulk.
Please Don't Kill Me,
by William C. Dear and Carlton Stowers. Ballantine,
1989.
The murder of wealthy businessman Dean Milo. A story of greed and betrayal.
Poisoned Dreams: A true story of murder, money, and family
secrets, by A. W. Gray. Dutton Books, 1994.
Precious Victims,
by Don W. Weber and Charles Bosworth, Jr.. New York:
Penguin Books, 1991.
The story of Paula and Robert Sims who killed two of their children, claiming
that their children had been abducted.
Q
R
Reasonable Doubt,
by Steve Vogel. Chicago, Ill.: Contemporary Books,
1989.
An account of the axe murder of a mother and her three children in Bloomington,
Ill., in 1983. The husband, David Hendricks, who claimed to have been away on a
business trip at the time of the murders was arrested and tried. The validity of
estimations of time of deaths by using stomach contents is a major component of
this case.
Redrum the Innocent,
by Kirk Malik. Penguin Canada, 1993.
Guy Paul Morin was arrested and convicted for the murder of a young neighbor. Is
he guilty, or was he a victim of police "Tunnel Vision"?
Righteous Carnage: The List
Murders, by Timothy B. Benford and James P. Johnson. New York: Scribners, 1991.
An account of the John List murders.
,Rites of Burial
by Tom Jackman and Troy Cole. Pinnacle Books, 1992.
Kansas City, Mo., butcher Robert Berdella.
A Rose for Her Grave,
by Ann Rule. Pocket, 1993.
A selection from her true-crime files.
S
Savage Messiah,
by Paul Kaihla and Ross Laver. Seal Books/McClelland
Bantam Canada, 1994.
The cult of Rock Theriault. Makes Koresh look like a choirboy.
Say You Love Satan,
by David St. Clair. Dell, 1987.
Three teenage boys' search for thrills leads them past drugs and theft.
Satanism.
The Search for the Green River Killer,
by Carlton Smith and Thomas Guillen.
Onyx/Penguin, 1991.
At least 49 murders committed during the 1980's - mostly prostitutes.
Secret Lessons,
by Don W. Weber and Charles Bosworth Jr.. Onyx/Penguin,
1994.
Child abuse by the "perfect" teacher.
Serial Slaughter: What's behind America's murder
epidemic?, by Michael Newton. Loompanics Unlimited, 1992. ISBN 1-55950-078-6
Contains quotes, pictures, statistics. The author explains what factors may turn
people into serial killers, shows similarities in different killer's
psychological profiles, etc.
The Shadow of Death: The Hunt for a Serial Killer,
by Philip E. Ginsburg.
Charles Scribners & Sons, 1993.
The hunt for a man who has killed at least six women and children in New
Hampshire, Vermont, and the Connecticut River Valley.
Shattered Night,
by Kay Sandiford with Alan Burgess. Warner Brothers
Books, 1984.
The wife of an eminent heart surgeon reveals the story behind the murder trial
that rocked Texas, the terror, the torture, the truth.
Silent Rage,
by Michael Newton. Dell Books, 1994.
The 30-year odyssey of a serial killer. The story of Carrroll Edward Cole who
was executed in Nevada in 1985. A good book about the genesis of a psychopathic
killer.
Silent Testimony,
by Roger Walker. St. Martin's, 1984.
The first murder conviction in New York state without a body.
Silent Witness,
by Don W. Weber and Charles Bosworth, Jr.. Onyx Books,
1993.
The story of the Karla Brown murder case.
Sins of the Father,
by Eileen Franklin and William Wright. Ballantine
Books, 1991.
Twenty years later, Eileen Franklin remembered the unsolved killing of her
childhood best friend and the identity of the killer: her father.
Sleeping with the Devil,
by Suzanne Finstad. Avon Books, 1991.
Obsessive love. Something of a cross between Sleeping With the Enemy and the OJ
story.
Small Sacrifices,
by Ann Rule. Signet/Penguin, 1987.
The story of Diane Downs who murdered her children. One survived out of three.
Somebody's Husband, Somebody's Son,
by Gordon Burn. Pan Books London,
1984.
The story of the Yorkshire Ripper.
The Soldier of Fortune Murders,
by Ben Green. Dell, 1992.
John Wayne Hearn placed a killer-for-hire ad in the Soldier of Fortune magazine.
St. Joseph's Children: A True Story of Terror and Justice,
by Terry Ganey.
Carol Publishing Group, 1989.
(Softcover title is Innocent
Blood.) The story of killer Charles Hatcher who
killed 16 people in St. Joseph, Mo.
The Stranger Beside Me,
by Ann Rule. Signet/Penguin, 1981.
Serial killer Ted Bundy.
The
Streetcleaner: the Yorkshire Ripper Case on Trial, by Nicole Ward Jouve.
London: M. Boyars, 1986.
The story of Peter Sutcliffe, a.k.a. The Yorkshire Ripper.
Such A Good Boy,
by Lisa Hobbs Birnie.
Greedy, pampered Darren Hueneman hired his two underage friends to murder his
mother and sister.
T
Tainting Evidence,
by John F. Kelly and Phillip K. Wearne.
The Free Press, 1998.
How the FBI's vaunted forensic lab routinely distorted evidence in
hundreds of cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Unabomber case,
the O.J. Simpson prosecution, and the World Trade Center explosion. The book
also shows how the FBI's famed investigators cannot be trusted to
investigate themselves.
Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer,
by Stephen G. Michaud. New York:
New American Library, 1989.
Interview with Ted Bundy.
Thou Shalt Not Kill,
by Mary S. Ryzuk. Library/Warner Books, 1990.
The story of John List who murdered his family and evaded capture for 18 years.
Times 17: The Amazing Story of the Zodiac Murders in
California and Massachusetts 1966-1981, by Gareth Penn. San Rafael, California: Foxglove
Press, 1987.
An account of the Zodiac murders.
Too Beautiful a Day to Die,
by Joyce Egginton. Berkeley, 1991.
Published in hardcover as A Day of Fury. Laurie Dann opened fire at an
elementary school injuring five and killing one.
Too Good to be True,
by Janet Parker Beck.
New York: Penguin Books,
1992.
Excerpt from the back cover: "...Anderson was charged with the brutal
slaying of his young fiancée. Yet there was no body, no eyewitness, and no real
evidence." The murder of Denise Redlick.
Two of a Kind: The Hillside Stranglers,
by Darcy O. O'Brien. New American
Library, 1985.
U
Unanswered Cries,
by Thomas French. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.
ISNB 0-312-92645-6.
The story of the 1984 beating and stabbing murder of Karen Gregory of St.
Petersburg, Fla. The author takes a hard look at neighborhood apathy. Several of
Karen's neighbors heard her cries for help but did nothing.
The Unicorn's Secret,
by Steven Levy. Penguin, 1988.
The case of Ira Einhorm and the murder of his girlfriend Holly Maddux. He is
still at large.
V
A Vast Conspiracy,
by Jeffrey Toobin. Touchstone, 2000.
A finely-written, well-researched account of the right-wing's conspiracy to
topple President Clinton.
Venom in the Blood,
by Eric van Hoffman. Zebra, 1990.
Husband and wife thrill killers Gerald and Charlene Gallego. See the book All
His Father's Sins.
W
Wasted,
by Linda Wolfe. Pocket Books, 1989.
The Preppie murder of Jennifer Levin by Robert Chambers.
When She Was Bad,
by Shana Alexander.
Dell, 1990.
Bess Myerson and the New York City political corruption trial in 1988. Also know
as the "Bess Mess."
Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty
Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI, by Robert K. Ressler and Tom Shachtman. New York: St. Martin's Press,
1992.
Profiles the career of FBI veteran and ex-Army CID colonel Robert Ressler. Lots
of analysis of serial killer Ed Kemper.
William Desmond Taylor:
A Dossier, by Bruce Long. Scarecrow Press, 1991.
An account of the 1922 murder of film director Desmond Taylor. Includes recaps
of the case by two detectives who worked on the investigation, and an analysis
of two previous books on the murder.
Winter of Frozen Dreams,
by Karl Harter. Pinnacle Books/Windsor
Publishing, 1990.
The murder of two men in Madison, Wis. One of the men was hired to kill the
other.
Without Mercy,
by Gary Provost. Pocket Books, 1990.
Dee Casteel and Allen Bryant murdered Art Venecia and his mother.
The Wood Chipper Murder,
by Arthur Herzog. Zebra, 1989.
Richard Crafts killed his wife and disposed of her body by putting her through a
wood chipper.
X
Y
The Yale Murder,
by Peter Meyer. Berkeley, 1982.
Upper-class girl meets lower-class guy on scholarship at Yale. The romance and
murder of Bonnie Garland.
Z
Zodiac,
by Robert Graysmith. Mondo Books, 1992. ISBN 1 85286 432 X.
Highly recommended book. Contains pictures of postcards, letters, ciphers etc.
sent by Zodiac to newspapers and police. Provides an intriguing analysis of
Zodiac, written by an excellent author.
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Crime
Books of Note.
Crime Magazine's list of favorite books on crime,
criminals, and criminal justice. View list sorted by
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