Book reviews and more!

Posts tagged with ‘True Crime’

PSYCHO USA, by Harold Schechter

February 23, 2013

ENCYCLOPEDICALLY CREEPY HISTORY of US mass murderers and serial killers, from the 18th century through today.

Grade: SOLID B

PSYCHO USA: FAMOUS AMERICAN KILLERS YOU NEVER HEARD OF
Ballantine
2012

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THROUGH THE GLASS, by Shannon Moroney

January 24, 2013

UNUSUAL, HIGHLY CANDID memoir from a woman whose husband of only one month was jailed for shocking crimes.

Grade: SOLID B

THROUGH THE GLASS
Gallery Books
2012

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CAVEAT EMPTOR, by Ken Perenyi

December 31, 2012

WILD, ROUGH AND TUMBLE memoir by a high-end art forger of his checkered career and jet set life.  Unruly fun!

Grade: SOLID B

CAVEAT EMPTOR: THE SECRET LIFE OF AN AMERICAN ART FORGER
Pegasus
2012

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KILLING THE POORMASTER, by Holly Metz

December 16, 2012

A GRIM MURDER TRIAL from 1938 New Jersey highlights the despair of the Depression and the impact of corruption.

Grade: B PLUS

KILLING THE POORMASTER: A SAGA OF POVERTY, CORRUPTION, AND MURDER IN THE GREAT DEPRESSION
Chicago Review Press
2012

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SHOOTING VICTORIA, by Paul Thomas Murphy

December 12, 2012

ENGROSSING HISTORY OF the many attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria, and their impact on English society.

Grade: B PLUS

SHOOTING VICTORIA: MADNESS, MAYHEM, AND THE REBIRTH OF THE ENGLISH MONARCHY
Pegasus Books
2012

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HOT ART, by Joshua Knelman

September 4, 2012

ART THEFT, LOOKED at from the perspectives of detectives, lawmakers, victims, and even thieves. Eye-opening!

Grade: SOLID B

HOT ART: CHASING THIEVES AND DETECTIVES THROUGH THE SECRET WORLD OF STOLEN ART
Tin House Books
2012

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CEMETERY JOHN, by Robert Zorn

August 7, 2012

THE LINDBERGH BABY KIDNAPPING, reviewed and reopened in the light of memories from New York’s German community.

Grade: SOLID B

CEMETERY JOHN: THE UNDISCOVERED MASTERMIND BEHIND THE LINDBERGH KIDNAPPING
Overlook Press
2012

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THE WOMAN WHO WASN’T THERE, by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr.

July 29, 2012

MIND-BOGGLING TRUE STORY of a hoaxster who pretended to be a survivor of the 2001 World Trade Center attack.

Grade: SOLID B

THE WOMAN WHO WASN'T THERE: THE TRUE STORY OF AN INCREDIBLE DECEPTION
Touchstone
2012

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THE BAREFOOT BANDIT, by Bob Friel

July 26, 2012

INTRIGUING TRUE STORY of the daring teen thief, “Barefoot Bandit” Colton Harris-Moore. Lots of vivid detail!

Grade: SOLID B

THE BAREFOOT BANDIT: THE TRUE TALE OF COLTON HARRIS-MOORE, NEW AMERICAN OUTLAW
Hyperion
2012

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ANATOMY OF INJUSTICE, by Raymond Bonner

July 11, 2012

TROUBLING TRUE STORY of a South Carolina death row inmate’s conviction on shockingly scanty (at best) evidence.

Grade: SOLID B

ANATOMY OF INJUSTICE: A MURDER CASE GONE WRONG
Knopf Doubleday
2012

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