Prolific true crime author John Glatt’s latest book, Golden Boy: Murder Among the Manhattan Elite (St. Martin’s Press 2021) is a thorough and harrowing journey through a story of wealth, mental illness, and murder. Golden Boy details the consequences of a culture of privilege that led to a son’s untreated illness and a father’s tragic …
Tag: reading
Black River Road by Debra Komar
In her book Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect, and the Question of Character (Goose Lane, 2016), Debra Komar brings a new perspective to the Maggie Vail murder case of 1869. Passed down in local folklore for generations, the story of Maggie Vail, her child Ella May, and their murderer, upstanding architect …
Murder at No. 4 Euston Square by Sinclair McKay
Murder at No. 4 Euston Square: The Mystery of the Lady in the Cellar by Sinclair McKay is just the kind of true crime I enjoy: historical, full of intrigue, and the well-researched work of an experienced historian. Not only is this crime compelling, but McKay does not miss a single detail in his …
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Empire of Deception by Dean Jobb
Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated a Nation (Harper Avenue, 2015) by Dean Jobb is the story of perhaps the greatest swindler of the twentieth century. Although the better-known Charles Ponzi is remembered today as the greatest con artist of all time, the elaborate schemes …
What Happened to Paula by Katherine Dykstra
Katherine Dykstra’s What Happened to Paula: On the Death of an American Girl (Norton 2021) is a thoroughly researched and deeply personal account of a woman’s investigation into the death of a midwestern American teenager. It also discusses the through lines that Paula’s victimization has with women’s lives across time, including the author’s own. Late …
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The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream by Dean Jobb
The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer (Harper Collins, 2021) by Dean Jobb is an excellent and comprehensive historical true crime narrative that integrates the crimes of one man into a social, political, and cultural context. Historically rich and shockingly poignant, Jobb’s text is not one to …
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Crime Time by J. North Conway
Sometimes all we really want to read is a really good story. Crime Time: Twenty True Tales of Murder, Madness and Mayhem (Lyons Press, 2021) by J. North Conway offers just that in spades. Gathering together some of the most prolific and little-known stories of violence, robbery, and murder, Conway’s text is a fun anthology …
The Unusual Suspect by Ben Machell
“Stephen Jackley had, like many young people, looked around and concluded that the world was not fair. And like many young people, he’d wanted to make a difference. It’s just that, rather than going on protest marches, involving himself in politics, or running sponsored marathons, Stephen ended up robbing banks.” In the later parts of …
Autopsy by Ryan Blumenthal
As true crime enjoys a recent surge in popularity, we have learned that the most compelling stories, and the most worthwhile ones, are told firsthand. Whether it is victims writing their true stories of trauma, or first responders recounting the harrowing details of a case, true crime readers tend to clamour for the authentic narrative …
At Any Cost by Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar
Even the most tragically familiar stories can devolve into shocking and unbelievable true crime cases. Part true crime narrative and part courtroom drama, At Any Cost: A Father’s Betrayal, A Wife’s Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice by Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar (2021 St. Martin’s Press), recounts the worst results of domestic violence …
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