True Crime
Abagnale, F.W. (1980). Catch me if you can: The true story of a real fake. NY: Random House.
Abagnale was a con man who, at an extemely early age, victimized Pan American airlines, posing as a pilot. He was a very successful cheque forger. Later, his career included stints of posing as a sociology professor and a pediatrician. After his eventual capture in France, he was incarcerated there under deplorable conditions before being incarcerated in Sweden in lovely conditions. He escaped from an airplane while being transported to the US and later from an American prison.
Abagnale is remarkably unintrospective and either cannot or will not give us much insight into the development of his character. In all, a fast-paced and fun read but I’m not sure I believe all of it, although the central events appear to have really happened.
Abagnale was a con man who, at an extemely early age, victimized Pan American airlines, posing as a pilot. He was a very successful cheque forger. Later, his career included stints of posing as a sociology professor and a pediatrician. After his eventual capture in France, he was incarcerated there under deplorable conditions before being incarcerated in Sweden in lovely conditions. He escaped from an airplane while being transported to the US and later from an American prison.
Abagnale is remarkably unintrospective and either cannot or will not give us much insight into the development of his character. In all, a fast-paced and fun read but I’m not sure I believe all of it, although the central events appear to have really happened.
Ablow, K. (1994). Without mercy: The shocking true story of a doctor who murdered. NY: St. Martin’s.
This is the story of an unlikable and mentally unbalanced physician, Dr. John Kappler, who drives onto a jogging path and runs over a couple of people. It turns out he has tried to kill some patients in the past as well. The author is a physician himself who notes that knowledge of the secret handshake enables him to secure candid interviews with doctors that Kappler had worked with in the past.
The book contains long stretches of rambling and undisciplined speculation and comment about the hackneyed mad/bad issue as applied to this particular case and whether Kappler’s working class origins and resulting drive for status was the true motivation for the killings. All of this is completely bootless and very annoying.
Ablow provides some hair-raising descriptions of anesthesiologists as the lowest form of medical life. Not very reassuring for readers who may be contemplating surgical procedures. This was news to me, I had thought that jailhouse doctors and psychiatrists practicing on “special licenses” in psychiatric facilities were at the bottom of the medical hierarchy.
This is the story of an unlikable and mentally unbalanced physician, Dr. John Kappler, who drives onto a jogging path and runs over a couple of people. It turns out he has tried to kill some patients in the past as well. The author is a physician himself who notes that knowledge of the secret handshake enables him to secure candid interviews with doctors that Kappler had worked with in the past.
The book contains long stretches of rambling and undisciplined speculation and comment about the hackneyed mad/bad issue as applied to this particular case and whether Kappler’s working class origins and resulting drive for status was the true motivation for the killings. All of this is completely bootless and very annoying.
Ablow provides some hair-raising descriptions of anesthesiologists as the lowest form of medical life. Not very reassuring for readers who may be contemplating surgical procedures. This was news to me, I had thought that jailhouse doctors and psychiatrists practicing on “special licenses” in psychiatric facilities were at the bottom of the medical hierarchy.
Anastasia, G. (1999). The summer wind: Thomas Capano and the murder of Anne Marie Fahey. N.Y.: Avon Books.
A gossipy account of a murder among the upper classes. Capano is mean-spirited above and beyond the call of self interest.
A gossipy account of a murder among the upper classes. Capano is mean-spirited above and beyond the call of self interest.
Atkinson, R. (2017). The life crimes and hard times of Ricky Atkinson leader of the dirty tricks gang: A true story. Toronto: Exile.
Atkinson was a Toronto career criminal. The book (written with the aid of Joe Fiorito) attempts without success to present Atkinson as a behind-the-scenes criminal mastermind and gang leader. Good source material for pro-criminal sentiments for a criminology class but not recommended.
Atkinson was a Toronto career criminal. The book (written with the aid of Joe Fiorito) attempts without success to present Atkinson as a behind-the-scenes criminal mastermind and gang leader. Good source material for pro-criminal sentiments for a criminology class but not recommended.
Berendt, J. (1994). Midnight in the garden of good and evil: A Savannah story. N.Y.: Random House.
A fun read. Well written, with a good sense of place. It is sort of a murder mystery that is supposedly based on real events. If all this happened as described, Savannah contains more than its share of very weird folks.
A fun read. Well written, with a good sense of place. It is sort of a murder mystery that is supposedly based on real events. If all this happened as described, Savannah contains more than its share of very weird folks.
Bledsoe, J. (1989). Bitter blood. Toronto: Penguin.
I really liked this true crime book. Things get really bad, and then, they get a lot worse! In fact, it is downright bizarre how bad things can get. If you read the book, make sure you don’t read the figure captions or the cover blurbs, just let the whole horrible story unfold.
I really liked this true crime book. Things get really bad, and then, they get a lot worse! In fact, it is downright bizarre how bad things can get. If you read the book, make sure you don’t read the figure captions or the cover blurbs, just let the whole horrible story unfold.
Bledsoe, J. (1994). Before he wakes A true story of money, marriage, sex, and murder. N.Y.: Penquin.
A good true crime story. The female villainess is a piece of work whose life illustrates an intertwining of appetitive strivings (sex and shopping), egocentricity, and callousness. Her nemesis is that she is but a one trick pony.
A good true crime story. The female villainess is a piece of work whose life illustrates an intertwining of appetitive strivings (sex and shopping), egocentricity, and callousness. Her nemesis is that she is but a one trick pony.
Bourrie, M. (1997). By reason of insanity: The David Michael Krueger story. Toronto: Hounslow Press.
Warning, do not waste your money on this book. Bourrie manages to tell the story of a serial killer (who is well known to many of us) without illuminating the subject of serial killing or the development of Krueger one little bit.
Warning, do not waste your money on this book. Bourrie manages to tell the story of a serial killer (who is well known to many of us) without illuminating the subject of serial killing or the development of Krueger one little bit.
Cairns, A. (1998). Nothing sacred: The many lives and betrayals of Albert Walker. Toronto: Seal Books.
Walker is a weasel from the word “stop’. A very good true crime book and more interesting than most. Not to give it all away, the reader remains in total awe of the incredible credulity of the people Walker exploits. Quite an amazing tale.
Walker is a weasel from the word “stop’. A very good true crime book and more interesting than most. Not to give it all away, the reader remains in total awe of the incredible credulity of the people Walker exploits. Quite an amazing tale.
Carlo, P. (2009). The butcher: Anatomy of a mafia psychopath. NY: HarperCollins.
Tommy “Karate” Pitera was a real mean guy and maybe an example of a quasi-successful psychopath. However, he was also creative, finding a novel use for a wildlife sanctuary (as a repository for lots of bodies); disciplined (he used coke sparingly and did post-black belt karate training in Japan), and loyal (he murdered his wife’s closest girlfriend after his wife OD’d while partying with said friend).
An interesting aspect of Pitera’s history is that he was definitely not an antisocial youth. He spent most of his time in the dojo. He started karate because his squeaky high voice made him a potential victim of bullying in the very tough neighborhood in which he was raised. He didn’t adopt a life of crime until he was in his twenties.
Tommy “Karate” Pitera was a real mean guy and maybe an example of a quasi-successful psychopath. However, he was also creative, finding a novel use for a wildlife sanctuary (as a repository for lots of bodies); disciplined (he used coke sparingly and did post-black belt karate training in Japan), and loyal (he murdered his wife’s closest girlfriend after his wife OD’d while partying with said friend).
An interesting aspect of Pitera’s history is that he was definitely not an antisocial youth. He spent most of his time in the dojo. He started karate because his squeaky high voice made him a potential victim of bullying in the very tough neighborhood in which he was raised. He didn’t adopt a life of crime until he was in his twenties.
Casey, K. (1995). Evil beside her: The true story of a Texas woman’s marriage to a dangerous psychopath. NY: HarperCollins.
This is the story of an amazingly prolific serial rapist and his long-suffering beleaguered wife who keeps trying to turn him in. Eventually, the police listen and put him away (lucky for her because she came very close to being murdered herself). With a less geographically fractured police system, they could have done it a lot sooner.
It’s always interesting how early an interest in coercive sex begins—this guy was practicing on his sisters before adolescence. As an adult, he was often teased by his work mates, reminding me of Gary Ridgeway, the Green River killer. Gary was called Gary “Wrong-Way” by his co-workers because of his frequent errors in truck painting. Teasing, even when good-natured, is toxic to some of the recipients. When I was a teenager, our neighbour across the street was a fireman—I don’t know why, but his fellow fire fighters teased him a lot and he would come home and take it out on his stepson.
This is the story of an amazingly prolific serial rapist and his long-suffering beleaguered wife who keeps trying to turn him in. Eventually, the police listen and put him away (lucky for her because she came very close to being murdered herself). With a less geographically fractured police system, they could have done it a lot sooner.
It’s always interesting how early an interest in coercive sex begins—this guy was practicing on his sisters before adolescence. As an adult, he was often teased by his work mates, reminding me of Gary Ridgeway, the Green River killer. Gary was called Gary “Wrong-Way” by his co-workers because of his frequent errors in truck painting. Teasing, even when good-natured, is toxic to some of the recipients. When I was a teenager, our neighbour across the street was a fireman—I don’t know why, but his fellow fire fighters teased him a lot and he would come home and take it out on his stepson.
Casey, K. (2005). She wanted it all: A true story of sex, murder, and a Texas millionaire. NY: HarperCollins.
A murder story so entertaining that it has received book length treatment before (Spencer, S. (2005). The fortune hunter: Marriage, murder, and madness in the heart of Texas. NY: St. Martin’s Press). Casey, however, gives the story her standard detailed treatment and one learns about the murderess’s spectacularly psychopathic life history.
Well worth a read!
A murder story so entertaining that it has received book length treatment before (Spencer, S. (2005). The fortune hunter: Marriage, murder, and madness in the heart of Texas. NY: St. Martin’s Press). Casey, however, gives the story her standard detailed treatment and one learns about the murderess’s spectacularly psychopathic life history.
Well worth a read!
Casey, K. (2007). Die, my love: A true story of revenge, murder, and two Texas sisters. NY: Harper Collins.
A nice academic (who published a paper in Psychological Bulletin!) marries a manic depressive woman with a manipulative sister. A pathetic story in which the nice academic is killed by the mentally unbalanced and entitled wife who is aided and abetted by her sister. The poor kids of this union! The story of the investigation and trial is quite entertaining. The wife (herself a lawyer, albeit an incompetent one) must have thought that the police and legal system were unbelievably dumb in the foolish way she planned the murder (the plan involved wigs, alibis that could not be checked out, and cell phone calls). She didn’t realize that the locations of cell phone calls could be identified.
The entertaining and interesting aspect of the story is the mind-boggling number of clues (“crumbs”) left by the murderess, skillfully tracked down by the investigators. The police and the reader are left scratching their heads, saying “I thought she was supposed to be smart.”
A nice academic (who published a paper in Psychological Bulletin!) marries a manic depressive woman with a manipulative sister. A pathetic story in which the nice academic is killed by the mentally unbalanced and entitled wife who is aided and abetted by her sister. The poor kids of this union! The story of the investigation and trial is quite entertaining. The wife (herself a lawyer, albeit an incompetent one) must have thought that the police and legal system were unbelievably dumb in the foolish way she planned the murder (the plan involved wigs, alibis that could not be checked out, and cell phone calls). She didn’t realize that the locations of cell phone calls could be identified.
The entertaining and interesting aspect of the story is the mind-boggling number of clues (“crumbs”) left by the murderess, skillfully tracked down by the investigators. The police and the reader are left scratching their heads, saying “I thought she was supposed to be smart.”
Casey, K. (2008). A descent into hell: The true story of an altar boy, a cheerleader, and a twisted Texas murder. NY: HarperCollins.
Colton Pitonyak came from a wealthy family and won a prestigious scholarship at the University of Texas. While at University, he refashioned himself into a drug-dealing thug and gangster wannabe—such an unusual trajectory!
He falls for a party girl to whom he supplies drugs. Unfortunately, she wants to remain just friends. Subsequently, Colton and a wannabe gun moll student who is wildly in love with him brutally murder and try to dismember the woman who has spurned him. After the pair are extradited from Mexico, the gun moll describes it as “a victimless crime”.
Colton Pitonyak came from a wealthy family and won a prestigious scholarship at the University of Texas. While at University, he refashioned himself into a drug-dealing thug and gangster wannabe—such an unusual trajectory!
He falls for a party girl to whom he supplies drugs. Unfortunately, she wants to remain just friends. Subsequently, Colton and a wannabe gun moll student who is wildly in love with him brutally murder and try to dismember the woman who has spurned him. After the pair are extradited from Mexico, the gun moll describes it as “a victimless crime”.
Casey, K. (2012). Deadly little secrets: The minister, his mistress, and a heartless Texas murder. NY: HarperCollins.
A very enjoyable true crime story. The minister is a pathological liar and sexual predator who very nearly got away with murdering his wife so that he could marry his lovely mistress (who wasn’t a bad liar herself).
Interesting that the same dynamic that operated in the Catholic church was evident here. The minister’s sexual aggression against young female parishioners would come to light but no legal action would be taken; instead, he would be fired and go on to a new church where the process would be repeated.
There is a simply wonderful moment of dark comedy in this story. The minister’s daughter is near death from a brain tumour and family and friends have gathered to support the grieving couple. The minister and a female friend of one of the supporters are left alone for a few moments in a waiting room. The minister and this woman have never previously met but he walks over to her and tells her that the hospital allows the family to use a private room nearby: “We have at least 15 minutes” he says, “Wanna fuck”?
A very enjoyable true crime story. The minister is a pathological liar and sexual predator who very nearly got away with murdering his wife so that he could marry his lovely mistress (who wasn’t a bad liar herself).
Interesting that the same dynamic that operated in the Catholic church was evident here. The minister’s sexual aggression against young female parishioners would come to light but no legal action would be taken; instead, he would be fired and go on to a new church where the process would be repeated.
There is a simply wonderful moment of dark comedy in this story. The minister’s daughter is near death from a brain tumour and family and friends have gathered to support the grieving couple. The minister and a female friend of one of the supporters are left alone for a few moments in a waiting room. The minister and this woman have never previously met but he walks over to her and tells her that the hospital allows the family to use a private room nearby: “We have at least 15 minutes” he says, “Wanna fuck”?
Casey, K. (2015). Deliver us: Three decades of murder in the infamous I-45 killing fields. NY: HarperCollins.
The problem with this book can be summarized with two quotes. The first, attributed to Stalin, “A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic.” The second from the movie Amadeus, where the Emperor Joseph tells Mozart that there are “too many notes” in his composition.
There are way too many murders covered in this book. The overall effect is to trivialize them and rob them of interest.
The problem with this book can be summarized with two quotes. The first, attributed to Stalin, “A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic.” The second from the movie Amadeus, where the Emperor Joseph tells Mozart that there are “too many notes” in his composition.
There are way too many murders covered in this book. The overall effect is to trivialize them and rob them of interest.
Casey, K. (2016). Possessed: The infamous Texas stiletto murder. NY: HarperCollins.
The victim, an expatriate Swedish research scientist studying hormones at a Texas medical centre is looking for love and companionship. He’s a gentle, generous, and kind soul, liked by all, perhaps in part because of his assertive skill deficits.
The scientist spends his leisure hours drinking with friends in bars and restaurants, where he eventually meets exactly the wrong woman. She’s a predatory former masseuse, failed artist, and an extraordinarily mean drunk who is becoming progressively flakier over time. The scientist has a shoe fetish so it’s fitting that she savagely beats him to death with the five-inch heal of her shoe.
The victim, an expatriate Swedish research scientist studying hormones at a Texas medical centre is looking for love and companionship. He’s a gentle, generous, and kind soul, liked by all, perhaps in part because of his assertive skill deficits.
The scientist spends his leisure hours drinking with friends in bars and restaurants, where he eventually meets exactly the wrong woman. She’s a predatory former masseuse, failed artist, and an extraordinarily mean drunk who is becoming progressively flakier over time. The scientist has a shoe fetish so it’s fitting that she savagely beats him to death with the five-inch heal of her shoe.
Clark, D. (2002). Dark paths, cold trails: How a mountie led the quest to link serial killers to their victims. Toronto: HarperCollins.
A bit on the amateruish side but tells some important tales about the invasion of computerized data bases and actuarial techniques into the area of criminal investigation. The vicissitudes of ViCLAS, the Violent Criminal Linkage Analysis System are featured. Progress appears to be measured, as in science, by the retirements or deaths of senior investigators.
A bit on the amateruish side but tells some important tales about the invasion of computerized data bases and actuarial techniques into the area of criminal investigation. The vicissitudes of ViCLAS, the Violent Criminal Linkage Analysis System are featured. Progress appears to be measured, as in science, by the retirements or deaths of senior investigators.
Cole, T. (2017). The whisky king. Toronto: HarperCollins.
An excellent biography of Hamilton’s Rocco Perri and his wife and business partner, Bessie Starkman. As much a history of the failed, wrong-headed, prohibition debacle in Ontario, as a Mafia true crime story.
With the help of distillers, organized criminals, custom officials and politicians, Rocco made an enormous amount of money in the bootleg trade--Bessie became notoriously fond of large diamonds. However, with prohibition nearing its end, organized crime needed another source of income. Bessie, in particular, turned to the drug trade. Never the most tactful person, she managed to piss off some New York Mafiosi and was blasted with a shotgun in 1930 (Rocco, who was present, was spared).
Rocco escaped many attempts at prosecution but he and other gangsters of Italian origin were conveniently rounded up by the RCMP and incarcerated as potential fifth-columnists when Italy entered the war in 1940. Rocco was released in 1943 but just when he started to re-establish his business, he disappeared--likely sent to sleep with the fishes by Stefano Magaddino of Buffalo.
An excellent biography of Hamilton’s Rocco Perri and his wife and business partner, Bessie Starkman. As much a history of the failed, wrong-headed, prohibition debacle in Ontario, as a Mafia true crime story.
With the help of distillers, organized criminals, custom officials and politicians, Rocco made an enormous amount of money in the bootleg trade--Bessie became notoriously fond of large diamonds. However, with prohibition nearing its end, organized crime needed another source of income. Bessie, in particular, turned to the drug trade. Never the most tactful person, she managed to piss off some New York Mafiosi and was blasted with a shotgun in 1930 (Rocco, who was present, was spared).
Rocco escaped many attempts at prosecution but he and other gangsters of Italian origin were conveniently rounded up by the RCMP and incarcerated as potential fifth-columnists when Italy entered the war in 1940. Rocco was released in 1943 but just when he started to re-establish his business, he disappeared--likely sent to sleep with the fishes by Stefano Magaddino of Buffalo.
Casey, K. (2000). A warrant to kill: A true story of obsession, lies, and a killer cop. NY: HarperCollins.
Texas is filled with a bewildering array of law enforcement personnel. There are sheriffs, Texas Rangers, FBI, county police, various volunteers, federal drug enforcement officers, border and immigration officials, and so forth. Inevitably, some of these folks will be criminally inclined, nutty, or both. The protagonist is immature, super antisocial, and odd in a nasty sort of way, reminding me of an attendant in a maximum-security hospital called “Mad Dog” with whom I worked many years ago. When Mad Dog got on the union executive (go figure), his appellation was changed to “Hush Puppy”.
Texas is filled with a bewildering array of law enforcement personnel. There are sheriffs, Texas Rangers, FBI, county police, various volunteers, federal drug enforcement officers, border and immigration officials, and so forth. Inevitably, some of these folks will be criminally inclined, nutty, or both. The protagonist is immature, super antisocial, and odd in a nasty sort of way, reminding me of an attendant in a maximum-security hospital called “Mad Dog” with whom I worked many years ago. When Mad Dog got on the union executive (go figure), his appellation was changed to “Hush Puppy”.
Casey, K. (2018). In plain sight: The Kaufman County prosecutor murders. NY: HarperCollins.
An incredible tale, very well told. I immediately ordered Casey’s true crime oeuvre. I won’t relate the plot so as not to spoil it, suffice it to say that one doesn’t want to push revenge too far, it’s a dish best left uneaten.
The U.S. practice of electing prosecutors and judges seems very strange to a Canadian reader. It’s a practice that seems certain to promote populist vindictiveness and irrelevant political partisanship in the criminal justice system.
An incredible tale, very well told. I immediately ordered Casey’s true crime oeuvre. I won’t relate the plot so as not to spoil it, suffice it to say that one doesn’t want to push revenge too far, it’s a dish best left uneaten.
The U.S. practice of electing prosecutors and judges seems very strange to a Canadian reader. It’s a practice that seems certain to promote populist vindictiveness and irrelevant political partisanship in the criminal justice system.
Clarke, J.W. (1988). Last rampage: The escape of Gary Tison. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
If you are looking for an illustration of what a perfect score of 40 on the Psychopathy Checklist looks like, this is the book for you. Clarke does a masterful job of describing the jaw-dropping events of this engrossing tale. It is filled with action, suspense, morbid tales of correctional incompetence and corruption, and pathos.
If you are looking for an illustration of what a perfect score of 40 on the Psychopathy Checklist looks like, this is the book for you. Clarke does a masterful job of describing the jaw-dropping events of this engrossing tale. It is filled with action, suspense, morbid tales of correctional incompetence and corruption, and pathos.
Conway, J.N. (2009). King of heists: The sensational bank robbery of 1878 that shocked America. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press.
This is a fun read.
George Leslie masterminded the largest bank robbery in history. His gang stole roughly $50 million in today’s value from the largest and most secure bank in the US. Leslie appears to be an unlikely criminal—he was the son of a wealthy Cincinnati brewer and was himself a successful architect. This was the “gilded age” in which the income disparities in the US were much like they are today. Also like today, the economy was run by rapacious and unscrupulous “robber barons.” Leslie’s father had bought him out of military service in the Civil War and many of his former friends and associates shunned him because of it. At age 27, Leslie sold his architectural firm and left for the anonymity of New York.
He used his architectural skills to good advantage in building scale models of the banks he planned to rob. Police later estimated that he was responsible for 80 percent of the bank robberies across the US. But there were inevitable problems in recruiting accomplices from the New York underworld that could reliably follow his directions to the letter. Meanwhile, Leslie led a double life—frequenting the underworld haunts of thieves and fences while hobnobbing with the social and financial elite.
Leslie was not only a schemer, but also a handsome charmer, using his charms to seduce the wives and sisters of his acquaintances, including those of his accomplices. One of these men cheated the police of their quarry by shooting him.
This is a fun read.
George Leslie masterminded the largest bank robbery in history. His gang stole roughly $50 million in today’s value from the largest and most secure bank in the US. Leslie appears to be an unlikely criminal—he was the son of a wealthy Cincinnati brewer and was himself a successful architect. This was the “gilded age” in which the income disparities in the US were much like they are today. Also like today, the economy was run by rapacious and unscrupulous “robber barons.” Leslie’s father had bought him out of military service in the Civil War and many of his former friends and associates shunned him because of it. At age 27, Leslie sold his architectural firm and left for the anonymity of New York.
He used his architectural skills to good advantage in building scale models of the banks he planned to rob. Police later estimated that he was responsible for 80 percent of the bank robberies across the US. But there were inevitable problems in recruiting accomplices from the New York underworld that could reliably follow his directions to the letter. Meanwhile, Leslie led a double life—frequenting the underworld haunts of thieves and fences while hobnobbing with the social and financial elite.
Leslie was not only a schemer, but also a handsome charmer, using his charms to seduce the wives and sisters of his acquaintances, including those of his accomplices. One of these men cheated the police of their quarry by shooting him.
Crier, C. (2005). A deadly game: The untold story of the Scott Peterson investigation. NY: Harper-Collins.
Photogenic murderers, even mundane and not too smart ones, get more press. Scott gets a girlfriend and doesn’t want to be encumbered paying support to his pregnant wife. Scott changes his implausible old alibi for an equally implausible new alibi, counting on the investigators not finding the body.
Photogenic murderers, even mundane and not too smart ones, get more press. Scott gets a girlfriend and doesn’t want to be encumbered paying support to his pregnant wife. Scott changes his implausible old alibi for an equally implausible new alibi, counting on the investigators not finding the body.
Crowley, K. (2005). Almost paradise: The East Hampton murder of Ted Ammon. NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Very similar to Casey’s book, except that the husband is much richer and not nearly so nice. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is the amazing amount of money these folks could waste. When the husband started an affair and wanted to escape his crazy-making wife, it became an affair of two scorpions in a bottle. The sense of entitlement of this female scorpion was palpable, making her far more dangerous than the male—so much so that his friends and associates had long been concerned for his safety.
The wife gets a rounder electrician, with whom she is having an affair, to kill the husband. Are there clues as to whodunit? Well, the electrician had installed the security system in the house and was one of the very few who knew its location and how to disable it and had installed cameras throughout the house so that he, the wife, and their friends could continuously observe the husband and his girlfriends’ activities.
Very similar to Casey’s book, except that the husband is much richer and not nearly so nice. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is the amazing amount of money these folks could waste. When the husband started an affair and wanted to escape his crazy-making wife, it became an affair of two scorpions in a bottle. The sense of entitlement of this female scorpion was palpable, making her far more dangerous than the male—so much so that his friends and associates had long been concerned for his safety.
The wife gets a rounder electrician, with whom she is having an affair, to kill the husband. Are there clues as to whodunit? Well, the electrician had installed the security system in the house and was one of the very few who knew its location and how to disable it and had installed cameras throughout the house so that he, the wife, and their friends could continuously observe the husband and his girlfriends’ activities.
Cruise, D. & Griffiths, A. (1998). On South Mountain: The dark secrets of the Goler Clan.Toronto: Penquin.
“Oh they say don’t go, to Sou-outh Mountain.....” Wonder no more where they got the hillbillies for the scenes in Deliverance--it was South Mountain, Nova Scotia. Every joke you ever heard about inbreeding mentally dull mountain folk turns out to be true. The authors try mightily to explain the incest and general lack of civilization among the Goler Clan and their (exceptionally close) kin. First they try geology, (the mountain area is strange, geologically speaking, and has no soil to speak of), then they try geography (the mountain is isolated), then history (the riff raff from Boston came up after the French were expelled), then prejudice (the villagers despise the ignorant mountain folk), then neglect (the social service agencies gave up), and so forth, all to no avail. I thought that they were going to come up with SATAN in the end but they didn’t get quite that far.
After the attempts at explanation, the descriptive part concening the crimes, the trials and their aftermath is much more interesting. There isn’t a lot of theoretical insight to be gained from this book but it is morbidly fascinating nonetheless. Most interesting is that the apparent moral of this tale is that there really doesn’t appear to be a damn thing anybody can do about the incest, neglect, and abuse. After all the trials, imprisonments, social service interventions, and media hoopla, life continues in the mountains pretty much as it always has.
“Oh they say don’t go, to Sou-outh Mountain.....” Wonder no more where they got the hillbillies for the scenes in Deliverance--it was South Mountain, Nova Scotia. Every joke you ever heard about inbreeding mentally dull mountain folk turns out to be true. The authors try mightily to explain the incest and general lack of civilization among the Goler Clan and their (exceptionally close) kin. First they try geology, (the mountain area is strange, geologically speaking, and has no soil to speak of), then they try geography (the mountain is isolated), then history (the riff raff from Boston came up after the French were expelled), then prejudice (the villagers despise the ignorant mountain folk), then neglect (the social service agencies gave up), and so forth, all to no avail. I thought that they were going to come up with SATAN in the end but they didn’t get quite that far.
After the attempts at explanation, the descriptive part concening the crimes, the trials and their aftermath is much more interesting. There isn’t a lot of theoretical insight to be gained from this book but it is morbidly fascinating nonetheless. Most interesting is that the apparent moral of this tale is that there really doesn’t appear to be a damn thing anybody can do about the incest, neglect, and abuse. After all the trials, imprisonments, social service interventions, and media hoopla, life continues in the mountains pretty much as it always has.
Douglas, J. & Olshaker, M. (1997). Journey into darkness. NY: Scribner.
Self-indulgent cashing in on the earlier best-seller Mind hunter, which I haven’t read but will bet real money was god-awful after attempting to read this one. Makes you wonder how the FBI actually catches anyone.
Self-indulgent cashing in on the earlier best-seller Mind hunter, which I haven’t read but will bet real money was god-awful after attempting to read this one. Makes you wonder how the FBI actually catches anyone.
Drewe, R. (2000). The shark net: Memories and murder. Toronto: Viking.
This is a slow paced autobiographical reminiscence. The author is a master story-teller who manages to evoke a sense of the fifties in Perth, Australia. A very good read.
This is a slow paced autobiographical reminiscence. The author is a master story-teller who manages to evoke a sense of the fifties in Perth, Australia. A very good read.
Edwards, P. (2010). The Bandido Massacre: A true story of bikers, brotherhood, and betrayal. Toronto: HarperCollins.
In 2006, the bodies of eight bikers were found along a farm road near Shedden Ontario. For those few who don’t know, Shedden is home to the world famous rhubarb festival.
This is a very good true crime book, even though a bit repetitious in spots. As so often, the cover-up of the crime consists of the perpetrators seemingly doing everything they can to aid the police short of videotaping it and mailing it to them.
This “one percenter” biker gang (the phrase “one percenter” comes from the observation that 99% of bikers are law-abiding) are portrayed as incredibly and pathetically dumb losers. The cloudy motivation for the murders involved a putsch of an essentially non-existent Canadian Bandido organization. Even though natural selection must run its (in this case bloody) course, one can’t help but feel sorry for these bikers and their families.
In 2006, the bodies of eight bikers were found along a farm road near Shedden Ontario. For those few who don’t know, Shedden is home to the world famous rhubarb festival.
This is a very good true crime book, even though a bit repetitious in spots. As so often, the cover-up of the crime consists of the perpetrators seemingly doing everything they can to aid the police short of videotaping it and mailing it to them.
This “one percenter” biker gang (the phrase “one percenter” comes from the observation that 99% of bikers are law-abiding) are portrayed as incredibly and pathetically dumb losers. The cloudy motivation for the murders involved a putsch of an essentially non-existent Canadian Bandido organization. Even though natural selection must run its (in this case bloody) course, one can’t help but feel sorry for these bikers and their families.
Edwards, P. & Nicaso, A. (2015). Business or blood: Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto’s last war. Toronto, Random House.
As everyone knows, Montreal has been the epicenter of Mafia and organized biker crime in Canada for decades. For much of this time, the Mafia was dominant and under the direction of Vito Rizzuto. However, in 2004, Vito was arrested and extradited to the U.S. for his active role in the infamous 1981 “three captains” execution in New York City. In 2012, Vito returned to Montreal and began avenging the murders of his son, father, and collaborators that had occurred during his imprisonment. He died mysteriously in 2013.
There are two surprising things in this book. First, the sheer number of bodies—there are many, many, many murders. Second, the internationalization of organized crime; we can be proud that Canada is a favoured location for Italian criminals.
Well worth reading.
As everyone knows, Montreal has been the epicenter of Mafia and organized biker crime in Canada for decades. For much of this time, the Mafia was dominant and under the direction of Vito Rizzuto. However, in 2004, Vito was arrested and extradited to the U.S. for his active role in the infamous 1981 “three captains” execution in New York City. In 2012, Vito returned to Montreal and began avenging the murders of his son, father, and collaborators that had occurred during his imprisonment. He died mysteriously in 2013.
There are two surprising things in this book. First, the sheer number of bodies—there are many, many, many murders. Second, the internationalization of organized crime; we can be proud that Canada is a favoured location for Italian criminals.
Well worth reading.
Engel, H. (1996). Lord High Executioner: An unashamed look at hangmen, headsmen, and their kind. Toronto: Key Porter.
A basically unilluminating book about executioners. Some interesting and weird tales but not interesting and weird enough to sustain a book length treatment. The best story is about a woman who seduced the man who was to hang her and so escaped the noose. They lived happily ever after.
A basically unilluminating book about executioners. Some interesting and weird tales but not interesting and weird enough to sustain a book length treatment. The best story is about a woman who seduced the man who was to hang her and so escaped the noose. They lived happily ever after.
Englade, K. ( 1990). Beyond reason. NY: St. Martin’s Press.
A young upper middle class woman with well-developed antisocial characteristics arranges for her nerdy boyfriend to murder her parents for no particularly compelling reason. A pathetic tale. The odd thing is that, but for their aversion to working for a living, the couple would have got away with it. Pretty good read.
A young upper middle class woman with well-developed antisocial characteristics arranges for her nerdy boyfriend to murder her parents for no particularly compelling reason. A pathetic tale. The odd thing is that, but for their aversion to working for a living, the couple would have got away with it. Pretty good read.
Evans, C.C. & Shyba, L. (Eds.). (2014). Tough crimes: True cases by top Canadian criminal lawyers. Calgary: Durance Vile Publications.
An interesting read, not only because of the marvelous name of the publishing company. Distinguished lawyers write about a particular case they had that was “tough” for various reasons. It starts with Edward Greenspan describing a homicide trial that he thought he had won on the merits. After the trial, the crown prosecutor came over to congratulate him on winning the case. The jury returned shortly thereafter with a guilty verdict. Based on the facts recounted the chapter, the decision was simply perverse and Greenspan still can’t understand it. One would have liked to be a fly on the wall in the jury room!
Marie Heinein convinced me that I want her for my lawyer should I be accused of something. If anyone can get Jian Ghomeshi off, she can. She describes her defense of Michael Bryant, the former Attorney General of Ontario, against a charge of criminal negligence causing death. In a most unusual tactic, she presented her defense in detail to the crown before the trial—and the charges were dropped! Wow.
Some of the chapters describe cases that were tough simply because they were sad or horrifying…
An interesting read, not only because of the marvelous name of the publishing company. Distinguished lawyers write about a particular case they had that was “tough” for various reasons. It starts with Edward Greenspan describing a homicide trial that he thought he had won on the merits. After the trial, the crown prosecutor came over to congratulate him on winning the case. The jury returned shortly thereafter with a guilty verdict. Based on the facts recounted the chapter, the decision was simply perverse and Greenspan still can’t understand it. One would have liked to be a fly on the wall in the jury room!
Marie Heinein convinced me that I want her for my lawyer should I be accused of something. If anyone can get Jian Ghomeshi off, she can. She describes her defense of Michael Bryant, the former Attorney General of Ontario, against a charge of criminal negligence causing death. In a most unusual tactic, she presented her defense in detail to the crown before the trial—and the charges were dropped! Wow.
Some of the chapters describe cases that were tough simply because they were sad or horrifying…
Finkle, D. (1998). No claim to mercy: The controversial case for murder against Robert Baltovich. Toronto: Penguin.
An interesting case of a Toronto guy who may have been wrongfully convicted of one of Bernardo’s murders. As of this writing (2004), the case is still dragging on, although Baltovich is no longer in custody. Whether Baltovich is innocent, as the book well argues, or not, one can’t help drawing unflattering conclusions about the competence and objectivity of the police and the eptitude and ethics of the defense bar.
An interesting case of a Toronto guy who may have been wrongfully convicted of one of Bernardo’s murders. As of this writing (2004), the case is still dragging on, although Baltovich is no longer in custody. Whether Baltovich is innocent, as the book well argues, or not, one can’t help drawing unflattering conclusions about the competence and objectivity of the police and the eptitude and ethics of the defense bar.
Firstman, R. & Talan, J. (1997). The death of innocents. N.Y.: Bantam.
This is a first rate book. Extremely well done and entertainingly written. There is lots of drama here. If you decide to read the book and haven’t seen the TV documentary derived from it, don’t read the rest of this review and make sure that you don’t look at any of the pictures in the book before you finish it. Most of the book is written as a mystery and you don’t want to spoil it.
In part, the book is about professional myths and their creation. The villain of the piece is an incompetent but very ambitious MD./Ph.D, a Dr. Alfred Steinschneider. Steinschneider wrote the classic study on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that purported to show that infant apnea was related to SIDS. The series of cases used in this study were much later shown to be murders in the investigation described in this book. Steinschneider was originally misled by professional hubris, ambition, and sloppy methodology; but persisted in his mistake because of greed. Greed because the apnea theory of SIDS led to the development of apnea monitors sold to anxious parents.
This whole sorry business of a harmful technology based on wishful thinking, poor science, and ideology (parents are always victims never culprits) is disturbingly reminiscent of developments in other fields.
This is a first rate book. Extremely well done and entertainingly written. There is lots of drama here. If you decide to read the book and haven’t seen the TV documentary derived from it, don’t read the rest of this review and make sure that you don’t look at any of the pictures in the book before you finish it. Most of the book is written as a mystery and you don’t want to spoil it.
In part, the book is about professional myths and their creation. The villain of the piece is an incompetent but very ambitious MD./Ph.D, a Dr. Alfred Steinschneider. Steinschneider wrote the classic study on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that purported to show that infant apnea was related to SIDS. The series of cases used in this study were much later shown to be murders in the investigation described in this book. Steinschneider was originally misled by professional hubris, ambition, and sloppy methodology; but persisted in his mistake because of greed. Greed because the apnea theory of SIDS led to the development of apnea monitors sold to anxious parents.
This whole sorry business of a harmful technology based on wishful thinking, poor science, and ideology (parents are always victims never culprits) is disturbingly reminiscent of developments in other fields.
Flacco, A. (2009). The road out of hell: Sanford Clark and the true story of the Wineville murders. NY: Union Square.
One of the few books so horrific that they are best left for forensic types to read. In 1928, 13-year old Sanford Clark was given by his mother, a Saskatchewan farm wife, to her brother, a sadistic homosexual pedophile and serial killer, to help with his chicken ranch in California. Clark is brutalized and forced to participate in murdering young boys on the ranch. His uncle is aided in his murdering by Clark’s maternal grandmother (Louise), an unbelievably antisocial woman. After an interminable period of time, Clark is saved by his elder sister who alerts the police.
Clark is helped a great deal by the prosecuting attorney, is sentenced to a forward-looking training school, and 23 months later, at 17, returns to Canada to live near his sister. Although tormented for the remainder of his days by post-traumatic stress symptoms and shame, he leads an exemplary, and under the circumstances, remarkably happy life.
“Dysfunctional” and “antisocial” don’t come close to describing Louise and her two children. I’d sure like to know more about this extremely strange family.
One of the few books so horrific that they are best left for forensic types to read. In 1928, 13-year old Sanford Clark was given by his mother, a Saskatchewan farm wife, to her brother, a sadistic homosexual pedophile and serial killer, to help with his chicken ranch in California. Clark is brutalized and forced to participate in murdering young boys on the ranch. His uncle is aided in his murdering by Clark’s maternal grandmother (Louise), an unbelievably antisocial woman. After an interminable period of time, Clark is saved by his elder sister who alerts the police.
Clark is helped a great deal by the prosecuting attorney, is sentenced to a forward-looking training school, and 23 months later, at 17, returns to Canada to live near his sister. Although tormented for the remainder of his days by post-traumatic stress symptoms and shame, he leads an exemplary, and under the circumstances, remarkably happy life.
“Dysfunctional” and “antisocial” don’t come close to describing Louise and her two children. I’d sure like to know more about this extremely strange family.
Fanning, D. (2009). A poisoned passion. NY: St. Martin’s.
This true crime story raises disturbing questions about the state of education in Texas. A female veterinarian gets pregnant and her ex-boyfriend, a military pilot, does the honourable thing. His mother-in-law doesn’t approve of him and poisons the relationship. The wife in turn drugs and murders her husband. All this is standard fare in this genre; however, the body disposal is, although not the most stupid I’ve read about, a close contender.
This murderess seems to be as dumb as a post—not only can she not figure out how to get rid of a body, she can’t spell or write grammatically, nor construct a plausible story for her legal defense. I thought veterinarians were supposed to be smart—can’t quite get my head around it.
This true crime story raises disturbing questions about the state of education in Texas. A female veterinarian gets pregnant and her ex-boyfriend, a military pilot, does the honourable thing. His mother-in-law doesn’t approve of him and poisons the relationship. The wife in turn drugs and murders her husband. All this is standard fare in this genre; however, the body disposal is, although not the most stupid I’ve read about, a close contender.
This murderess seems to be as dumb as a post—not only can she not figure out how to get rid of a body, she can’t spell or write grammatically, nor construct a plausible story for her legal defense. I thought veterinarians were supposed to be smart—can’t quite get my head around it.
Guinn, J. (2013). Manson: The life and times of Charles Manson. Toronto: Simon & Schuster.
Manson turns out to be a rather ordinary career criminal, albeit one with extraordinary charisma. Even with this charisma, his followers required a remarkable degree of gullibility to buy in—aided by youth, poverty, and the naïve counter-culture movement.
This is an oft-told story but the author succeeds in making it interesting by his detailed and skilful handling of the material.
Manson turns out to be a rather ordinary career criminal, albeit one with extraordinary charisma. Even with this charisma, his followers required a remarkable degree of gullibility to buy in—aided by youth, poverty, and the naïve counter-culture movement.
This is an oft-told story but the author succeeds in making it interesting by his detailed and skilful handling of the material.
Friesen, J. (2016). The ballad of Danny Wolfe: Life of a modern outlaw. Toronto: Penguin.
Danny Wolfe’s mother was incapacitated by virulent alcoholism so Danny and his brother pretty much raised themselves on the streets of Winnipeg’s North End, a poor area increasingly inhabited by Metis and Aboriginals from Manitoba reserves. The brothers founded the Indian Posse gang when barely into their teens. They sold dope, partied hard, committed robberies and home invasions, and fought with rival gangs. These gangstas adopted an ideology of racial identity politics modeled to a degree on Latino and Black American gangs. The Indian Posse and its emulators/competitors spread very rapidly, largely through the federal penitentiary system.
Despite their growth, these Aboriginal gangs never went big time. They remained at the bottom of the drug trade as retailers while bulk importation remained the province of the Mafia and biker gangs. Nor, despite earning lots of money, did they accumulate any capital that could be used to further their criminal activities. Like many Aboriginal gang members, Danny spent most of his short life in penitentiaries. In all, a sad and wasted life.
This story resonated with me because the photograph of Danny Wolfe on the jacket cover bears a striking resemblance to my childhood friend, Waynie Young. Waynie was the half-brother of my best friend Vincey (all we boys had the diminutive ee at the end of our given names) and five or so years my senior. He started using the surname of his biological father, Morin, when in primary school. One of my earliest memories is of Wayne’s adoptive father shouting abuse at him during supper while I waited outside for the kids to come out and play. I didn’t realize until I saw the photo of Danny Wolfe that “Morin” is very likely a Metis name—French-Cree. This jibes with Wayne’s appearance and goes some way to explaining the toxic family dynamics.
Waynie was always in trouble and unpopular in school. I remember him telling us one year that his only card on Valentine’s Day was from the teacher. Another time, we were all walking home at the end of the school year and all the kids were asking each other whether or not they had passed. Wayne was asked and said defiantly “no, but I don’t care”.
As a teenager, Wayne was sent to Bowmanville Reformatory, the training school for Protestant boys in Ontario. I think more than once. He would tell us all about what it was like and I listened with great interest so I would be ready when it came my turn. Then it was Guelph Reformatory and later, federal penitentiaries. Typically, Wayne would be arrested for stabbing someone in a bar fight. He was addicted to a variety of drugs, some of which he got by prescription from, he claimed, a prominent local doctor nicknamed “Shaker Baker”. “Feel my pulse” he said to me one afternoon downtown—it was racing amazingly fast. It was a miracle that Wayne never killed anyone, particularly because he occasionally obtained a pistol and used it to terrorize people. He tried to terrorize my friend, Bobby Freeman, who was giving him a ride but Bobby wouldn’t be intimidated, even when Wayne, sitting on the passenger side, shot the pistol close to Bobby’s head (fortunately the window was open). It was also a miracle that no one killed Wayne or that he didn’t manage to kill himself. He made many attempts in prison and judging by how he described them and the nature of the scars on his arms, these weren’t gestures. Wayne told me later that he had spent a short time at the Oak Ridge Psychiatric Hospital where he had had a good chat with a psychiatrist—little did I know that I would end up working there.
In his fifties, Wayne seemed to have burnt out. I was no longer in contact with him but his brother told me that he avoided crowds and shopping malls because they made him anxious and I imagine he still had the severe blinking tick that he had developed in adolescence. He moved to Winnipeg where his mother was living, rented a small apartment, and rode a bicycle to the cemetery where he was a grave digger. He died of a coronary not long after.
Lots of tragic lives.
Horton, S. (1989). The billionaire boys club. N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press.
Lovely little true crime book that tells the oh-so-familiar story of credulous people being taken in by the preposterous schemes of a very psychopathic young man. The highly entertaining twist to the story is that the psychopath gets conned by a much smarter con-man, with tragic results.
Danny Wolfe’s mother was incapacitated by virulent alcoholism so Danny and his brother pretty much raised themselves on the streets of Winnipeg’s North End, a poor area increasingly inhabited by Metis and Aboriginals from Manitoba reserves. The brothers founded the Indian Posse gang when barely into their teens. They sold dope, partied hard, committed robberies and home invasions, and fought with rival gangs. These gangstas adopted an ideology of racial identity politics modeled to a degree on Latino and Black American gangs. The Indian Posse and its emulators/competitors spread very rapidly, largely through the federal penitentiary system.
Despite their growth, these Aboriginal gangs never went big time. They remained at the bottom of the drug trade as retailers while bulk importation remained the province of the Mafia and biker gangs. Nor, despite earning lots of money, did they accumulate any capital that could be used to further their criminal activities. Like many Aboriginal gang members, Danny spent most of his short life in penitentiaries. In all, a sad and wasted life.
This story resonated with me because the photograph of Danny Wolfe on the jacket cover bears a striking resemblance to my childhood friend, Waynie Young. Waynie was the half-brother of my best friend Vincey (all we boys had the diminutive ee at the end of our given names) and five or so years my senior. He started using the surname of his biological father, Morin, when in primary school. One of my earliest memories is of Wayne’s adoptive father shouting abuse at him during supper while I waited outside for the kids to come out and play. I didn’t realize until I saw the photo of Danny Wolfe that “Morin” is very likely a Metis name—French-Cree. This jibes with Wayne’s appearance and goes some way to explaining the toxic family dynamics.
Waynie was always in trouble and unpopular in school. I remember him telling us one year that his only card on Valentine’s Day was from the teacher. Another time, we were all walking home at the end of the school year and all the kids were asking each other whether or not they had passed. Wayne was asked and said defiantly “no, but I don’t care”.
As a teenager, Wayne was sent to Bowmanville Reformatory, the training school for Protestant boys in Ontario. I think more than once. He would tell us all about what it was like and I listened with great interest so I would be ready when it came my turn. Then it was Guelph Reformatory and later, federal penitentiaries. Typically, Wayne would be arrested for stabbing someone in a bar fight. He was addicted to a variety of drugs, some of which he got by prescription from, he claimed, a prominent local doctor nicknamed “Shaker Baker”. “Feel my pulse” he said to me one afternoon downtown—it was racing amazingly fast. It was a miracle that Wayne never killed anyone, particularly because he occasionally obtained a pistol and used it to terrorize people. He tried to terrorize my friend, Bobby Freeman, who was giving him a ride but Bobby wouldn’t be intimidated, even when Wayne, sitting on the passenger side, shot the pistol close to Bobby’s head (fortunately the window was open). It was also a miracle that no one killed Wayne or that he didn’t manage to kill himself. He made many attempts in prison and judging by how he described them and the nature of the scars on his arms, these weren’t gestures. Wayne told me later that he had spent a short time at the Oak Ridge Psychiatric Hospital where he had had a good chat with a psychiatrist—little did I know that I would end up working there.
In his fifties, Wayne seemed to have burnt out. I was no longer in contact with him but his brother told me that he avoided crowds and shopping malls because they made him anxious and I imagine he still had the severe blinking tick that he had developed in adolescence. He moved to Winnipeg where his mother was living, rented a small apartment, and rode a bicycle to the cemetery where he was a grave digger. He died of a coronary not long after.
Lots of tragic lives.
Horton, S. (1989). The billionaire boys club. N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press.
Lovely little true crime book that tells the oh-so-familiar story of credulous people being taken in by the preposterous schemes of a very psychopathic young man. The highly entertaining twist to the story is that the psychopath gets conned by a much smarter con-man, with tragic results.
Humphreys, A. (1999). The enforcer Johnny Pops Papalia: A life and death in the Mafia. Toronto: Harper Collins.
A pretty good true crime book. It will be of particular interest to people living in Montreal and southern Ontario. There is a very interesting account of the tragic conflict between Papalia and the Toronto gambler Maxie Bluestein.
A pretty good true crime book. It will be of particular interest to people living in Montreal and southern Ontario. There is a very interesting account of the tragic conflict between Papalia and the Toronto gambler Maxie Bluestein.
Graeber, C. (2013). The good nurse: A true story of medicine, madness, and murder. New York: Twelve.
Buy this book! It’s the best book on a serial killer I’ve read. I won’t review it so as not to give it away but the killer is not the villain.
Buy this book! It’s the best book on a serial killer I’ve read. I won’t review it so as not to give it away but the killer is not the villain.
Irving, C. (1988). Daddy’s girl: The Campbell murder case. N.Y.: Kensington.
Fast moving true crime book made interesting not only by the betrayal involved in the murder but the betrayal involved in solving the case.
Fast moving true crime book made interesting not only by the betrayal involved in the murder but the betrayal involved in solving the case.
Kirn, W. (2014). Blood will out: The true story of a murder, a mystery, and a masquerade. NY: Norton.
Very well done true crime story with the interesting twist that the murdering con man conned the author for over a decade. The story begins with the author travelling by car and plane from Montana to New York to deliver an incapacitated shelter dog to a wealthy “Clark Rockefeller”. Kirn is fascinated and attracted to this eccentric member of the upper class, even though Clark turns out to be cheap, offering only $500.00 for Kirn’s trouble.
Years later, in 2008, when Clark is arrested under his real name (Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter) for a murder he committed in the eighties, Kirn begins to examine his relationship to his longtime friend. The book is neither about the murder, nor even Christian’s fraudulent and remorseless exploitation of everyone around him, but rather about the author’s and others’ credulity.
A New York Times review captures the essence of the book “In this smart, real-life psychological thriller, the fake Rockefeller is a zombie Gatsby and Kirn the post-apocalyptic Fitzerald, chronicling upper crust America in free fall.”
Very well done true crime story with the interesting twist that the murdering con man conned the author for over a decade. The story begins with the author travelling by car and plane from Montana to New York to deliver an incapacitated shelter dog to a wealthy “Clark Rockefeller”. Kirn is fascinated and attracted to this eccentric member of the upper class, even though Clark turns out to be cheap, offering only $500.00 for Kirn’s trouble.
Years later, in 2008, when Clark is arrested under his real name (Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter) for a murder he committed in the eighties, Kirn begins to examine his relationship to his longtime friend. The book is neither about the murder, nor even Christian’s fraudulent and remorseless exploitation of everyone around him, but rather about the author’s and others’ credulity.
A New York Times review captures the essence of the book “In this smart, real-life psychological thriller, the fake Rockefeller is a zombie Gatsby and Kirn the post-apocalyptic Fitzerald, chronicling upper crust America in free fall.”
Johnson, K.W. (2018). The feather thief: Beauty, obsession, and the natural history heist of the century. NY: Viking.
I had never heard of the big feather theft in the Tring Natural History Museum. The museum houses the Victorian collection of Lord Lionel Rothschild, including many rare and now extinct birds, a large number collected by Alfred Russell Wallace (co-discoverer of natural selection) in the Malay Archipelago.
The bird collections of natural history museums are under constant threat because the international trade in threatened birds is now illegal and their feathers are coveted by fly tiers (hobbyists who craft decorative flies for fly fishing in the Victorian fashion). Feathers, therefore, are very expensive.
A well-known 21-year old American fly tier, Edwin Trist, was studying the flute at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, when he broke into the Tring Museum and stole a large quantity of scientifically and historically important birds for his personal use and to sell on the internet black market. Trist was arrested and immediately confessed. He was given a suspended sentence but many of the birds were never recovered, of those that were, few retained any scientific value because their tags had been removed.
The tenacious author spent years trying to track down the missing birds among the unsympathetic fly-tying community. He displays a fine sense of moral outrage in describing his quest. The fly-tiers espouse the well-studied rationalizations for crime exhibited by many fraud offenders.
I had never heard of the big feather theft in the Tring Natural History Museum. The museum houses the Victorian collection of Lord Lionel Rothschild, including many rare and now extinct birds, a large number collected by Alfred Russell Wallace (co-discoverer of natural selection) in the Malay Archipelago.
The bird collections of natural history museums are under constant threat because the international trade in threatened birds is now illegal and their feathers are coveted by fly tiers (hobbyists who craft decorative flies for fly fishing in the Victorian fashion). Feathers, therefore, are very expensive.
A well-known 21-year old American fly tier, Edwin Trist, was studying the flute at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, when he broke into the Tring Museum and stole a large quantity of scientifically and historically important birds for his personal use and to sell on the internet black market. Trist was arrested and immediately confessed. He was given a suspended sentence but many of the birds were never recovered, of those that were, few retained any scientific value because their tags had been removed.
The tenacious author spent years trying to track down the missing birds among the unsympathetic fly-tying community. He displays a fine sense of moral outrage in describing his quest. The fly-tiers espouse the well-studied rationalizations for crime exhibited by many fraud offenders.
Junger, S. (2006). A death in Belmont. NY: Harper.
This is yet another book on the Boston strangler, Anthony DeSalvo, but it is a very good one. It also details the story of a black small-time criminal and alcoholic who was probably wrongfully convicted of one of DeSalvo’s murders. Incredibly, DeSalvo worked on Junger’s parents’ house when Junger was a boy and it appears that Junger’s mother came very close to being one of his victims.
This is yet another book on the Boston strangler, Anthony DeSalvo, but it is a very good one. It also details the story of a black small-time criminal and alcoholic who was probably wrongfully convicted of one of DeSalvo’s murders. Incredibly, DeSalvo worked on Junger’s parents’ house when Junger was a boy and it appears that Junger’s mother came very close to being one of his victims.
Kersten, J. (2009). The art of making money: The story of a master counterfeiter. NY: Penquin.
Very well done true crime story. The book captures the sense of “unexplained failure” characteristic of highly antisocial, if often quite nice, people and how criminal proclivities run in families.
Very well done true crime story. The book captures the sense of “unexplained failure” characteristic of highly antisocial, if often quite nice, people and how criminal proclivities run in families.
Kingsbury, K. (1994). Deadly pretender: The double life of David Miller. NY: Dell.
David Miller is a guy with a magnificent sense of entitlement. So, he lives beyond his means and acquires two wives. He tells one of them that he works for the CIA on important and dangerous undercover missions that often keep him away from home, incommunicado. One wonders sometimes whether any real people actually work for the CIA! This is only one of many incredibly implausible lies that his gullible wives and associates buy. Miller can’t afford to keep two wives in any style so has to keep making up even more improbable lies. All this leads to a great scene when the two wives connect by phone—Hello, is this Mrs. Miller? Yes, this is Mrs. Miller—who’s this?
Miller gets bummed out and angry that his lies have been exposed, so murders one of his wives in front of a lot of witnesses. He’s too upset to even try to get away.
David Miller is a guy with a magnificent sense of entitlement. So, he lives beyond his means and acquires two wives. He tells one of them that he works for the CIA on important and dangerous undercover missions that often keep him away from home, incommunicado. One wonders sometimes whether any real people actually work for the CIA! This is only one of many incredibly implausible lies that his gullible wives and associates buy. Miller can’t afford to keep two wives in any style so has to keep making up even more improbable lies. All this leads to a great scene when the two wives connect by phone—Hello, is this Mrs. Miller? Yes, this is Mrs. Miller—who’s this?
Miller gets bummed out and angry that his lies have been exposed, so murders one of his wives in front of a lot of witnesses. He’s too upset to even try to get away.
Knuckle, R. (1996). The flying bandit: Bringing down Canada’s most daring armed robber. Burnstown, ON: General Store.
I loved this book. Gilbert Galvin, aka Robert Whiteman, is an escaped prisoner from Wisconsin who gets a chance at another life in Canada. He marries a straight girl to whom he lies about his background and source of income and moves to, of all places, Pembroke, Ontario. Galvin flies all over Canada robbing many banks (you have to rob a lot of them because they don’t keep much money there) and later jewelry stores, because they are more lucrative. The downside of jewelry store heists is that you have to fence the goods.
As the French say, “quelle front”—Gilbert was one cheeky and impetuous guy!
Several morals to this tale: first you can do a lot of robbing whilst drinking an enormous amount. Second, you shouldn’t use a credit card to buy your plane tickets. Third, extradition can be a good way to reduce your sentence.
I loved this book. Gilbert Galvin, aka Robert Whiteman, is an escaped prisoner from Wisconsin who gets a chance at another life in Canada. He marries a straight girl to whom he lies about his background and source of income and moves to, of all places, Pembroke, Ontario. Galvin flies all over Canada robbing many banks (you have to rob a lot of them because they don’t keep much money there) and later jewelry stores, because they are more lucrative. The downside of jewelry store heists is that you have to fence the goods.
As the French say, “quelle front”—Gilbert was one cheeky and impetuous guy!
Several morals to this tale: first you can do a lot of robbing whilst drinking an enormous amount. Second, you shouldn’t use a credit card to buy your plane tickets. Third, extradition can be a good way to reduce your sentence.
Krakauer, J. ( 2003). Under the banner of heaven: A story of violent faith. Toronto: Random House.
I have a morbid love of reading about these wackoes. This is a good read, fast-paced and suspenseful. The radical mormons strikingly resemble the Taliban. If these groups ever became aware of their similarities, what a fifth column would exist in America! On the other hand, given the incompetence and credulity of the folks described in this book, it probably wouldn’t matter.
I have a morbid love of reading about these wackoes. This is a good read, fast-paced and suspenseful. The radical mormons strikingly resemble the Taliban. If these groups ever became aware of their similarities, what a fifth column would exist in America! On the other hand, given the incompetence and credulity of the folks described in this book, it probably wouldn’t matter.
Krivich, M. & Ol’gin, O. (1993). Comrade Chikatilo: The psychopathology of Russia’s notorious serial killer. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books.
A soviet serial killer. Chikatilo is, as one would expect, sexually deviant and sexually preoccupied. He becomes a sexual sadist who savagely kills both males and females, using the time honored system for avoiding arrest of targeting vulnerable strangers close to a means of transport (in this case trains). The book provides an interesting look at the Russian judicial system.
A soviet serial killer. Chikatilo is, as one would expect, sexually deviant and sexually preoccupied. He becomes a sexual sadist who savagely kills both males and females, using the time honored system for avoiding arrest of targeting vulnerable strangers close to a means of transport (in this case trains). The book provides an interesting look at the Russian judicial system.
Lawson, G. & Olham, W. (2006). The brotherhoods: The true story of two cops who murdered for the mafia. Toronto: Pocket Books.
An engrossing true crime story. It’s strange to discover that I can still be offended by criminal behaviour but there is something particularly abhorrent about police acting as informers and hit-men for the Mafia. Two senior and decorated detectives are weasels from the start of their career—one has the effrontery and stupidity to write a book entitled Mafia cop: The story of an honest cop whose family was the mob. One gets a good feel for the departmental dynamics in police work in the description of the bad guys’ careers and the long pursuit by the good guys. Mercifully, justice eventually prevails and the bad guys don’t get to enjoy their retirement.
An engrossing true crime story. It’s strange to discover that I can still be offended by criminal behaviour but there is something particularly abhorrent about police acting as informers and hit-men for the Mafia. Two senior and decorated detectives are weasels from the start of their career—one has the effrontery and stupidity to write a book entitled Mafia cop: The story of an honest cop whose family was the mob. One gets a good feel for the departmental dynamics in police work in the description of the bad guys’ careers and the long pursuit by the good guys. Mercifully, justice eventually prevails and the bad guys don’t get to enjoy their retirement.
Lamothe, L. & Humphreys, A. (2006). The sixth family: The collapse of the New York mafia and the rise of Vito Rizzuto. Toronto: Wiley.
This book documents the rise of a branch of the Sicilian mafia in Montreal. It’s a modern organization that believes strongly in globalization through alliances with both mafia and other gangs, such as biker groups. Family ties remain important in the new look organization, although sometimes altered—for example, the children become lawyers and conversations at home subject to lawyer-client privilege. This gang is now under serious siege. Vito has been extradited to New York for an old murder and there have been many more arrests since this book’s publication. The book is based on a lot of documentation and is well written.
This book documents the rise of a branch of the Sicilian mafia in Montreal. It’s a modern organization that believes strongly in globalization through alliances with both mafia and other gangs, such as biker groups. Family ties remain important in the new look organization, although sometimes altered—for example, the children become lawyers and conversations at home subject to lawyer-client privilege. This gang is now under serious siege. Vito has been extradited to New York for an old murder and there have been many more arrests since this book’s publication. The book is based on a lot of documentation and is well written.
Lehr, D. & O’Neill, G. (2013). Whitey: The life of America’s most notorious mob boss. New York: Crown.
This, thanks to the work of the authors, is now a well-known tale, brought up to date in this book. Yes, they finally caught Whitey Bulger after decades of search. Not surprisingly, he emerges as a thoroughly unlikeable master of self-serving cant.
The difficulties of law enforcement in bringing down even the most egregious perpetrators of organized crime are legion. There are overlapping and poorly articulated jurisdictions among enforcement agencies, anti-police attitudes in poor neighbourhoods, and glamorization of criminality. In addition, politicians are almost always involved in organized crime. Most importantly, however, is the dramatic disparity in income between members of the police force and members of criminal organizations. This disparity guarantees corruption, the opportunity for which is increased because the police depend upon criminal informants for successful prosecution. I think the only reason the police ever succeed is the total lack of honour and loyalty among thieves.
This, thanks to the work of the authors, is now a well-known tale, brought up to date in this book. Yes, they finally caught Whitey Bulger after decades of search. Not surprisingly, he emerges as a thoroughly unlikeable master of self-serving cant.
The difficulties of law enforcement in bringing down even the most egregious perpetrators of organized crime are legion. There are overlapping and poorly articulated jurisdictions among enforcement agencies, anti-police attitudes in poor neighbourhoods, and glamorization of criminality. In addition, politicians are almost always involved in organized crime. Most importantly, however, is the dramatic disparity in income between members of the police force and members of criminal organizations. This disparity guarantees corruption, the opportunity for which is increased because the police depend upon criminal informants for successful prosecution. I think the only reason the police ever succeed is the total lack of honour and loyalty among thieves.
Linedecker, C.L. (2004). Night stalker: A shocking story of Satanism, sex, and serial murders. NY: St. Martin’s Press.
The night stalker sure created a lot of carnage in LA—breaking into people’s homes when they were sleeping and raping, sadistically killing, and stealing. All this when he was chronically stoned. The author has no clue as to why this guy does all this. All we know is that he was an addict and thief from an early age, had no personal hygiene behaviors, ate poorly, liked heavy metal, was interested in Satanism in an amateurish adolescent way, and had some dumb relatives. He sounds on the psychotic side but there’s not enough here to get a diagnosis. There is a very entertaining account of his arrest (pursued by angry villagers—unfortunately without torches). Of course, he attracts lots of killer-groupies during his trial and incarceration. Not well written and one can skip the author’s psychologizing.
The night stalker sure created a lot of carnage in LA—breaking into people’s homes when they were sleeping and raping, sadistically killing, and stealing. All this when he was chronically stoned. The author has no clue as to why this guy does all this. All we know is that he was an addict and thief from an early age, had no personal hygiene behaviors, ate poorly, liked heavy metal, was interested in Satanism in an amateurish adolescent way, and had some dumb relatives. He sounds on the psychotic side but there’s not enough here to get a diagnosis. There is a very entertaining account of his arrest (pursued by angry villagers—unfortunately without torches). Of course, he attracts lots of killer-groupies during his trial and incarceration. Not well written and one can skip the author’s psychologizing.
Maas, P. (1968). The Valachi Papers. N.Y.: HarperCollins.
I finally got around to reading this classic work on the mafia. If you have been watching the Sopranos, you probably don’t need to read this. The Soparano writers have paid very close attention to Joseph Valachi’s account of life in the mafia. The efforts of government officials to suppress the publication of the story are of interest as well as Valachi’s tragic end.
I finally got around to reading this classic work on the mafia. If you have been watching the Sopranos, you probably don’t need to read this. The Soparano writers have paid very close attention to Joseph Valachi’s account of life in the mafia. The efforts of government officials to suppress the publication of the story are of interest as well as Valachi’s tragic end.
Maas, P. (1997). Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano’s story of life in the mafia. N.Y.: Harper Collin.
A good "red and black” book. Gravano’s account (from many interviews) is detectably self serving in spots but a very good portrait of La Cosa Nostra.
One very interesting vignette. John Gotti tells Vincent "the Chin” Gigante that his son, John Junior, has recently been made (inducted into the Cosa Nostra). Chin (who spent his adult life feigning mental illness) replies, "Jeez, I'm sorry to hear that.” Given the life expectancy of the made guys who avoid prison, a sensible reaction.
A good "red and black” book. Gravano’s account (from many interviews) is detectably self serving in spots but a very good portrait of La Cosa Nostra.
One very interesting vignette. John Gotti tells Vincent "the Chin” Gigante that his son, John Junior, has recently been made (inducted into the Cosa Nostra). Chin (who spent his adult life feigning mental illness) replies, "Jeez, I'm sorry to hear that.” Given the life expectancy of the made guys who avoid prison, a sensible reaction.
MacDonald, I. & O’Keefe, B. (2003). Born to die: A cop killer’s final message. Surrey, BC: Heritage House.
Rather amateurishly written and in need of an editor but admirably portrays the ambience of Vancouver in the fifties. Joe Gordon is a petty career criminal who ends up shooting a cop. Before his hanging, Gordon wrote an account of his life and a plea for unfortunate high risk kids that could have been taken from Willard Motley’s Knock on any door, the 1947 classic crime novel.
Rather amateurishly written and in need of an editor but admirably portrays the ambience of Vancouver in the fifties. Joe Gordon is a petty career criminal who ends up shooting a cop. Before his hanging, Gordon wrote an account of his life and a plea for unfortunate high risk kids that could have been taken from Willard Motley’s Knock on any door, the 1947 classic crime novel.
Maher, E. (2017). Fast Eddie. London: Blink.
A fast-paced autobiographical page-turner. Eddie was a skin-head rounder from London’s East end. After a life of petty crime, he joined the army and later became a fire fighter. He had to quit the fire department because of a rugby injury. After a fire burned down the pub he had bought with his pay out, he got a job driving an armoured truck delivering sacks of money to various banks.
After having boasting to his mates in a pub that he knew how to rip off the security company that ran the cash deliveries. He was threatened by a gang of criminals and forced to drive the truck away with more than a million pounds in cash. The crooks gave him a bunch of money and he, his wife, and son fled to the US, where they lived under assumed identities for 20 years.
One interesting part of the story involves the difficulties in assuming a new identity, especially for children, and how it is more difficult to do so now with the internet and the linking of information from various governmental agencies. Also very interesting how he got caught.
The story is written in an obviously self-serving way--in particular, the part where he is forced to participate in the robbery by unknown thugs is distinctly fishy. One must take the entire book with more than a little salt. Many attitudes supportive of crime shine through the narrative.
A fast-paced autobiographical page-turner. Eddie was a skin-head rounder from London’s East end. After a life of petty crime, he joined the army and later became a fire fighter. He had to quit the fire department because of a rugby injury. After a fire burned down the pub he had bought with his pay out, he got a job driving an armoured truck delivering sacks of money to various banks.
After having boasting to his mates in a pub that he knew how to rip off the security company that ran the cash deliveries. He was threatened by a gang of criminals and forced to drive the truck away with more than a million pounds in cash. The crooks gave him a bunch of money and he, his wife, and son fled to the US, where they lived under assumed identities for 20 years.
One interesting part of the story involves the difficulties in assuming a new identity, especially for children, and how it is more difficult to do so now with the internet and the linking of information from various governmental agencies. Also very interesting how he got caught.
The story is written in an obviously self-serving way--in particular, the part where he is forced to participate in the robbery by unknown thugs is distinctly fishy. One must take the entire book with more than a little salt. Many attitudes supportive of crime shine through the narrative.
McClintick, D. (1982). Indecent exposure: A true story of Hollywood and Wall Street. NY: Dell.
It all starts when a straight-shooting actor, Cliff Robertson, is told by the IRS that he owes taxes on a $10,000.00 payment from Columbia Pictures. Robertson has no memory of receiving any such payment and starts to investigate--at first tentatively and then in earnest. Robertson is distinctly irked and won’t let it drop. It turned out that the cheque was issued by 56-year old David Begelman, a flamboyant former talent scout who had become president of Columbia pictures. It then turned out that not only had Begelman issued the cheque, he had also endorsed it using Robertson’s signature and cashed it. I didn’t say “forged” because Begelman didn’t go to the trouble of trying to copy Robertson’s signature.
The exposure of the fraud is indecent in the sense that it leads to revealing not only Begelman’s history of fraud and the prevalence in tinsel town of slippery ethics combined with a mind-blowing sense of entitlement but also how many in show business would collude in lying to protect their own. Are all corporations the same?
This tangled web ensnares a large number of individuals and precipitates a series of career changing within- and between-corporate altercations. It’s really amazing and I found it quite interesting, somewhat oddly I suppose, because I neither know nor care about any of these (apparently famous) people.
It all starts when a straight-shooting actor, Cliff Robertson, is told by the IRS that he owes taxes on a $10,000.00 payment from Columbia Pictures. Robertson has no memory of receiving any such payment and starts to investigate--at first tentatively and then in earnest. Robertson is distinctly irked and won’t let it drop. It turned out that the cheque was issued by 56-year old David Begelman, a flamboyant former talent scout who had become president of Columbia pictures. It then turned out that not only had Begelman issued the cheque, he had also endorsed it using Robertson’s signature and cashed it. I didn’t say “forged” because Begelman didn’t go to the trouble of trying to copy Robertson’s signature.
The exposure of the fraud is indecent in the sense that it leads to revealing not only Begelman’s history of fraud and the prevalence in tinsel town of slippery ethics combined with a mind-blowing sense of entitlement but also how many in show business would collude in lying to protect their own. Are all corporations the same?
This tangled web ensnares a large number of individuals and precipitates a series of career changing within- and between-corporate altercations. It’s really amazing and I found it quite interesting, somewhat oddly I suppose, because I neither know nor care about any of these (apparently famous) people.
McGinniss, J. (1991). Cruel doubt. Toronto: Simon & Schuster.
If you ever think you are having a bad day, give this book a read to make yourself feel really lucky. At one level this is the standard scenario of conflict between step-dad and children and at another it is a tale of a mother’s cruel betrayal and continuing faith in her offspring. Well done true crime.
If you ever think you are having a bad day, give this book a read to make yourself feel really lucky. At one level this is the standard scenario of conflict between step-dad and children and at another it is a tale of a mother’s cruel betrayal and continuing faith in her offspring. Well done true crime.
McGinniss, J. (2007). Never enough. Toronto: Pocket Star.
OK, this has got to be the absolutely dumbest crime ever committed (it is true, however, that I’ve thought this several times before). An about to be divorced woman drugs her financially predatory, very rich, husband and bashes his brains out in the bedroom of their luxury suite in Hong Kong. So far, so good. What could be the problem? Well, the live-in servants and the little kids for starters. Because, you see, the body begins to smell after a time. When the murderess finally calls workmen to cart away a heavy, heavy object rolled up in a rug to—get this—the storage area in the basement (!!), they become nauseous and call the cops. As well, there is the problem that she had simultaneously drugged the husband’s friend who went home and slipped into a quasi-coma. Then there were the e-mails to her lover and the internet searches for poison recorded on her computer….oh yeah, and the body parts and bloody linens hidden in the children’s closets. Oh, I forgot, she also neglected to get rid of the drugs used in the murder.
The wife is splendidly psychopathic. She reminds me of Diane Downs in Ann Rule’s book, Small Sacrifices. The husband’s wealthy family is portrayed as a nest of vipers. For example, in a subsequent and unrelated incident, the husband’s brother (a big-time embezzler) is found murdered just before he is to be sent to jail.
Well done and very entertaining.
OK, this has got to be the absolutely dumbest crime ever committed (it is true, however, that I’ve thought this several times before). An about to be divorced woman drugs her financially predatory, very rich, husband and bashes his brains out in the bedroom of their luxury suite in Hong Kong. So far, so good. What could be the problem? Well, the live-in servants and the little kids for starters. Because, you see, the body begins to smell after a time. When the murderess finally calls workmen to cart away a heavy, heavy object rolled up in a rug to—get this—the storage area in the basement (!!), they become nauseous and call the cops. As well, there is the problem that she had simultaneously drugged the husband’s friend who went home and slipped into a quasi-coma. Then there were the e-mails to her lover and the internet searches for poison recorded on her computer….oh yeah, and the body parts and bloody linens hidden in the children’s closets. Oh, I forgot, she also neglected to get rid of the drugs used in the murder.
The wife is splendidly psychopathic. She reminds me of Diane Downs in Ann Rule’s book, Small Sacrifices. The husband’s wealthy family is portrayed as a nest of vipers. For example, in a subsequent and unrelated incident, the husband’s brother (a big-time embezzler) is found murdered just before he is to be sent to jail.
Well done and very entertaining.
McShane, L. (2016). Chin: The life and crimes of Mafia boss Vincent Gigante. Kensington: NY.
For over thirty years Vincent Gigante was the boss of the Genovese crime family comprised of over 300 soldiers, the largest in the US. Vincent was justly paranoid about police surveillance—for example, he forbade his underlings from speaking his name, they were instead to touch their chins. In addition, the “odd father” continuously posed as a psychiatric case. He wandered the streets of the Village in New York in a bathrobe, urinated on fire hydrants, regularly checked himself into psychiatric institutions, and routinely conned well-meaning mental health professionals. He was strongly supported in these efforts by his family, particularly his brother who was a well-known Catholic priest.
Vincent’s malingering totally worked; he avoided conviction for decades. But one wonders whether all the tiresome posing, scheming, endless murders, and relentless money-making was worth it. Although Vincent had a second family with a mistress, his life otherwise seems bleak and sordid indeed.
For over thirty years Vincent Gigante was the boss of the Genovese crime family comprised of over 300 soldiers, the largest in the US. Vincent was justly paranoid about police surveillance—for example, he forbade his underlings from speaking his name, they were instead to touch their chins. In addition, the “odd father” continuously posed as a psychiatric case. He wandered the streets of the Village in New York in a bathrobe, urinated on fire hydrants, regularly checked himself into psychiatric institutions, and routinely conned well-meaning mental health professionals. He was strongly supported in these efforts by his family, particularly his brother who was a well-known Catholic priest.
Vincent’s malingering totally worked; he avoided conviction for decades. But one wonders whether all the tiresome posing, scheming, endless murders, and relentless money-making was worth it. Although Vincent had a second family with a mistress, his life otherwise seems bleak and sordid indeed.
Morgan, J. (1985). Prince of crime. N.Y.: Stein and Day.
Llewelyn (The Camel or Murray the Hump) Humphreys is one of the more appealing gangsters to come out of the Capone era. One of his racketeering enterprises involved Chicago laundries and he originated the jokes about “taking people to the cleaners” and “laundering money”. His advice to the Chicago voters was “to vote early and vote often.” Humphreys was the first gangster to “take the fifth” and he had a wooden plaque with the fifth amendment on his wall, together with one that read “Love they crooked neighbor as you love thy crooked self.”
After a false start at an honest career as a paper boy, Humphreys (a Welshman) joined the Sicilian mob in Chicago. During the thirties, he was second in command to Capone. However, he was clever enough to outlast all of his peers and retained his influence in organized crime to the end of his life.
Llewelyn (The Camel or Murray the Hump) Humphreys is one of the more appealing gangsters to come out of the Capone era. One of his racketeering enterprises involved Chicago laundries and he originated the jokes about “taking people to the cleaners” and “laundering money”. His advice to the Chicago voters was “to vote early and vote often.” Humphreys was the first gangster to “take the fifth” and he had a wooden plaque with the fifth amendment on his wall, together with one that read “Love they crooked neighbor as you love thy crooked self.”
After a false start at an honest career as a paper boy, Humphreys (a Welshman) joined the Sicilian mob in Chicago. During the thirties, he was second in command to Capone. However, he was clever enough to outlast all of his peers and retained his influence in organized crime to the end of his life.
Neff, J. (1995). Unfinished murder: The capture of a serial rapist. Toronto: Pocket Books.
A pretty good "red and black” book. Very nice description of compulsive rape as a manifestation of mating effort and sexual deviance.
A pretty good "red and black” book. Very nice description of compulsive rape as a manifestation of mating effort and sexual deviance.
Norris, W. (1987). The man who fell from the sky. Markham, ON: Viking.
Very entertaining whodunit. Yes, the victim, an unpopular robber baron type tycoon and financial speculator named Alfred Loewenstein, really did fall from the sky over the English Channel in 1928. Amazingly, no one was convicted or even charged with his murder—even though it was reasonably clear that someone among the small number of individuals on his private plane must have thrown the victim out and the others must have been keenly aware of what was going on. The author claims to have solved the mystery and I believe he really has identified the culprit.
Very entertaining whodunit. Yes, the victim, an unpopular robber baron type tycoon and financial speculator named Alfred Loewenstein, really did fall from the sky over the English Channel in 1928. Amazingly, no one was convicted or even charged with his murder—even though it was reasonably clear that someone among the small number of individuals on his private plane must have thrown the victim out and the others must have been keenly aware of what was going on. The author claims to have solved the mystery and I believe he really has identified the culprit.
O’Connor, D. (2011). Montreal’s Irish mafia: The true story of the infamous West End Gang. Toronto: Wiley.
This book it probably of interest only to folks who have actually lived in Montreal. Because the West End Gang was a loose conglomeration of individuals about whom not an awful lot is known, the book is essentially a catalog or year-book covering enterprising thugs of Irish, or at least non-Italian origin. Nevertheless, a whole lot of crime and corruption has occurred in West Island Montreal. My favourite Quebec gangster remains Mom Boucher, because even though not Irish, he had the chutzpah to start killing criminal justice system workers (who did they think they were anyhow?).
This book it probably of interest only to folks who have actually lived in Montreal. Because the West End Gang was a loose conglomeration of individuals about whom not an awful lot is known, the book is essentially a catalog or year-book covering enterprising thugs of Irish, or at least non-Italian origin. Nevertheless, a whole lot of crime and corruption has occurred in West Island Montreal. My favourite Quebec gangster remains Mom Boucher, because even though not Irish, he had the chutzpah to start killing criminal justice system workers (who did they think they were anyhow?).
Olsen, G. (1997). Starvation heights: A true story of murder and malice in the woods of the Pacific northwest. NY: Random House.
This is a masterfully constructed story about how a dominating lady “doctor” proponent of flaky new age nostrums, such as starvation therapy, together with her alcoholic cad of a hen-pecked husband, fatally “treat” and rob their gullible clients. I swear that each page of this book describes something even more outrageous. Highly recommended.
This is a masterfully constructed story about how a dominating lady “doctor” proponent of flaky new age nostrums, such as starvation therapy, together with her alcoholic cad of a hen-pecked husband, fatally “treat” and rob their gullible clients. I swear that each page of this book describes something even more outrageous. Highly recommended.
Olsen, J. (1983). Son: A psychopath and his victims. NY: Scribner.
I re-read this classic true crime book after many years and it has stood well the test of time. The serial rapist, Fred Coe, is flamboyantly psychopathic in the textbook sense. He is called “son” in the title because of his claustrophobic relationship with his nutty mother who alternately coddles and berates him and who, after his conviction, tries to arrange a contract killing of the judge and prosecutor. There were very many victims because the Spokane police force at the time was simply incompetent. A great deal of suffering could have been averted.
As in the case of many psychopaths, the fact that so many people believed Fred Coe’s nonstop lies for so long is a source of wonder. Olsen is a meticulous researcher and presents this case exceptionally well.
I re-read this classic true crime book after many years and it has stood well the test of time. The serial rapist, Fred Coe, is flamboyantly psychopathic in the textbook sense. He is called “son” in the title because of his claustrophobic relationship with his nutty mother who alternately coddles and berates him and who, after his conviction, tries to arrange a contract killing of the judge and prosecutor. There were very many victims because the Spokane police force at the time was simply incompetent. A great deal of suffering could have been averted.
As in the case of many psychopaths, the fact that so many people believed Fred Coe’s nonstop lies for so long is a source of wonder. Olsen is a meticulous researcher and presents this case exceptionally well.
Orth, M. ( 2017). Vulgar favors: The assassination of Gianni Versace. NY: Bantam.
This is the story of Andrew Cunanan’s cross-US murder spree. Andrew was a psychopath who was involved in the trendy homosexual party scene, prostitution, and S&M. The story documents the ineptitude of the police agencies attempting to catch him before he murdered again and the pervasive influence of the news media. The whole picture is decidedly sordid.
Although there is probably an interesting story to be told about these killings, this book fails in the attempt. It is close to unreadable because the author lacks focus and cannot distinguish between what is important and interesting and what is not. I could only get through the book by skimming.
This is the story of Andrew Cunanan’s cross-US murder spree. Andrew was a psychopath who was involved in the trendy homosexual party scene, prostitution, and S&M. The story documents the ineptitude of the police agencies attempting to catch him before he murdered again and the pervasive influence of the news media. The whole picture is decidedly sordid.
Although there is probably an interesting story to be told about these killings, this book fails in the attempt. It is close to unreadable because the author lacks focus and cannot distinguish between what is important and interesting and what is not. I could only get through the book by skimming.
O’Shea, G. (2005). Unbridled rage: A true story of organized crime, corruption, and murder in Chicago. NY: Berkley.
This is a real cold case. The murder of two Chicago boys in 1955 is finally solved forty years later. This book is written much better than most true crime stories, making the murders more poignant and disturbing.
This is a real cold case. The murder of two Chicago boys in 1955 is finally solved forty years later. This book is written much better than most true crime stories, making the murders more poignant and disturbing.
Phelps, M.W. (2008). I’ll be watching you. NY: Kensington.
Edwin Snelgrove is a bumbling Ted Bundy wannabe. Bumbling, but convinced of his intellectual superiority. He strangles and stabs his victims and then poses them in a sexual way. First, he murders a woman who has jilted him, then, a few years later, attempts but fails to kill a stranger. He plea bargains by admitting to both crimes and gets sentenced to 20 years. Because of “good time” he is out in eleven and ready to try again.
The most amazing aspect of this story is the short original sentence, particularly because, in his letter to the court, Edwin described having homicidal sexual fantasies since he was a child. It is not clear how many women (in addition to the post-release victim he is currently incarcerated for killing) paid for the brevity of this sentence with their lives.
Edwin Snelgrove is a bumbling Ted Bundy wannabe. Bumbling, but convinced of his intellectual superiority. He strangles and stabs his victims and then poses them in a sexual way. First, he murders a woman who has jilted him, then, a few years later, attempts but fails to kill a stranger. He plea bargains by admitting to both crimes and gets sentenced to 20 years. Because of “good time” he is out in eleven and ready to try again.
The most amazing aspect of this story is the short original sentence, particularly because, in his letter to the court, Edwin described having homicidal sexual fantasies since he was a child. It is not clear how many women (in addition to the post-release victim he is currently incarcerated for killing) paid for the brevity of this sentence with their lives.
Phelps, M.W. (2010). The devil’s rooming house: The true story of America’s deadliest female serial killer. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press.
This is the crime upon which “arsenic and old lace” is based. It’s all simple economics. If you run a boarding house for old folks, you can recruit a lot of boarders by offering them a really good life-time contract. Once recruited, however, the boarders who continue to live cost more to take care of than the contract they signed is worth. A simple solution thus presents itself; a solution all the more satisfactory if the boarder appears to have left their wordly estate to the owner of the boarding house.
A very entertaining little book.
Porter, B. (2016). Snatched: From drug queen to informer to hostage—a harrowing true story. NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Pilar was born in Columbia to an upper class family in 1951. She was beautiful, athletic, and adventurous, with a stunningly bad taste in men. Of her many suitors, she invariably chose the most psychopathic. Before her marital misadventures, she was a very successful airline flight attendant/hostess back in the day when air travel was classy.
A large celestial object radically distorts the surrounding fabric of space-time so as to alter the trajectories of nearby objects. A large amount of capital acts analogously on the behavior of people in its vicinity. The fabulous profits of the cocaine trade twisted the economy of Colombia and drew Pilar into its orbit through her first snake-in-the grass husband.
For a time, Pilar led the life of the fabulously rich. When the money was gone, the Drug Enforcement Agency, at the suggestion of her incarcerated second ex-husband, sneakily coerced her into becoming an informer, at which she excelled. The last half of the book documents how destructive and futile the war on drugs was (not that further documentation is needed). What I found more interesting was the description of the bureaucracies involved in the drug war. The local police forces, FBI, DEA, and so forth generally loathed each other and often worked at cross purposes. The DEA, like many large bureaucracies, was hierarchical and rule-bound. Bosses often knew little about what was happening on the ground but assumed they knew best, met with each other endlessly, and were suspicious of tall poppies. Oh so familiar.
Pilar was treated terribly by the American Government to whom she had given so much. After surviving abduction, she ended up fighting them in court—it took 16 years for her to win!
This is the crime upon which “arsenic and old lace” is based. It’s all simple economics. If you run a boarding house for old folks, you can recruit a lot of boarders by offering them a really good life-time contract. Once recruited, however, the boarders who continue to live cost more to take care of than the contract they signed is worth. A simple solution thus presents itself; a solution all the more satisfactory if the boarder appears to have left their wordly estate to the owner of the boarding house.
A very entertaining little book.
Porter, B. (2016). Snatched: From drug queen to informer to hostage—a harrowing true story. NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Pilar was born in Columbia to an upper class family in 1951. She was beautiful, athletic, and adventurous, with a stunningly bad taste in men. Of her many suitors, she invariably chose the most psychopathic. Before her marital misadventures, she was a very successful airline flight attendant/hostess back in the day when air travel was classy.
A large celestial object radically distorts the surrounding fabric of space-time so as to alter the trajectories of nearby objects. A large amount of capital acts analogously on the behavior of people in its vicinity. The fabulous profits of the cocaine trade twisted the economy of Colombia and drew Pilar into its orbit through her first snake-in-the grass husband.
For a time, Pilar led the life of the fabulously rich. When the money was gone, the Drug Enforcement Agency, at the suggestion of her incarcerated second ex-husband, sneakily coerced her into becoming an informer, at which she excelled. The last half of the book documents how destructive and futile the war on drugs was (not that further documentation is needed). What I found more interesting was the description of the bureaucracies involved in the drug war. The local police forces, FBI, DEA, and so forth generally loathed each other and often worked at cross purposes. The DEA, like many large bureaucracies, was hierarchical and rule-bound. Bosses often knew little about what was happening on the ground but assumed they knew best, met with each other endlessly, and were suspicious of tall poppies. Oh so familiar.
Pilar was treated terribly by the American Government to whom she had given so much. After surviving abduction, she ended up fighting them in court—it took 16 years for her to win!
Presley, J. (2014). The phantom killer: Unlocking the mystery of the Texarkana serial murders: The story of a town in terror. NY: Pegasus.
In 1946, there was a series of brutal crimes in Texarkana involving young couples in parked cars. The first pair were savagely beaten and survived but two further couples were shot and killed. A further older couple were shot in their home, the wife miraculously survived.
There was a massive and widely publicized manhunt. Unknown to the public, however, the culprit, a young career criminal named Youell Swinney, was soon identified. There was a good deal of circumstantial evidence, including self-incriminatory statements made by the suspect, that were convincing but not quite enough to win a death penalty case. Detailed information about the crimes was, however, provided by Swinney’s wife who had participated to some degree in the crimes. She refused to testify in court and could not be forced to testify against her husband.
What to do? The police and the defendant’s lawyer agreed to a deal where Swinney would plead guilty to car theft in Texas in return for the police dropping the murder charges in Arkansas. It was understood by the parties that Swinney would receive a life sentence as a habitual offender in Texas.
All was good but after twenty-five years, Swinney was petitioning for release on the grounds that he was not represented by a lawyer in one of the offenses that counted toward his habitual offender sentence. Of course, most of the participants in the original deal were dead or demented and Swinney’s petition was eventually granted.
Upon getting out, Swinney continued his life of petty crime right up to the time he died at age 77.
In 1946, there was a series of brutal crimes in Texarkana involving young couples in parked cars. The first pair were savagely beaten and survived but two further couples were shot and killed. A further older couple were shot in their home, the wife miraculously survived.
There was a massive and widely publicized manhunt. Unknown to the public, however, the culprit, a young career criminal named Youell Swinney, was soon identified. There was a good deal of circumstantial evidence, including self-incriminatory statements made by the suspect, that were convincing but not quite enough to win a death penalty case. Detailed information about the crimes was, however, provided by Swinney’s wife who had participated to some degree in the crimes. She refused to testify in court and could not be forced to testify against her husband.
What to do? The police and the defendant’s lawyer agreed to a deal where Swinney would plead guilty to car theft in Texas in return for the police dropping the murder charges in Arkansas. It was understood by the parties that Swinney would receive a life sentence as a habitual offender in Texas.
All was good but after twenty-five years, Swinney was petitioning for release on the grounds that he was not represented by a lawyer in one of the offenses that counted toward his habitual offender sentence. Of course, most of the participants in the original deal were dead or demented and Swinney’s petition was eventually granted.
Upon getting out, Swinney continued his life of petty crime right up to the time he died at age 77.
Preston, D. & Spezi, M. (2008). The monster of Florence: A true story. NY: Grand Central Publishing.
Marriage is late in Florence and during the long engagements, affianced couples live in their respective parents’ homes. The couples drive to secluded spots to have sex where they are subject to the attentions of local voyeurs. There are even guides who, for a fee, will lead voyeurs to the “good cars” and best vantage points.
Over a period of many years, the monster of Florence preyed upon these couples—shooting the man, then killing and mutilating the woman. Writer Preston teams up with detective Spezi to investigate the crimes. They advance a theory of the crimes at variance with the official prosecutors’ view and, because of the very foolish way Italian law is organized, become scapegoats and even suspects themselves.
Interesting—for example, the serial killer has accomplices--but ultimately disappointing because there is no definite proof of the principal suspect’s culpability.
Marriage is late in Florence and during the long engagements, affianced couples live in their respective parents’ homes. The couples drive to secluded spots to have sex where they are subject to the attentions of local voyeurs. There are even guides who, for a fee, will lead voyeurs to the “good cars” and best vantage points.
Over a period of many years, the monster of Florence preyed upon these couples—shooting the man, then killing and mutilating the woman. Writer Preston teams up with detective Spezi to investigate the crimes. They advance a theory of the crimes at variance with the official prosecutors’ view and, because of the very foolish way Italian law is organized, become scapegoats and even suspects themselves.
Interesting—for example, the serial killer has accomplices--but ultimately disappointing because there is no definite proof of the principal suspect’s culpability.
Read, S. (2005). On the house: The bizarre killing of Michael Malloy. NY: Berkley.
Alcoholism can be just as devasting as an addiction to crack cocaine or any other substance. This is the stunning tale set in the seediest part of New York in the thirties of how habituation to enormous doses of alcohol can cause a person to be extremely resistant to his “friends’” determined efforts to collect his life insurance policy through the use of heroic doses of poison.
Alcoholism can be just as devasting as an addiction to crack cocaine or any other substance. This is the stunning tale set in the seediest part of New York in the thirties of how habituation to enormous doses of alcohol can cause a person to be extremely resistant to his “friends’” determined efforts to collect his life insurance policy through the use of heroic doses of poison.
Richmond, C. (2007). The good wife: The shocking betrayal and brutal murder of a godly woman in Texas. NY: HarperCollins.
The title says it all. I suppose the moral to this good little crime book echoes the conclusion reached by academic criminologists—religious belief does not protect perpetrators or victims from criminal activity.
The title says it all. I suppose the moral to this good little crime book echoes the conclusion reached by academic criminologists—religious belief does not protect perpetrators or victims from criminal activity.
Robins, N. & Aronson, S.M.L. (1985). Savage grace: The true story of fatal relations in a rich and famous American family. NY: Simon & Schuster.
This is a book about the sort of people my mother invariably referred to as “the idle rich”. The book is entirely composed of interviews, quotations from psychiatric reports, diaries, and the like. The material is skilfully edited and very effective. It does, however, engender misanthropy. The majority of these people reveal themselves, usually unintentionally, to be shallow, callous, name dropping social climbers and snobs.
It’s interesting to ponder why the reader (well, at least one reader) is so disappointed in the lives of these glitterati and heirs to great wealth. The lives of many of them seem to totally lack meaning. But this is quite a double standard—the lives of the unwashed masses also lack meaning. I guess we don’t expect ordinary people to rise above mediocrity, whereas we believe that the very rich could and should do better.
The story concerns the callous and aloof heir to the Bakelite fortune, his gold-digging, pretentious, aggressively convivial wife, and their unfortunate son. A delightful part of the book deals with the Broadmoor sojourn of this somewhat antisocial and very psychotic son following his murder of his mother. Broadmoor is the senior “special” or forensic psychiatric hospital in England. As might be expected, the son, coming from an upper class family, gets special treatment. Well meaning and totally ignorant relatives and friends arrange to get him released, with predictable results.
Ruderman, W. & Laker, B. (2014). Busted: A tale of corruption and betrayal in the City of Brotherly Love. NY: Harper.
This is the story of how two reporters uncovered widespread corruption in the Philadelphia Police Department. Although one can hardly be surprised at corruption in large police departments, this detective story was good enough to win a Pulitzer Prize. Regrettably, the plot is repeatedly derailed by lengthy, often self-aggrandizing, asides about the authors’ personal lives. If you have ever wondered why editors are necessary, wonder no more. In this case, the editor was asleep at the switch.
This is a book about the sort of people my mother invariably referred to as “the idle rich”. The book is entirely composed of interviews, quotations from psychiatric reports, diaries, and the like. The material is skilfully edited and very effective. It does, however, engender misanthropy. The majority of these people reveal themselves, usually unintentionally, to be shallow, callous, name dropping social climbers and snobs.
It’s interesting to ponder why the reader (well, at least one reader) is so disappointed in the lives of these glitterati and heirs to great wealth. The lives of many of them seem to totally lack meaning. But this is quite a double standard—the lives of the unwashed masses also lack meaning. I guess we don’t expect ordinary people to rise above mediocrity, whereas we believe that the very rich could and should do better.
The story concerns the callous and aloof heir to the Bakelite fortune, his gold-digging, pretentious, aggressively convivial wife, and their unfortunate son. A delightful part of the book deals with the Broadmoor sojourn of this somewhat antisocial and very psychotic son following his murder of his mother. Broadmoor is the senior “special” or forensic psychiatric hospital in England. As might be expected, the son, coming from an upper class family, gets special treatment. Well meaning and totally ignorant relatives and friends arrange to get him released, with predictable results.
Ruderman, W. & Laker, B. (2014). Busted: A tale of corruption and betrayal in the City of Brotherly Love. NY: Harper.
This is the story of how two reporters uncovered widespread corruption in the Philadelphia Police Department. Although one can hardly be surprised at corruption in large police departments, this detective story was good enough to win a Pulitzer Prize. Regrettably, the plot is repeatedly derailed by lengthy, often self-aggrandizing, asides about the authors’ personal lives. If you have ever wondered why editors are necessary, wonder no more. In this case, the editor was asleep at the switch.
Rule, A. (1999). The end of the dream: the golden boy who never grew up and other true cases. N.Y.: Pocket Books.
Rule rules. Straight up crime reporting at its best. Rule deservedly has quite a following. You can visit her website to get the bird’s eye lowdown. The story about the golden boy is interesting in showing the expected continuity in risk taking and antisocial behavior that culminates in very serious crime. One might think that this continuity results from retrospective bias but in this case it is too extreme and well documented.
Rule rules. Straight up crime reporting at its best. Rule deservedly has quite a following. You can visit her website to get the bird’s eye lowdown. The story about the golden boy is interesting in showing the expected continuity in risk taking and antisocial behavior that culminates in very serious crime. One might think that this continuity results from retrospective bias but in this case it is too extreme and well documented.
Rule, A. (1992). Everything she always wanted: a true story of obsessive love, murder, and betrayal. N.Y.: Simon and Schuster.
Rule sure knows how to pick her cases. If you like reading about really bad behavior, you’ll love this book. Pat, the southern belle villainess, shows the early mating effort, early reproduction, and later promiscuity that one expects in a highly antisocial individual but she also has some interesting quirks and a lot of chutzpah. I won’t spoil the story by summarizing it.
Rule sure knows how to pick her cases. If you like reading about really bad behavior, you’ll love this book. Pat, the southern belle villainess, shows the early mating effort, early reproduction, and later promiscuity that one expects in a highly antisocial individual but she also has some interesting quirks and a lot of chutzpah. I won’t spoil the story by summarizing it.
Rule, A. (2003). Heart full of lies. .NY: Free Press.
Pretty good true crime book. As in many of these stories, one is left wondering about the credulity of people who are bamboozled by the villain (in this case, villainess of the piece). This woman basically lies nonstop throughout her adult life—and when I say nonstop, I’m not kidding, one wonders when she breathes. Not only does she talk, she writes, and writes about fictional crimes that resemble very strongly what eventually comes to pass. Not a sound strategy for a budding murderess.
Pretty good true crime book. As in many of these stories, one is left wondering about the credulity of people who are bamboozled by the villain (in this case, villainess of the piece). This woman basically lies nonstop throughout her adult life—and when I say nonstop, I’m not kidding, one wonders when she breathes. Not only does she talk, she writes, and writes about fictional crimes that resemble very strongly what eventually comes to pass. Not a sound strategy for a budding murderess.
Rule, A. (2004). Green River, running red. Toronto: Pocket Star.
Once again, an uninteresting serial killer. Anne does a good job but the book is burdened by her need to tell us a little bit about each of the very, very, many victims.
Murder seems pretty easy to get away with if you don’t tell anybody about it and choose transient strangers as victims. Although Gary Ridgway was caught essentially by chance, there were pieces of evidence pointing toward him for many years—his co-workers called him “Green River Gary” because of the police interest in him. His other nickname was “Wrong-way” Gary because of the mistakes he made painting trucks.
Once again, an uninteresting serial killer. Anne does a good job but the book is burdened by her need to tell us a little bit about each of the very, very, many victims.
Murder seems pretty easy to get away with if you don’t tell anybody about it and choose transient strangers as victims. Although Gary Ridgway was caught essentially by chance, there were pieces of evidence pointing toward him for many years—his co-workers called him “Green River Gary” because of the police interest in him. His other nickname was “Wrong-way” Gary because of the mistakes he made painting trucks.
McSherry, P. (1999). The Big Red Fox: The incredible story of Norman "Red" Ryan. Canada’s most notorious criminal. Toronto: Dundurn.
Ryan is the sort of career criminal that a theory of crime must explain. A classic early starter and an almost unbelievably persistent bank robber in adulthood who possessed a breathtaking lack of prudence. Ryan is noteworthy partly because of the drama of some of his exploits (including an escape from Kingston Penitentiary) but mostly because he bamboozled a prison priest into recommending his release. The priest was an easy victim because he could use Ryan’s "reform" as evidence that Catholicism and his chaplaincy should receive more support from the penitentiary service.
Penitentiary officials thought that Ryan’s renunciation of a life of crime and his religious conversion was a simple con. Nevertheless, a Toronto newspaper had an interest in Ryan and used his criminal exploits and subsequent reformation in its circulation wars with other papers. The paper kept the pressure on the government, ultimately leading to Ryan’s politically expedient but tragic release.
In all, quite an entertaining and interesting story. Ryan managed to hurt a lot of people but required a great deal of help from his noncriminal accomplices to do so.
Ryan is the sort of career criminal that a theory of crime must explain. A classic early starter and an almost unbelievably persistent bank robber in adulthood who possessed a breathtaking lack of prudence. Ryan is noteworthy partly because of the drama of some of his exploits (including an escape from Kingston Penitentiary) but mostly because he bamboozled a prison priest into recommending his release. The priest was an easy victim because he could use Ryan’s "reform" as evidence that Catholicism and his chaplaincy should receive more support from the penitentiary service.
Penitentiary officials thought that Ryan’s renunciation of a life of crime and his religious conversion was a simple con. Nevertheless, a Toronto newspaper had an interest in Ryan and used his criminal exploits and subsequent reformation in its circulation wars with other papers. The paper kept the pressure on the government, ultimately leading to Ryan’s politically expedient but tragic release.
In all, quite an entertaining and interesting story. Ryan managed to hurt a lot of people but required a great deal of help from his noncriminal accomplices to do so.
Safran, J. (2014). God’ll cut you down: The tangled tale of a white supremacist, a black hustler, a murder, and how I lost a year in Mississippi. NY: Penguin.
The title pretty much summarizes what the book is about. Safran is a leftish Jewish Australian who is obsessed with racial matters and given to playing pranks on public racists which he records on videotape. For example, he visits a notorious racist, Richard Barrett, from whom he has stolen a DNA sample, and having been introduced at a small rally by Barrett, announces that an analysis of Barrett’s DNA shows that he has some African ancestry. About a year later, Barrett was murdered by a young black man. Safran returned to Mississippi and his investigations there resulted in this book.
Mississippi sounds like a horrible place, especially for the blacks. The murder tale is sordid and more complex than it first appeared. This is a suspenseful page turner that has some very funny scenes. I recommend it highly.
The title pretty much summarizes what the book is about. Safran is a leftish Jewish Australian who is obsessed with racial matters and given to playing pranks on public racists which he records on videotape. For example, he visits a notorious racist, Richard Barrett, from whom he has stolen a DNA sample, and having been introduced at a small rally by Barrett, announces that an analysis of Barrett’s DNA shows that he has some African ancestry. About a year later, Barrett was murdered by a young black man. Safran returned to Mississippi and his investigations there resulted in this book.
Mississippi sounds like a horrible place, especially for the blacks. The murder tale is sordid and more complex than it first appeared. This is a suspenseful page turner that has some very funny scenes. I recommend it highly.
Sanger, D. (2005). Hell’s witness. Toronto: Penquin.
An artfully crafted and carefully organized saga of a long-time informer in the Quebec biker milieu. This organization is necessary because Sanger packs an enormous amount of detail into his story—not that the tale is ever boring. The events described are often so bizarre and the bikers such pigs that a writer couldn’t employ them in fiction. Some conclusions: The police in Quebec are deeply divided among themselves, incompetence is a serious problem among both the bikers and police, justice is costly and uneven (to put it mildly), and, in case you didn’t know, loan sharking and drug selling is very lucrative. An excellent read.
An artfully crafted and carefully organized saga of a long-time informer in the Quebec biker milieu. This organization is necessary because Sanger packs an enormous amount of detail into his story—not that the tale is ever boring. The events described are often so bizarre and the bikers such pigs that a writer couldn’t employ them in fiction. Some conclusions: The police in Quebec are deeply divided among themselves, incompetence is a serious problem among both the bikers and police, justice is costly and uneven (to put it mildly), and, in case you didn’t know, loan sharking and drug selling is very lucrative. An excellent read.
Sassé, C.S. & Widder, P.M. (1991). The Kirtland massacre. N.Y.: Fine.
Billed as the true and terrible story of the Mormon cult murders. Yet another description of how a psychopathic jerk convinces a bunch of credulous folks that he’s divine. Barnum was on the money. Great description of the cult leader: “Lundgren, Jeffrey Don.......receding hair, hazel eyes. Tall, muscular, tends toward obesity. Manipulative narcissist, thief, con man.”
In typical cult fashion, the husbands have to be separated from the wives and the wives end up having sex with the Leader. There’s some amusing twists in Jeffery’s accomplishing this. Jeffery is the “father” of the group and his children are known as, of all things, the “naturals” who have lots of special privileges (like going to MacDonald’s). The group ends up killing a family that annoys Jeffery and his wife (they are too clingy and want their money back). Jeffery uses some nice thought control methods.
Billed as the true and terrible story of the Mormon cult murders. Yet another description of how a psychopathic jerk convinces a bunch of credulous folks that he’s divine. Barnum was on the money. Great description of the cult leader: “Lundgren, Jeffrey Don.......receding hair, hazel eyes. Tall, muscular, tends toward obesity. Manipulative narcissist, thief, con man.”
In typical cult fashion, the husbands have to be separated from the wives and the wives end up having sex with the Leader. There’s some amusing twists in Jeffery’s accomplishing this. Jeffery is the “father” of the group and his children are known as, of all things, the “naturals” who have lots of special privileges (like going to MacDonald’s). The group ends up killing a family that annoys Jeffery and his wife (they are too clingy and want their money back). Jeffery uses some nice thought control methods.
Scott, G.G. (2006). Homicide by the rich and famous: A century of prominent killers. NY: Berkely.
I needed a trashy book for a train ride but didn’t anticipate just how trashy this one would be. Quite dreadful it was, as Yoda would say. The synopses of the crimes aren’t bad even if they are taken from very popular books (a number of which I’d read) but the connecting material dedicated to why we should be interested in crimes by the rich and famous and whether they are the same or different than those committed by the less fortunate is pure and fatuous filler.
I needed a trashy book for a train ride but didn’t anticipate just how trashy this one would be. Quite dreadful it was, as Yoda would say. The synopses of the crimes aren’t bad even if they are taken from very popular books (a number of which I’d read) but the connecting material dedicated to why we should be interested in crimes by the rich and famous and whether they are the same or different than those committed by the less fortunate is pure and fatuous filler.
Scott, R. (2002). Like father like son. NY: Kensington.
A nasty little book about some very nasty sexual sadists. Not very informative about the etiology of sadism (one keeps hoping). The only real interesting thing here is the description of the extended family—a homicidal version of the Kallikaks!
A nasty little book about some very nasty sexual sadists. Not very informative about the etiology of sadism (one keeps hoping). The only real interesting thing here is the description of the extended family—a homicidal version of the Kallikaks!
Scott, R. (2003). Dangerous attraction. NY: Pinnacle.
An incredibly oafish and brutal skin-head rapes and kills a foolish female gang groupie in front of some gang wannabes in his mother’s home. The mother cleans up and the body disappears. It’s possible that the killer could have got away with it but he just couldn’t stop being antisocial. The mother gets jailed for a while because of her continuing illegal efforts to protect her son. The book raises interesting questions about how the son managed to become such a horrible person—family dynamics, hanging around with similar oafish people, shared genes….?
An incredibly oafish and brutal skin-head rapes and kills a foolish female gang groupie in front of some gang wannabes in his mother’s home. The mother cleans up and the body disappears. It’s possible that the killer could have got away with it but he just couldn’t stop being antisocial. The mother gets jailed for a while because of her continuing illegal efforts to protect her son. The book raises interesting questions about how the son managed to become such a horrible person—family dynamics, hanging around with similar oafish people, shared genes….?
Scott, R. (2005). Unholy sacrifice. NY: Kensington.
Fairly typical of its genre. A weirdish but good-looking dude with millennial preoccupations acquires a few dumb and malleable followers. Together they start murdering various folks as part of some hare-brained scheme. This book is more entertaining than most because the culprits manage to leave more clues for the investigators than one would have thought possible. Why so many criminals keep receipts and to-do lists, among other incriminating things, is beyond me. This book describes what is possibly the absolutely dumbest scheme to dispose of bodies ever.
Fairly typical of its genre. A weirdish but good-looking dude with millennial preoccupations acquires a few dumb and malleable followers. Together they start murdering various folks as part of some hare-brained scheme. This book is more entertaining than most because the culprits manage to leave more clues for the investigators than one would have thought possible. Why so many criminals keep receipts and to-do lists, among other incriminating things, is beyond me. This book describes what is possibly the absolutely dumbest scheme to dispose of bodies ever.
Smith, C. (1999). Death in Texas. NY: St. Martin’s Press.
The wife of a wealthy Texan bookmaker wants a divorce and half of the big-time money. The problem is that the money was illegally obtained. How can the bookmaker solve his tax problem? Not only does he solve his problem, he gets away with it, after an increasingly bizarre sequence of events. No one would ever find this story plausible as a fictional plot line.
The wife of a wealthy Texan bookmaker wants a divorce and half of the big-time money. The problem is that the money was illegally obtained. How can the bookmaker solve his tax problem? Not only does he solve his problem, he gets away with it, after an increasingly bizarre sequence of events. No one would ever find this story plausible as a fictional plot line.
Smith, C. (2002). Death of a doctor. N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press.
If this guy doctored like he murdered, one would prefer to take one’s chances with disease. An OK read but I prefer my villains more competent or more inclined to spectacular offending.
If this guy doctored like he murdered, one would prefer to take one’s chances with disease. An OK read but I prefer my villains more competent or more inclined to spectacular offending.
Spencer, S. (2005). The fortune hunter: Marriage, murder, and madness in the heart of Texas. NY: St. Martin’s Press.
An entertaining story that describes a plethora of really low-down reprehensible behaviors. Celeste is a chronically lying, relentlessly promiscuous woman who marries a very rich and emotionally vulnerable old man. She can’t wait for him to die naturally and tires of trying to poison him, so she cultivates a lesbian lover whom she convinces to do the job for her with a shotgun.
An entertaining story that describes a plethora of really low-down reprehensible behaviors. Celeste is a chronically lying, relentlessly promiscuous woman who marries a very rich and emotionally vulnerable old man. She can’t wait for him to die naturally and tires of trying to poison him, so she cultivates a lesbian lover whom she convinces to do the job for her with a shotgun.
Stewart, J.B. (1999). Blind eye: The terrifying story of a doctor who got away with murder. Toronto: Simon & Schuster.
An entertaining, if infuriating, story about a bizarre and homicidal physician who did indeed get away with many murders. This is as good an argument I’ve seen for the view that professions should never be allowed to police themselves. Prospective employers and academics almost never check into applicants’ suspicious applications. Seems incredible but it all rings true.
An entertaining, if infuriating, story about a bizarre and homicidal physician who did indeed get away with many murders. This is as good an argument I’ve seen for the view that professions should never be allowed to police themselves. Prospective employers and academics almost never check into applicants’ suspicious applications. Seems incredible but it all rings true.
Summerscale, K. (2008). The suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A murder and the undoing of a great Victorian detective. Vancouver: Raincoast Books.
Oh my, this was a good read. I finished it in one marathon sitting. This story is about the widely publicized murder of an upper-middle class young boy in rural Victorian England. Belatedly, the investigation is taken over by Mr. Whicher, a Scotland Yard detective, with disappointing results. By the middle of the book, the reader begins to believe that the mystery will never be solved. However, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and the mystery does eventually get solved in all of its sociobiological glory many, many years later. I won’t give the plot away.
Oh my, this was a good read. I finished it in one marathon sitting. This story is about the widely publicized murder of an upper-middle class young boy in rural Victorian England. Belatedly, the investigation is taken over by Mr. Whicher, a Scotland Yard detective, with disappointing results. By the middle of the book, the reader begins to believe that the mystery will never be solved. However, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and the mystery does eventually get solved in all of its sociobiological glory many, many years later. I won’t give the plot away.
Van Sant, P. & Jackson, J. (2007). Perfectly executed. Toronto: Pocket Star Books.
This is a story of shockingly immature and coddled boys who believe that they are very special—Nietzschean superboys. So, as a mercenary lark, the dominant boy murders the sub’s parents and autistic sister with a baseball bat while the sub looks on. The lads have carefully planned their perfect crime, leaving no material clues, and have a good alibi.
After questioning by the police and leaking guilty knowledge in various ways, the pair escape to Canada. This complicates everything legally and leaves the case suspended until extradition can be worked out. However, their escape also leaves them vulnerable to the attentions of the RCMP who (unlike their American brethren) are relatively unfettered in employing extremely elaborate schemes designed to elicit surreptitiously videotaped confessions.
Very entertaining read.
This is a story of shockingly immature and coddled boys who believe that they are very special—Nietzschean superboys. So, as a mercenary lark, the dominant boy murders the sub’s parents and autistic sister with a baseball bat while the sub looks on. The lads have carefully planned their perfect crime, leaving no material clues, and have a good alibi.
After questioning by the police and leaking guilty knowledge in various ways, the pair escape to Canada. This complicates everything legally and leaves the case suspended until extradition can be worked out. However, their escape also leaves them vulnerable to the attentions of the RCMP who (unlike their American brethren) are relatively unfettered in employing extremely elaborate schemes designed to elicit surreptitiously videotaped confessions.
Very entertaining read.
Volkman, E. & Cummings, J. (1986). The heist. N.Y.: Dell.
Great story of the Lufthansa robbery at the JFK airport. I read this years ago and had forgotten just how dumb most of the perpetrators of one of the largest robberies in history were. Dumb, but they got away with it (if you include being liquidated as getting away with it). Very entertaining.
Great story of the Lufthansa robbery at the JFK airport. I read this years ago and had forgotten just how dumb most of the perpetrators of one of the largest robberies in history were. Dumb, but they got away with it (if you include being liquidated as getting away with it). Very entertaining.
Wambaugh, J. (1973). The onion field. NY: Dell.
A well-written and impassioned argument for capital punishment. Wambaugh describes the two police officers who were victimized in the onion field, the perpetrators, and the crime in great detail in order to set up the endless series of trials and legal shenanigans that follow, the account of which succeeds in infuriating the reader.
A well-written and impassioned argument for capital punishment. Wambaugh describes the two police officers who were victimized in the onion field, the perpetrators, and the crime in great detail in order to set up the endless series of trials and legal shenanigans that follow, the account of which succeeds in infuriating the reader.
Wansell, G. (1997). An evil love: The life of Frederick West. London: Headline.
A must read for those benighted souls who think that serial killers might be interesting people. Frederick West was a graceless, dumb, jerk of a guy who nevertheless managed to murder a large number of unlucky and vulnerable women and girls.
The book itself is poorly written and repetitious to the point of being annoying.
A must read for those benighted souls who think that serial killers might be interesting people. Frederick West was a graceless, dumb, jerk of a guy who nevertheless managed to murder a large number of unlucky and vulnerable women and girls.
The book itself is poorly written and repetitious to the point of being annoying.
Wells, J. (2008). Poison: From Steeltown to the Punjab, the true story of a serial killer. Toronto: HarperCollins.
Some model their lives on saintly figures such as Ghandi or Mandela, others find meaning in an attempt to maximize their Psychopathy Checklist score. So it was with Sukhwinder Dhillon, who cheated, lied, and murdered his way to a perfect PCL-R score. In a small way Dhillon reminds me of a notoriously antisocial boy I knew as a teenager. Decades after I knew him, he approached another friend of mine with an ethically problematic real estate deal. When my friend pointed out its illegality, he replied “We’ll double-cross that bridge when we come to it.”
The legal system continues to astound. Dhillon was convicted of poisoning his wife with strychnine and subsequently tried for poisoning his friend with strychnine. At the second trial, the crown was not allowed to allude to the first trial and could not adduce it as “similar fact” evidence because it would prejudice the jury!
Impoverished Punjabis will do anything to get to Canada, such as selling their daughters in marriage to Canadian men, who say they will take the girl back to Canada, thus enabling the rest of the family to enter Canada as part of “family reunification”. Getting to Canada is big business in the Punjab and the aspiring Canadians are extremely vulnerable.
Wellman, J. (2005). Rattlesnake Romeo. NY: Kensington.
Even for the true crime genre, this is a terribly written book.
A breathtakingly naïve teenage girl, her psychopathic boyfriend, and his pathetic side-kick murder the girl’s mother so she won’t send her daughter to a home for wayward girls and so they can access the mother’s credit cards in order to get tattoos and buy drugs. The book is almost worth reading just to witness how absolutely dumb this trio is. For example, the police arrange with a credit card company to allow a hundred dollars to be charged to the deceased mother’s (over the limit) card each day so they will know where the on-the-run trio is and can phone ahead to the police in another state to make the arrest. Nevertheless, even the rattlesnake Romeo acquires groupies during his trial—go figure.
Some model their lives on saintly figures such as Ghandi or Mandela, others find meaning in an attempt to maximize their Psychopathy Checklist score. So it was with Sukhwinder Dhillon, who cheated, lied, and murdered his way to a perfect PCL-R score. In a small way Dhillon reminds me of a notoriously antisocial boy I knew as a teenager. Decades after I knew him, he approached another friend of mine with an ethically problematic real estate deal. When my friend pointed out its illegality, he replied “We’ll double-cross that bridge when we come to it.”
The legal system continues to astound. Dhillon was convicted of poisoning his wife with strychnine and subsequently tried for poisoning his friend with strychnine. At the second trial, the crown was not allowed to allude to the first trial and could not adduce it as “similar fact” evidence because it would prejudice the jury!
Impoverished Punjabis will do anything to get to Canada, such as selling their daughters in marriage to Canadian men, who say they will take the girl back to Canada, thus enabling the rest of the family to enter Canada as part of “family reunification”. Getting to Canada is big business in the Punjab and the aspiring Canadians are extremely vulnerable.
Wellman, J. (2005). Rattlesnake Romeo. NY: Kensington.
Even for the true crime genre, this is a terribly written book.
A breathtakingly naïve teenage girl, her psychopathic boyfriend, and his pathetic side-kick murder the girl’s mother so she won’t send her daughter to a home for wayward girls and so they can access the mother’s credit cards in order to get tattoos and buy drugs. The book is almost worth reading just to witness how absolutely dumb this trio is. For example, the police arrange with a credit card company to allow a hundred dollars to be charged to the deceased mother’s (over the limit) card each day so they will know where the on-the-run trio is and can phone ahead to the police in another state to make the arrest. Nevertheless, even the rattlesnake Romeo acquires groupies during his trial—go figure.
Winter, M. (2011). The death of Donna Whalen. Toronto: Penguin.
In 1993, Brenda Young (Donna Whalen’s real name, all the names in the book are fictional) was stabbed 31 times in St. John’s Newfoundland. Her boyfriend, Randy Druken, was convicted of the murder based on testimony from a jail-house informant. Druken served six years before he was exonerated and awarded two million dollars in compensation.
Winter has created a documentary novel entirely consisting of material quoted from the trial transcript and related documents. This method is surprisingly successful in portraying the character of the protagonists, the nature of their social and kinship webs, and their lifestyle of drugs, petty crime, and welfare.
In 1993, Brenda Young (Donna Whalen’s real name, all the names in the book are fictional) was stabbed 31 times in St. John’s Newfoundland. Her boyfriend, Randy Druken, was convicted of the murder based on testimony from a jail-house informant. Druken served six years before he was exonerated and awarded two million dollars in compensation.
Winter has created a documentary novel entirely consisting of material quoted from the trial transcript and related documents. This method is surprisingly successful in portraying the character of the protagonists, the nature of their social and kinship webs, and their lifestyle of drugs, petty crime, and welfare.