What True Crime should I read? (defense, psychopath, people, worst)

[Cliffie]

There are plenty of non-gory TC titles about bank heists, scam artists and you name it. I never find gory murders depressing, but stories about drug dealers are intolerably awful to me. Everyone's different.

[=^..^=]

Originally Posted by Hypnosis

Please list good books to read on true crime.

I cannot pass up a true crime book by Ann Rule. She is by far the best writer of true crime in my humble opinion. Her books have never left me hanging or with questions unanswered.

[james carley]

I am currently re-reading Devil's Knot about the West Memphis Three. Three teenagers arrested and convicted (one to Death Row) without any forensic evidence but targeted by police because they dressed in black and listened to heavy metal music. (Although one of them, with an iq below 70 made a coerced confession) which was basically the only evidence the state had. There were 3 documenteries made about this case (Paradise Lost Trilogy - very good} and many celebrities were trying to help get them out (Johnny Depp, Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks) They were finally freed a few years back by taking an Alford Plea which basically means they plead guilty while still maintaining their innocence. No worries for the police about being sued for keeping 3 innocent men in prison for 17 years. And the poor three 8 year old victims never receive justice, Just a sickening case of a police department that would rather a case go unsolved than admit they were wrong.

[Unsettomati]

Technically it's a biography, but Jeff Guinn's Manson is essentially true crime.

Even viewed simply as biography it is excellent material, combining exhaustive research (including more interviews with Manson family members - biological family, not 'the Family' - than any other author has even done) with that knack for narrative that makes all that material a very good read. Of course, the heart of the book is the time in Los Angeles, late 1967 thru his trial and conviction for murder. In addition to the in-depth coverage of the infamous crimes, Manson's backstory is thoroughly covered, as well as how he came to be who he was, and his techniques for manipulating people.

It's an outstanding read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/bo...eff-guinn.html

[Phil A. Delphia]

I've read just a few:

Catch Me If You Can ~ Frank Abagnale
All the President's Men ~ Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ~ John Berendt
Anatomy of Injustice ~ Raymond Bonner
Finders Keepers ~ Mark Bowden
Helter Skelter ~ Vincent Bugliosi
A Trial by Jury ~ D. Graham Burnett
In Cold Blood ~ Truman Capote
House of Secrets ~ Lowell Cauffiel
Columbine ~ Dave Cullen
Inside the Mind of BTK ~ John Douglas
The Innocent Man ~ John Grisham
Hurricane ~ James S. Hirsch
Strange Piece of Paradise ~ Terri Jentz
Under the Banner of Heaven ~ Jon Krakauer
Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America ~ Jill Leovy
Devil's Knot ~ Mara Leveritt
Drawn to Injustice ~ Timothy Masters
The Dreams of Ada ~ Robert Mayer
Cruel Doubt ~ Joe McGinniss
Fatal Vision ~ Joe McGinniss
The Other Wes Moore ~ Wes Moore
The Yoga Store Murder ~ Dan Morse
The Monster of Florence ~ Douglas Preston
The Beautiful Cigar Girl ~ Daniel Stashower
Picking Cotton ~ Jennifer Thompson-Cannino & Ronald Cotton
Blood Done Sign My Name ~ Timothy B. Tyson

True Crime Related:
A Place to Stand ~ Jimmy Santiago Baca
The City of Falling Angels ~ John Berendt
Sleepers ~ Lorenzo Carcaterra
Life After Death ~ Damien Echols
Serpico ~ Peter Maas
Stuart: A Life Backwards: Alexander Masters
That Bird Has My Wings ~ Jarvis Jay Masters
Son of a Gun ~ Justin St. Germain

[pigeonhole]

A book about the husband killer of North Carolina, Velma Barfield, by Ann Rule also I believe.

[Cryptic]

Son of a Grifter, by Kent Walker.

I have read it twice- though definetly not for "inspiration". That aside, it is a very well written book about the crimes of a female career sociopath.

[Wudge]

"The Smoking Gun", by Gerry Spence.

It's a heaven to hell true telling of a murder trial with all of the gory power manipulation by those in authority who had no soul or conscience, which is anything but a unique happening in the winner- take-all atmosphere that is the norm in our courtrooms.

It is, by far, the best true courtroom story I have ever read. And I consider it to be mandatory reading for anyone who is even remotely considering a career in criminal law. I guarantee that once you start reading this book, you will not be able to stop; it's the ultimate page turner.

[biscuitmom]

Someone cry for the children: The unsolved Girl Scout murders of Oklahoma and the case of Gene Leroy Hart
(1981) by Michael Wilkerson

Mind-blowing.
The problem is obtaining a copy. It's long out of print. Even worn/used paperbacks, if you can find them, go for $55.00 and up. I own 3 hardcover copies and one paperback. I sometimes lend the pb out to friends but they have to put their first-borns as collateral.
I keep hoping they'll issue it in ebook format.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by biscuitmom

Someone cry for the children: The unsolved Girl Scout murders of Oklahoma and the case of Gene Leroy Hart
(1981) by Michael Wilkerson

Mind-blowing.
The problem is obtaining a copy. It's long out of print. Even worn/used paperbacks, if you can find them, go for $55.00 and up. I own 3 hardcover copies and one paperback. I sometimes lend the pb out to friends but they have to put their first-borns as collateral.
I keep hoping they'll issue it in ebook format.

If you can't find a used copy of this excellent book on Amazon or addALL.com, or get a copy through your library, there are a couple of other books on the same triple murder -- The Camp Scott Murders by CS Kelly and Tent Number Eight by Gloyd McCoy. I have not read those two, but they are far more recent than the Wilkersons' book, and for all I know they may have updated information.