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Some more good ones are Pop Goes The Weasel by Patterson. I enjoy books by Patterson, full of suspense and drama. I think you will like this one Charles along with Along Came the Spider, & Kiss The Girls. If you plan on reading read Pop Goes the Weasel last.
Another great one for that is The Devil's Knot, although it takes place in Arkansas. Or either of the books on Juan Corona, The Road To Yuba City by Tracy Kidder or the terrifying Jury by Victor Villasenor. The Corona story is a California serial-murder case.
In my earlier post I forgot to recommend Sharon Tate And The Manson Murders -- it tells you much, much more about all the players in the story, including what happened to the survivors, families of the victims, witnesses and so on and so forth in the years following the Manson trial.
Thanks for this post, especially the second paragraph. I've only read Bugliosi's book, which was good the first time around, and average the second.
PProbably the second true crime book I ever read, the first being Truman Capotes, In Cold Blood. Both gave me chills and nightmares.....excellent, excellent book. Joseph Wambaugh's fiction was better than his subsequent true crime, IMO, with the exception of the ONion Field. I enjoyed his series of books on the LAPD...The Blue Knight, The NEw Centurions, The Glitter Dome, The Choirboys....I loved, loved, loved those books.
Thanx for the rep! In Cold Blood was my 1st as well... and I read all the Wambaugh books too. Right now I'm reading Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith, 3rd in a series of detective novels set in the former Soviet Union. Check them out!
Happy reading!
PProbably the second true crime book I ever read, the first being Truman Capotes, In Cold Blood. Both gave me chills and nightmares.....excellent, excellent book. Joseph Wambaugh's fiction was better than his subsequent true crime, IMO, with the exception of the ONion Field. I enjoyed his series of books on the LAPD...The Blue Knight, The NEw Centurions, The Glitter Dome, The Choirboys....I loved, loved, loved those books.
Capote: In Cold Blood depressed the heck out of me. I couldn't finish it. I'll give it another chance, though.
AnnieA, total "yep" about Wambaugh. Excellent books.
In Cold Blood depressed the heck out of me. I couldn't finish it. I'll give it another chance, though.
It was very disturbing. Capote was an amazing writer, though. The last time I read it, I spent hours researching what happened to the surviving members of that family. The OnionField is one I've re-read several times. Columbine by Dave Cullen, although it obviously doesn't take place in southern CA, is fascinating; the author provides a lot of insight into the mind of a teenage criminal.
It was very disturbing. Capote was an amazing writer, though. The last time I read it, I spent hours researching what happened to the surviving members of that family. The OnionField is one I've re-read several times. Columbine by Dave Cullen, although it obviously doesn't take place in southern CA, is fascinating; the author provides a lot of insight into the mind of a teenage criminal.
Good idea about researching the In Cold Blood surviving members.
I must refresh my mind about The Onion Field, too.
Predator: Rape, Madness, and Injustice in Seattle by Jack Olson - the first half of the book takes place in the Los Angeles area. A must read for anyone who might serve on a jury - never assume someone is guilty simply because they have been charged.
They TELL you/ASK you that if you are being considered to serve on a jury (ask if you think someone is guilty just because they were arrested.)
If you like to read about true crime, specifically, serial killers or sex-related murders, in general--I recommend John Douglass's books like Mindhunter and Journey Into Darkness. That second one made it hard to sleep for a couple of nights.
Natural born celebrities : serial killers in American culture / Schmid, David (David Frank)
The price of experience : money, power, image, and murder in Los Angeles / Sullivan, Randall.
Murder in Hollywood : [the secret life and mysterious death of Bonny Lee Bakley] / King, Gary C.
Forsaking all others : the real Betty Broderick story ; including prison interviews / Schwartz-Nobel, Loretta.
Dead reckoning / Rother, Caitlin.
Could you tell me something about the Betty Broderick book? What point of view is it? I do not condome in anyway what Broderick did, but I do think her husband and his wife were cruel to her.
How are the others? I broke my ribs and I need something to read.
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kindred spirits
