United States of True Crime: Alabama


Book Description

United States of True Crime is an anthology series devoted to the most disturbing cases in each of the 50 states. This book focuses on ten of the most chilling crimes in Alabama history. ?True crime junkies may recognize some of the highly publicized cases, but lesser-known, equally unsettling crimes are included. Not all of the cases in this book are the most violent in state history. Some of the cases are unsettling because of the gnawing sense of injustice they leave.The cases included in this book:Audrey Marie Hilley: Black widow who murdered her husband then attempted to poison her daughter. She was able to evade capture by posing as her fictional twin sister.Daniel Lee Siebert: Spree killer that butchered his girlfriend, her two young sons, and his friends. Michael McLendon: To date, McLendon's 2019 massacre was the bloodiest in the state of Alabama. He murdered his friends, family, and his family dogs. ?Richard Hawes: A family annihilator in 1888 whose crimes sparked a statewide riot. Sixteenth Street Church Bombings: Racially motivated attack by KKK members that left four young Black girls dead and is now viewed as a turning point for the Civil Rights Movement.Amy Bishop: Harvard educated professor who became infamous after a shooting rampage that left three coworkers dead. However, the attack was not her first time killing. When she was a teenager, she shot her brother under suspicious circumstances.?Joseph Dewey Akin: Code blue junkie nurse who was convicted of intentionally overdosing a patient in his care and is suspected in the deaths of seventeen former patients.Thomas Whisenhant: Murderer with a pattern of desecrating the bodies of his victims. ?Scottsboro Boys: One of the most notorious court cases of the 20th century where two white women falsely accused nine Black boys of rape.?Gerald Patrick Lewis: Serial killer whose heinous crimes include slaying a woman who was eight months pregnant and removing her fetus. ?If you're a true crime enthusiast who enjoys reading about some of the most depraved monsters in our country, you will love United States of True Crime.




Catch Me If You Can


Book Description

A journalistic account of the actual investigation and conviction of Dana Ewell, a son of wealth and privilege who killed his family for money - the 1992 murders of Dale, Glee, and Tiffany Ewell in Sacramento, California with the cooperation of the two detectives who broke the case.




I'll Be Gone in the Dark


Book Description

THE BASIS FOR THE MAJOR 6-PART HBO® DOCUMENTARY SERIES #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Washington Post | Maureen Corrigan, NPR | Paste | Seattle Times | Entertainment Weekly | Esquire | Slate | Buzzfeed | Jezebel | Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly | Kirkus Reviews | Library Journal | Bustle Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Nonfiction | Anthony Award Winner | SCIBA Book Award Winner | Finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime | Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence The haunting true story of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the 70s and 80s, and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case—which was solved in April 2018. The haunting true story of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the 70s and 80s, and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case—which was solved in April 2018. Introduction by Gillian Flynn • Afterword by Patton Oswalt “A brilliant genre-buster.... Propulsive, can’t-stop-now reading.” —Stephen King For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area. Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic—one which fulfilled Michelle's dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.




True Crime California


Book Description

These days, true crime can be found everywhere. It is practically present in the air we inhale, from podcasts to movies, television shows, conventions, and other media. We're all just living in the world of true crime . But why do we have such a strong desire for these stories? Why are we willing to devote hours of our lives to them, regardless of whether they are presented on paper or screen? These tales hold our attention like none other when it comes to literary true crime. There are real-life stories that make suspense novels appear tame and predictable for every one that awes and shocks readers. The genre of true crime is diverse: The best authors provide context and depth to the crimes they examine rather than sensationalizing violence or human suffering. Numerous of them draw attention to the flaws of the legal system and the destructive forces of ingrained racism and misogyny. We are reminded in these excellent books that true crime doesn't just consist of a well-written story about a criminal mastermind, heroic detectives, and ideal victims.Crime and life are so much more complicated than that. We've compiled a list of our favourites, which cover a wide range of crimes and their societal roots and repercussions. TRUE CRIME! We All love it But What is it that makes us different from those who take the lives of others? That is a question that many ask themselves, and these true crime stories help to identify the method and psychology behind some of the most terrifying killers in modern history. It is no hidden secret that true crime murder stories are not for the faint of heart. They can lead you to double-check your windows and doors at night, and question everything you thought or believed about human nature. Yet they are intriguing and fascinating at the same time. Each true crime anthology in this collection will leave you to ponder whether the perpetrators of these crimes were really monsters. When you learn of the background of these killers, the age-old question of whether a serial killer is born to kill will be at the forefront of your mind. Explore the stories behind the murders in these True Crime volumes, the anger, the horror, and the sadism, inflicted by each killer. Feel for the victims, their families, and the investigators who had to deal with each case. And don't be surprised if you have to sleep with the light on SCROLL UP AND ORDER NOW




Notorious San Francisco


Book Description

San Francisco, a city founded in part by criminals, was once one of the most dangerous cities in America. Its Barbary coast was called "a unique criminal district that was the scene of more viciousness and depravity, but it possessed more glamour, than any other area on the American continent." "San Francisco Notorious" brings back the glamorous depravity and noir atmosphere that made it the premier location for murder thrillers like "The Maltese Falcon," "Vertigo," and "Zodiac." This book contains more than 20 compelling tales of serial killers, deadly women, con-men, masters of escape, and unsolved mysteries. San Franciscan criminals were as colorful as the city they inhabited. Take William Thoreson, a murderous millionaire who hid the nation's largest private armory in his Pacific Heights mansion. Then there's Isabella Martin, the murderous "Queen of Grudges" who tried to poison an entire town, or Ethan McNabb and Lloyd Sampsell, the "Yacht Bandits," who used a luxurious sloop as a getaway vehicle for their dozens of bank robberies. Most of these unusual cases are largely unknown and have never appeared in book form. Included are cases that are still mysteries today, including the mysterious tale of the Zodiac Killer, complete with a new analysis and a startling new theory on the murder.




The Case of the Golden State Killer


Book Description

By the creators of Criminology: a complete chronicle of the Golden State serial killer investigation, including photographs and documents. In 1976, a serial rapist terrorized California’s Sacramento County, breaking into homes and leaving a trail of destruction behind him. As the masked predator expanded his turf, his evil urges drove him to murder. In Northern California, he was known as the East Area Rapist. In Southern California, he was called the Original Night Stalker. When his crimes were finally connected, he would become known as the Golden State Killer. By 1986, he had committed a staggering tally of crimes, including at least 12 murders. In season two of their popular podcast, Criminology, veteran podcaster Mike Morford and true crime researcher Mike Ferguson unmasked this killer in a story that spans more than forty years. Joined by the investigators who hunted him, the witnesses who saw him, and the survivors who lived to tell their stories, Criminology Season Two: The Case of the Golden State Killer examines the story of the most prolific serial rapist and murderer in American history. Now, The Case of the Golden State Killer presents an even more complete chronicle of this true crime story. Based on the podcast, this digital volume features additional commentary, photographs and primary source documents.




Murder in California: Serial Killers and Famous Unsolved Murders


Book Description

Murder in California: Serial Killers and Unsolved Murders profiles some of California’s most infamous murder cases. The edition photographically transports you to actual murder sites along with images related to the case and perpetrator(s). The images and accompanying profiles offer a descriptive account and follow-up aftermath providing an important understanding into the far-reaching effects of each crime. Convicted killers and their confirmed victims are identified. For criminals still living, their current incarceration location is provided. A directory of precise crime site locations is included. The captured snapshots portray visual testimonies of extinguished lives removed by acts of violence. Crime scenes often revert back into unremarkable landscape or unassuming buildings over the ensuing years and decades. Several have altered little since their moment of infamy. Many are passed daily by pedestrian and vehicular traffic unaware of a location’s unique significance. California has been the site for many notorious serial killers. The following are portrayed in this edition: Zodiac Serial Killer: Public and media taunting Charles Manson’s serial killing clan Dorothea Puente: The elderly and frail targeted and eliminated for profit Efren Saldivar: Caregiving medical homicide The Unabomber: His UC Berkeley experience Zebra Killings: San Francisco’s racially targeted genocide Heaven’s Gate Cult mass suicide Edmund Kemper III: Monstrous hitchhiking murders Bittaker and Norris: Torture van murders Juan Corona: Migrant workers serial killer Richard Trenton Chase: The vampire killer The Speed Freak Killers and their burial bone yards Herbert Mullin: Killing for earthquake preventiveness David Carpenter: The devil behind bifocals and a stutter Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple Massacre: Lost in a jungle mass suicide The Hillside Strangler Duo: Killing Cousins Rodney Alcala: A beastly killing machine slaying beauty Richard Ramirez: Satan’s ambassador Golden State Killer: The triumph of forensic tracking A Black Hand of Death and Inhumanity (Jose Manuel Martinez) A Killing Rampage Preying On Society’s Most Vulnerable Population (Jon David Guerrero) The Santa Rosa Hitchhiking Murders: preying on the innocent David Nadel: The death of a man and rebirth of a performance icon Torrey Pines Beach: Sands, Secrets and A Butterfly Dancer The continued fascination with the Black Dahlia Murder Fatty Arbuckle’s sex and homicide scandal A Classic Mob Contract Killing Of An Unwanted Distraction Was a 1963 beachfront slaying a prelude to future Zodiac terror? Geneva Ellroy: The transference of tragedy into literary expression A Double Tragedy Complicated By Mysterious Scenarios (Spreckels Mansion Death) Kym Morgan: Death by classified advertisement Kevin Collins: A solitary bus bench memorial to every parent’s nightmare Unauthorized Celebrity Biography Comics and A Founder’s Murder (Todd Lawrence) Ted Healy: The suspected homicide of the fourth Stooge The Resolute Will to keep William Desmond Taylor’s murder unsolved A Contract Killer Terminated By His Own Profession (Frank Bompensiero) Ramona Irene Price strolls innocently into a vanished past Raymond Washington: A cycle of senseless violence devours the Crips gang founder The Senseless Murder of a Catholic Priest on Holiday (Monsignor Louis Gutierrez)




A Death in California


Book Description

A troubled Los Angeles socialite is both terrorized and tempted by a killer in this “brilliantly written” true story by the author of A Death in Canaan (Ann Rule). Hope Masters lived in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Beverly Hills—but was entitled to food stamps. Pretty, petite, and privileged, she was recovering from two failed marriages and a string of poor decisions. But when Hope met and fell in love with a handsome advertising executive, she believed her life was finally back on track—until the morning she woke up to find the barrel of a gun in her mouth. Hope’s fiancé lay dead in the next room. His killer was a new acquaintance who’d been visiting the couple in a remote ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. He claimed to be a journalist, but his real identity was as mysterious as his motivations. Even more bizarre, however, was what happened at the end of the long, nightmarish weekend in which Hope saw everything she cared about destroyed: She began to fall in love with her tormenter. A fascinating and frightening portrait of the power of evil to lead the most innocent of victims down the darkest of paths, A Death in California is “a first-rate piece of reporting” (Kirkus Reviews) on “one of the strangest cases in the annals of American crime” (The New York Times).




Dangerous Attraction: The Deadly Secret Life Of An All-american Girl


Book Description

An all-American girl next door is murdered by her skinhead boyfriend in this true crime tale of a tragic walk on the wild side. Twenty-year-old Katrina Montgomery was blessed with beauty, brains, and a loving family. Yet something drew her to the dark side. As a teen, she snuck off to party with a Neo-Nazi gang and developed a relationship with a drug-addicted skinhead named Justin Merriman. On Thanksgiving weekend, 1992, Katrina went to a gang party and wound up in the townhouse where Merriman lived with his mother. There, Merriman raped and murdered Katrina in front of two of his skinhead buddies. Though her body wasn't found, Merriman continued his orgy of brutality, terrorizing his victims into silence. Merriman eluded justice for six years, until January 30, 1998, when a minor traffic violation led to a wild chase. After a seven-hour standoff and a bomb threat, Merriman was arrested. After police dug into Katrina’s cold case, Merriman was convicted of her murder and sentenced to death in California's San Quentin Prison. Included sixteen pages of shocking photos.