New books

'Ripper' True crime author Linda Rosencrance teamed up with Captain Edward Lee, a police officer who took the confession of a serial killer, to write Ripper [Amazon; B&N]. The story of the investigation of  Rhode Island's "Ripper," Jeffrey Mailhot, earned a headline in the local Woonsocket Call. Said the co-author: "It’s kind of riveting to read it again. I never expected to be part of something like this as a police officer. It’s still hard to believe the whole thing happened. It’s so surreal."

'The Pastor's Wife" Having enjoyed very much Diane Fanning's last book about a spousal murder, Gone Forever, which I thought was really well done, I'm looking forward to her new story. It's The Pastor's Wife: The True Story of a Minister and the Shocking Death that Divided a Family (St. Martin's True Crime Library) [Amazon; B&N], which tells the true story of the murder of Pastor Matthew Winkler and the surprisingly light sentence of his self-made widow, Mary Winkler.

The author has posted the first chapter on her website.