These are the books which, with two weeks to go before the deadline, have been submitted by their publishers for the Best Fact Crime award from the Mystery Writers of America, the most important award in the true crime genre.
I put a star before the ones I've read and admired. But plenty of others have gotten great reviews and are on my ever-growing Get list.
Ballard, Michaele, BEAUTY SLEEP: A GLAMOROUS MOTHER, A WOMAN FROM HER PAST, AND HER MYSTERIOUS DEATH
Beattie, Robert, LANGUAGE OF EVIL
* Beebe, Michael, THE BIKE PATH KILLER
Benson, Michael, THE BURN FARM
* Billups, Andrea &, Miller, Steve, A SLAYING IN THE SUBURBS: THE TARA GRANT MURDER
Boser, Ulrich, GARDNER HEIST: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST UNSOLVED ART HEIST
Brown, Ethan, SHAKE THE DEVIL OFF: THE TRUE STORY OF THE MURDER THAT ROCKED NEW ORLEANS
Butts, Edward, LINE OF FIRE: HEROISM, TRAGEDY AND CANADA'S POLICE
Caine, Alex, BEFRIEND AND BETRAY: INFILTRATING THE HELLS ANGELS, BANDITOS AND OTHER CRIMINAL BROTHERHOODS
Carlo, Philip, THE BUTCHER: ANATOMY OF A MAFIA PSYCHOPATH
Chadwick, Bruce, I AM MURDERED: GEORGE WYTHE, THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE KILLING THAT SHOCKED A NEW NATION
Ciotta, Rose, CRUEL GAMES: A BRILLIANT PROFESSOR, A LOVING MOTHER, A BRUTAL MURDER
* Cohen, Lisa R., AFTER ETAN: THE MISSING CHILD CASE THAT HELD AMERICA CAPTIVE
Crowl, Thomas, MURDER OF A JOURNALIST: THE TRUE STORY OF THE DEATH OF DONALD RING MELLETT
Cullen, Dave, COLUMBINE
Dash, Mike, THE FIRST FAMILY: TERROR, EXTORTION, REVENGE, MURDER, AND THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN MAFIA
Delano, Det. Dennis, Schober, Jeff &, BIKE PATH RAPIST: A COP'S FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF CATCHING THE KILLER WHO TERRORIZED A COMMUNITY
DiCosmo, Bridget, SERIAL MURDER 101
Dobyns, Jay, NO ANGEL: MY HARROWING UNDERCOVER JOURNEY TO THE INNER CIRCLE OF THE HELL'S ANGELS
Emmins, Alan, MOP MEN: INSIDE THE WORLD OF CRIME SCENE CLEANERS
* Fanning, Diane, A POISONED PASSION: A YOUNG MOTHER, HER WAR HERO HUSBAND, AND THE MARRIAGE THAT ENDED IN MURDER
Fanning, Diane, MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL: CASEY ANTHONY AND HER DAUGHTER CAYLEE'S TRAGIC FATE
* Flacco, Anthony, THE ROAD OUT OF HELL: SANFORD CLARK AND THE TRUE STORY OF THE WINEVILLE MURDERS
Glatt, John C., SECRETS IN THE CELLAR
Guinn, Jeff, GO DOWN TOGETHER: THE TRUE, UNTOLD STORY OF BONNIE AND CLYDE
Hallcox, Jarrett &, Welch, Amy, BEHIND THE YELLOW TAPE: ON THE ROAD WITH SOME OF AMERICA'S HARDEST WORKING CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS
Heidenry, John, ZERO AT THE BONE: THE PLAYBOY, THE PROSTITUTE, AND THE MURDER OF BOBBY GREENLEASE
Hodel, Steve with, Pezzullo, Ralph, MOST EVIL: AVENGER, ZODIAC AND THE FURTHER SERIAL MURDERS OF DR. GEORGE HODEL
* Hoobler, Dorothy & Thomas, CRIMES OF PARIS
Hunter, George, LIMB FROM LIMB
Johnson, Larry &, Baldyga, Scott, FROZEN: MY JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF CRYONICS, DECEPTION AND DEATH
Keefe, Patrick Radden, THE SNAKEHEAD: AN EPIC TALE OF THE CHINATOWN UNDERWORLD AND THE AMERICAN DREAM
Kimball, Camille, A SUDDEN SHOT: THE PHOENIX SERIAL SHOOTER
King, Jeanne, SIGNED IN BLOOD: THE TRUE STORY OF TWO WOMEN, A SINISTER PLOT, AND COLD BLOODED MURDER
Lasseter, Don, YOU'LL NEVER FIND MY BODY
Lasseter, Don, HONEYMOON WITH A KILLER
Lehr, Dick, THE FENCE: A POLICE COVER-UP ALONG BOSTON'S RACIAL DIVIDE
Levenson, Thomas, NEWTON AND THE COUNTERFEITER: THE UNKNOWN DETECTIVE CAREER OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST SCIENTIST
McDonald, Brian, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY OF A FAMILY KILLED IN COLD BLOOD
McMurray, Kevin, DESIRE TURNED DEADLY: THE TRUE STORY OF A BEAUTIFUL GIRL, HER TEENAGE SWEETHEART, AND THE LOVE THAT ENDED IN MURDER
McPhee, Michele R., WHEN EVIL RULES: VENGEANCE AND MURDER ON CAPE COD
McRae, Donald , THE LAST TRIALS OF CLARENCE DARROW
Mustafa, Susan D., BLOOD BATH
Pappas, Kevin, GODFATHER OF THE NIGHT: A GREEK MAFIA FATHER, A DRUG RUNNER SON, AND AN UNEXPECTED SHOT AT REDEMPTION
* Phelps, M. William, DEADLY SECRETS
Phelps, M. William, CRUEL DEATH
* Puit, Glenn, FATHER OF THE YEAR
* Puit, Glenn, IN HER PRIME: THE MURDER OF A POLITICAL STAR
Rayner, Richard, A BRIGHT AND GUILTY PLACE
Robisheaux, Thomas, THE LAST WITCH OF LANGENBURG
Rosen, Fred, DEADLY ANGEL: THE BIZARRE TRUE STORY OF ALASKA'S KILLER STRIPPER
Rother, Caitlin, BODY PARTS
Salisbury, Laney &, Sujo, Aly, PROVENANCE: HOW A CON MAN AND A FORGER REWROTE THE HISTORY OF MODERN ART
Sands, Stella, BEHIND THE MASK: A TRUE STORY OF OBSESSION AND A SAVAGE GENIUS
Scott, Robert, RIVERS OF BLOOD
Scott, Robert , LUST TO KILL
Scotti, R.A., VANISHED SMILE: THE MYSTERIOUS THEFT OF MONA LISA
Seal, Mark, WILDFLOWER: AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND UNTIMELY DEATH IN AFRICA
Sekulich, Daniel, TERROR ON THE SEAS: TRUE TALES OF MODERN-DAY PIRATES
Silver, Vernon, THE LOST CHALICE: THE EPIC HUNT FOR A PRICELESS MASTERPIECE
Smith, Carlton, THE PROM NIGHT MURDERS: A DEVOTED AMERICAN FAMILY, THEIR TROUBLED SON AND A GHASTLY CRIME
Sweetingham, Lisa, CHEMICAL COWBOYS: THE DEAS SECRET MISSION TO HUNT DOWN A NOTORIOUS ECSTASY KINGPIN
Van Meter, William, BLUEGRASS: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER IN KENTUCKY
Wow, that's quite a list. I'm honored to be on it. (Even if that only means my publisher showed a little faith in me. I'm pleased to see they did.)
I hope to earn one of your stars one day.
Thanks.
Posted by: Dave Cullen | November 17, 2009 at 07:52 PM
Thanks for stopping by. I'd be surprised if your book wasn't on the long list, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it on the short list. Good luck.
>>I hope to earn one of your stars one day.
That could imply you're writing another...? Please do dish, if you are.
Posted by: laura | November 18, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Thanks, Laura. That made me smile.
I am working on another book, but in the early stages--to early to talk about. I never know what's really going to pan out. I try to go in with few preconceptions, and be ready for different/better things to appear. So who knows where it will lead.
But regardless of that, I've got a whole lot of books in me. I'm not sure how fast I can get them out--I'm slow--but eventually.
Posted by: Dave Cullen | November 18, 2009 at 02:16 PM