I am catching up on hundreds of emails that stacked up as I adjusted to my new life as house counsel for a certain company. This Inbox offers a huge collection of fascinating links in the theme, including many suggested by true crime authors and fans. 309 emails later, I am almost caught up and here are some of the best of them.
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My new favorite time-killer: http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/home.html
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The New York Post on the Phil Spector Murder Trial – In a word, wow
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Book Review: The Poisoner's Handbook Dallas Morning News “In this bubbling beaker of a book, Deborah Blum mixes up a heady potion of forensic toxicology, history and true crime....”
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“Psychologists theorized that women’s appreciation of true-crime literature may arise from a fear of crime and a wish to learn how to avoid it; it was further theorized that what women learn from true-crime books just makes them grow more afraid and buy more true-crime books.”
- Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette
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Robert Graysmith's latest true crime book has them singing his praises. Says one reviewer of his latest: "Graysmith exposes his personal trait to obsess over details once again, Lord bless him, and the result is yet another intensely detailed true crime text...”***
Jerry Mitchell, one of my favorite journalists ever, has begun a blog about his interesting work. Some recent gems:
New details on the FBI paying $30K to solve the Mississippi Burning case
Clues on who got the $30K to solve the Mississippi Burning case
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And here is a reference book oriented towards true crime writers. This is going on my Christmas List. WANTED! U.S. Criminal Records weighs in at 388 pages and 2 lbs. It lists, state by state, where one can find historical prison records, criminal court documents, parole records, pardon records, execution information, and more...Ron Arons is the author, to be found at http://www.ronarons.com
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True crime historian Albert Borowitz has penned another book. A review:
Author takes look at crime in music
Akron Beacon Journal
“The Bermondsey Horror: The Murder that Shocked Victorian England gained Borowitz a Gold Dagger nomination for true crime from the Crime Writers Association....”
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True crime author wins $700,000+ prize now I must lay hands on The Return of Martin Guerre
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True crime fans among library offenders (Toowoomba Chronicle )
“DO-IT-YOURSELF mechanics, expectant mothers and true-crime buffs are some of Toowoomba's worst offenders when it comes to returning books to the City Library...”
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Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History (Salon)
“Every true crime narrative ought to feature a few unanswered questions. That's one of the pleasures of the form, that little shiver of possibility...”
On Valentines Day Weekend 2003, thieves broke into an "airtight" vault in the international diamond capital of Antwerp, Belgium. They made off with $500,000.00 in treasure which still hasn't been recovered. FLAWLESS: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History (Union Square Press, 2010) is the very first book about a heist of historical proportions, billed as "a real-life Ocean’s Eleven." The early reviews of this book are flawless as well, and my prediction is an Edgar nomination for this book, as early in the year as it is for such things. I'm so impressed by a troika of big reviews: "engrossing" (Kirkus), "well-polished" (Publishers Weekly), and "a must-read" (Booklist). The authors are Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell. Details
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Chilton native's 1968 Seattle homicide case gets break (Appleton Post Crescent)
“It was a mystery that one time made the pages of a true crime magazine. Here, it was heartache and hopes that eventually fizzled as year after year passed...”
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Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial: With new DNA storage and testing law, Ohio leaps into the 21st century
The Devil's Rooming House is M. William Phelps's latest, and this crazy woman might sound familiar….
"It is not often that a book captures an entire state's attention," begins this article about a new biography of the "Trunk Murderess," Winnie Ruth Judd.
Welcome back. I've missed your updates.
Posted by: jmoody | April 11, 2010 at 04:33 PM
The bio of Winnie Ruth Judd isn't new -- it came out about fifteen years ago. It was an OK book -- I wouldn't recommend it highly.
I grew up in Phoenix in the 50s and she was often in the news, because she would escape from the state asylum on a regular basis.
In the 30s, when the murders happened, it was standard for women and children to leave town to go to the mountains for the summer, leaving the men to be what were called 'summer bachelors' and to behave, in many cases, not as well as might be wished. Winnie and her friends/victims were girlfriends of some prominent local men. The common wisdom in Phoenix at the time was that Winnie took the fall for somebody.
After reading the book I concluded (unlike the author) that Winnie did it -- she admitted it when there was no longer any reason to lie -- but that possibly others were involved. But who knows?
Posted by: BobH | April 28, 2010 at 10:23 PM