Counting down 15 to 1: TC Spotlight writer GREG FOX provides his all-time TOP 15 true crime reads. Included are some classic titles and some more obscure ones – a wide selection of quality works for the discerning TC reader…
15. The Night Stalker: The Life & Crimes of Richard Ramirez by Philip Carlo (1996)
A probative account of the horrifying crimes of serial and spree killer Ramirez – and his reign of terror across greater Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. Carlo, a sometime mob author, emanates a feeling of dread, unveiling the psychopathy that was the “Night Stalker”.
14. Written In Blood: Innocent or Killer? by Dianne Fanning (2018)
Was the death of Kathleen Petersen an accident or murder? How did the wealthy business executive come to be discovered bloodied and deceased at the bottom of a set of stairs, inside her upmarket Durham (NC) residence? Her husband Michael, an idiosyncratic ex-marine come novelist, is quickly suspected of foul play. Fanning is clinical in her presentation of the controversial Petersen case, pulling back the veneer of the privileged couple’s idyllic existence. A true-crime masterpiece – and to this day the definitive word on the “Staircase” mystery.
13. Missoula: Rape And The Justice System In A College Town by Jon Krakauer (2015)
Did an “acquaintance rape culture” exist at the University of Montana? Krakauer exposes the goings-on in the historic college town of Missoula, notably the prevalence of on-campus sex crimes over a four-year period. The privilege and influence of the beloved men’s football team is bought into the spotlight here. As well, the struggle for victims to be heard and receive justice through legal channels is frustratingly described. It’s a cautionary tale about higher education and student safety on a broad scale. A profound piece of investigative journalism by an American Academy of the Arts & Letters winner and author of the acclaimed Under The Banner Of Heaven.
12. Under The Trestle: The 1980 Disappearance of Gina Renee Hall & Virginia’s First “No Body Murder Trial by Ron Petersen Jr (2018)
Deeply affecting. An attractive Radford University (VA) freshman, with no known vices or personal issues, goes out dancing at the Blacksburg Marriott on a Saturday night in June 1980 and disappears – never to be found. Would a mostly circumstantial case – without the alleged victim’s body – be enough to secure a conviction at a groundbreaking trial? Petersen’s procedural draws you into the landmark case for the state of Virginia – which set a new legal precedent for the commonwealth.
11. Zodiac by Robert Graysmith (1986)
Graysmith, a one-time political cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle, gives a historical account of the investigation to a series of murders in the bay area by the self-named Zodiac. This author’s obsession brings to life the hysteria that surrounded the never caught killer and his perplexing, coded letters to police. In the end it leaves you asking: “Did Graysmith unveil the actual identity of Zodiac?” A best-seller with over 4 million copies sold worldwide.
10. Mindhunter: Inside The FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas & Mark Olshaker (1995)
Groundbreaking on its release thirty years ago. Retired FBI agent Douglas, a pioneer in the field of criminal profiling, unlocks the disturbed psychology of the most sadistic serial offenders. Co-Ed Killer Edmund Kemper, Robert Hansen aka The Butcher Baker of Anchorage and the Atlanta Child Killer Wayne Williams are all highlighted – as well as their intrinsic motivations to dominate and murder, laid out in fascinating but gruesome detail. The inspiration behind the Netflix TV series of the same name.
9. An Unexplained Death: The True Story Of A Body At The Belvedere by Mikita Brottman (2018)
Engrossing reading for lovers of a spooky tale set within an old building. After the mysterious, probable suicide (a jump from the top of an adjacent parking garage) of 33-yr old, former water polo player Rey Rivera at the downtown Baltimore Belvedere, questions abound. Did he really take his own life or was there something more sinister afoot? Brottman, a then resident in the complex starts snooping around. The author, also a psychoanalyst, becomes quietly obsessed. It is revealed the turn of the century-built luxury hotel has an ominous past – one that involves multiple guest suicides and odd behaviours from its residents.
8. Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of BTK, The Serial Killer Next Door by Roy Wenzl, Tim Potter, L.Kelly & Hurst Laviana (2007)
Four crime reporters from the “Wichita Eagle” newspaper rigorously explore the BTK murders over a twenty-five-year period. Then the somewhat bizarre apprehension of a local churchgoer, Boy Scout leader and city compliance officer Dennis Rader in 2005 shocks the heartland town. For those readers drawn to greater insight of serial killing – Rader stands as a loathsome and truly evil individual but indeed a rare bird.
7. Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker (2013)
Kolker puts a human, if not bleak face, to five women murdered, wrapped in burlap and dumped at a remote beach on Long Island (NY). All the victims were thought to be online escorts. The media soon dubbed the unknown assailant the “Gilgo Beach Killer”. Considered a modern classic in the true crime genre, it’s as a grim reminder of the underbelly of American life – and the dangers lurking online.
6. Three Crooked Kings by Matthew Condon (2013)
The first in Condon’s trilogy of books outlining the corrupt practices of influential policemen within the Queensland force. Historically impressive, the narrative focuses on three ambitious but shady officers – Terry Lewis, Glen Hallahan and Tony Murphy. A must read for those invested in the machinations of vice and graft that led to the watershed Fitzgerald Inquiry.
5. Murder Machine by Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci (1993)
The disturbing tale of the infamous De Meo crew, a Brooklyn faction of Gambino Crime Family. Profiles a syndicate of murderers, drug dealers and prolific car thieves operating out of Canarsie, who had other mafioso running scared. So menacing they developed their own system of killing foes, fiendishly labelled the “Gemini Method”. It’s a gobsmacking story that unbelievably has never been made into a feature film.
4. We All Go Into The Dark: The Hunt For Bible John by Francisco Garcia (2023)
An intimate portrayal of the media-dubbed “Bible John” murders that terrorised Glasgow in the late 1960s. Three young women brutally murdered, each after spending the night at a city dance venue, the Barrowland Ballroom. Garcia touches on the Scottish public’s fascination and cultural implications of the killer’s legend whilst documenting one of the widest criminal investigations in Scotland’s history.
3. Catch The Sparrow: A Search For A Sister And The Truth Of Her Murder by Rachel Rear (2022)
Rear’s investigative journey into the 1991 Rochester (NY) murder of her step-sister Stephanie, a woman whom she never met. A memoir both compelling and personal in its tone. This somewhat unconventional true crime has you emotionally invested in the search for answers and at the same time the familial impacts of an unsolved homicide across two decades. In the end you’re left with the troubling but simple premise that the world is not a safe place for young women.
2. Who Killed These Girls? The Unsolved Murders That Rocked A Texas Town by Beverley Lowery (2016)
Up until recently (yes, spoiler alert: a suspect was recently identified for this crime i.e. “Yoghurt Shop Murders” via use of DNA) it remained one of more enduring cold cases in the public domain. Four teenagers shockingly murdered inside a frozen yoghurt store on closing time in Austin, Texas – back in December 1991. Lowery who spent eight years researching the casefile lays-out the facts of saga – the night of and its timelines, examination of the horrific crime scene and victimology, missteps by investigators (including the tragic coerced confessions of two young men), potentialities of DNA technologies – and ultimately, a practical working theory of the crime. An astonishing piece of non-fiction.
1.The Last Stone: A Masterpiece Of Criminal Interrogation by Mark Bowden (2019)
Much of its dialogue is based around police interviews and interrogation room videotapes with serial sex predator Lloyd Welch Jr. Recalls the perplexing, unsolved disappearance of the Lyons sisters, Kate (10) & Sheila (12) from a shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland on 25th March 1975. Bowden, contributing writer at The Atlantic and author of Black Hawk Down, digs deep into the nuances of the police inquiry which put you figuratively into the interview room. Outlined is the eventual cracking of the cold case by Montgomery County (MD) detectives in 2013. This is a most inspirational investigative tale.