book reviews
Book reviews for true crime junkies; probe the minds of murderers with our collection of novels, memoirs, biographies, criminal psychology and forensic science books.
Book Review: "Killing for Company" by Brian Masters
I'm pretty sure that it said somewhere in the book that Brian Masters himself is against the word 'evil' as it is an adjective that opens up so many different arguments. But I am going to use the word 'evil' because there is not any other way I can find to describe this man, he makes me sick.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Criminal
Lockdown guide to Australian true crime books
As I enter yet another week of lockdown here in Australia, during the pandemic, I thought to myself, what can I write about. The answer was staring me right in the face. Australian True Crime of course. Initially I thought I would write about my top five true crime books. I quickly realised there was more than five on the list. So here is my top ten list. There are some older titles, which hopefully you can still track down online.
By Stephen J Words 5 years ago in Criminal
"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
I first read this book when I was about fifteen years’ old and it was because I had seen it in the local library but it was a tattered copy and so, I bought my own - intact. From not even opening the book, I felt like this was an important text. I wrote the following about it in my diary even before actually reading the book: “there’s something strange about this book. It’s as if it is asking me not to read it but it’s pulling me in. Something about the phrase ‘in cold blood’ sounds unnerving and dangerous. I’ve heard a bit about it but I was never sure to rely on other people’s verdicts of novels. Apparently though, according to some people - this isn’t really a novel at all. Then what is it?” That was the question I had asked: “What is it?” It isn’t really a novel because it isn’t really fiction and, as I know after many re-reads over the years, it isn’t entirely accurate either and so, it isn’t a non-fiction novel. It is an embellishment of the truth for the sake of entertainment and so, it is half and half, something that humans have been doing for centuries. Yet, it is entirely new. It is the new, modern version of criminal justice novels. It was true-crime and this is where I had first encountered a book of which the entire genre would come to change everything about what I believed literature could be. I would be obsessing over true crime for near a decade afterwards and it would be because of “In Cold Blood”. The first question you always ask yourself when you read “In Cold Blood” for the first time and that was the same question I asked myself when I finished the book. I wrote in my diary: “This was a strange book, I’ve never really read anything like it. The moment I finished it, I just sat there thinking about the same question over and over again - ‘what happens if it’s all entirely true?’”
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Criminal
The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer
It’s been a few years since I read “The Executioner’s Song” when I was eighteen years’ old and it was a funny experience because I’d only ever seen a picture of the book before that. I had constantly wanted to read it over the course of a year because it sounded amazing. But when I received it in the post, my jaw dropped at how long it was in comparison to how long I thought it was. I managed to get it done in a few days anyway. I really just couldn’t put it down at all. At some points, I was actually crying about the other characters. My first reading experience was heavily emotional and I was put into an emotional whirlwind of sorrow. It completely changed my perspective on creative nonfiction, just like the book “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote had done some years before.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Criminal
Reconstructing Amelia - A Book Review
No matter what, keep fighting to make a change. Reconstructing Amelia is a novel written by Kimberly McCreight. Kate struggles to accept the suicide of her daughter. Before her death, Amelia was undergoing the stressful dramas of high school. In the clues leading up in the investigation, Kate learns important news and secrets that Amelia was hiding from her.
By Marielle Sabbag6 years ago in Criminal
Leave it to the Amateurs
This was a random find for me. During one of my many forays through the bargain stacks at the bookstore, I found myself picking this book up off of the shelf. I have always loved a good mystery, and when this book was touted as a modern day Nancy Drew, I figured I would have to give it a try. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized why the author’s name, Sara Shepard, had seemed so familiar to me; I had never read the books, but I did watch the first few seasons of the television adaptation of Shepard’s series “Pretty Little Liars”. Now, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I was never really a huge fan of the show, so after I made this connection I was apprehensive to crack open this book.
By Kurt Mason6 years ago in Criminal
My Top 10 Modern Crime Novels of All Time
As we approach part 11 of my 20 books of 2020 series (numbers 201-220), I would like to say a big thank you to those of you who have followed me on this journey so far. This milestone means a lot to me and so, I've chosen to share something special with you. The Top 10 Best Modern Crime Novels I've Read!
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Criminal
Cross Kill - Review
CROSS KILL Long Live Soneji! With the bad guys seemingly dead, you think you can relax. You think your home is safe. The veteran crime writer is back with his trusty partner Alex Cross; the pathetic fallacy at the very beginning of the book gives a foreboding sense of something bad about to happen. We aren’t wrong. That late winter storm in Washington DC, with Patterson, expect a tragedy.
By Rebecca Smith6 years ago in Criminal
Bloody Valentine - Book Review
“Killing isn’t murder when it’s necessary.” After the blood curdling screams from serial killers like Gary Soneji, Casanova and the notorious Jack and Jill, the world renowned writer returns with a spine tingler that’s sure to make any couple grateful for their Valentine’s day experiences. Yes, he’s back…James Patterson. With a new thriller entitled ‘Bloody Valentine,’ but it’s not all fine wine and red roses this year…
By Rebecca Smith6 years ago in Criminal
