Author: Kim Daly
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
This was such an informative read and much more entertaining than I thought it would be. The author achieved something very rare when it comes to true crime books, and that is a balance between tragic cases and more light-hearted crimes (such as the drunk men who stole a penguin from a zoo) and non-violent crimes (heists and cons). That being said, it also covers several kidnapping cases, murder cases, and survivor stories that are all, obviously, very upsetting and devastating. Especially because true crime stories are so brutal, the author must deal with the subject matter respectfully and without glorifying the killers, both of which are accomplished in this book.
I feel it’s important to note that none of the cases are covered in detail. Some of the more high-profile ones like H. H. Holmes and Ed Gein get more details, but most of the cases presented (be it murder, kidnapping, con, or heist) only get a basic overview. However, all of the main aspects of each crime are covered so this was great for discovering new cases and bookmarking them in order to do more in-depth research later. If you’re new to true crime this is a great book to start with, it will not be too emotionally overwhelming (as I’ve mentioned, it mixes violent and non-violent crimes) nor will you be “bombarded” with complicated timelines and detailed descriptions.
My favorite chapters were the ones covering the forensic aspects of crimes, the technology involved, the creation of different databases, and the evolution of DNA analysis. One aspect/section of the book that I thought to be unnecessary was the quizzes, mostly they listed serial killers, and the reader is supposed to match them with how they got caught/what they stole/their nickname/etc. At the bottom of the page, you have the answers with a short explanation that was way too short to be of any substance. In theory, these quizzes seem fun but for me, they turned out to be underwhelming and a bit disappointing.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, especially if you’re looking for heist and con cases. Just keep in mind that none of them are exposed in depth.
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