Crime & Criminals Books

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 420 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Until one morning in mid-November of 1959, few Americans--in fact, few Kansans--had ever heard of Holcomb. Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there." If all Truman Capote did was invent a new genre--journalism written with the language and structure of literature--this "nonfiction novel" about the brutal slaying of the Clutter family by two would-be robbers would be remembered as a trail-blazing experiment that has influenced countless writers. But Capote achieved more than that. He wrote a true masterpiece of creative nonfiction. The images of this tale continue to resonate in our minds: 16-year-old Nancy Clutter teaching a friend how to bake a cherry pie, Dick Hickock's black '49 Chevrolet sedan, Perry Smith's Gibson guitar and his dreams of gold in a tropical paradise--the blood on the walls and the final "thud-snap" of the rope-broken necks.

Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison

Michel Foucault

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Well researched, controversial book 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is one of Michel Foucault's most accessible books (though still pretty heavy going). If in Madness and Civilization, Foucault analyzed the birth of insane asylums and in The Birth of the Clinic the birth of the hospital, in Discipline and Punish, it's the turn of the prisons. The book starts with a gruesome description of the public drawing and quartering of failed regicide Damiens in 1757. Then he goes on to quote a benign prison system of the 1830s. What changed between the two dates? While other authors would consider the birth of modern imprisonment as a triumph of progressive ideals (in comparison with what went on before), Foucault saw this instead as one aspect of increasing social and political control. While greatly researched, one immediately asks itself what Foucault wanted? Did he care about any improvement in the social conditions of prisoners? Or did he believed we should do with prisons altogether? And in which case, what about dangerous criminals? I think Foucault never wanted to answer these questions. I think it's telling that towards the end of his life (after this book was written) Foucault was a fan of the repressive and theocratic regime of Khomeini in Iran. In this, he was similar to those communist intellectuals in the West who criticized failings in their own countries but overlook much worse abuses (and crimes) in the Soviet Union. Another quibble is that the book is so French-centric (with some analysis of developments in England): he takes the evolution of imprisonment in France as an indication of the whole world.

Editorial Review:

In this brilliant work, the most influential philosopher since Sartre suggests that such vaunted reforms as the abolition of torture and the emergence of the modern penitentiary have merely shifted the focus of punishment from the prisoner's body to his soul.

The Innocent Man

John Grisham

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Total reviews: 86 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Book Review: The Innocent Man by John Grisham 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Innocent Man 428pgs. (Author's Note: 429-435)
by John Grisham
Review by SpeekNDaTruuf

Before 1982, very few had heard of Ada, Oklahoma. It was a small familial town; there were no strangers because everyone knew everyone else. On December 8, 1982, however, that all changed. Debra Sue Carter, a bartender at the local nightclub, The Coachlight, was raped and brutally murdered in her apartment. Scrawled on the wall in red fingernail polish were the words: Jim Smith next will die. On a small table in the kitchen were the words, written in ketchup: Don't look fore us or ealse. On Debra's back, smeared in dried ketchup: Duke Gram. Inside Debra's mouth was a green washcloth. Two men, Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, would sit in prison for 11 years, wrongly convicted of murdering Debra Sue Carter in 1988, until exoneration on April 15, 1999. This is the story of The Innocent Man, brilliantly authored by John Grisham.

As with most Grisham novels (i.e. The Client, A Painted House, The Pelican Brief, etc.), I originally thought this was a fictictious account of two men wrongly accused and convicted of murder. I grabbed a bottle of water and my fresh pack of Newports, and sat down to enjoy a fictictious novel. Yet, within the first few pages, something was bothering me. I know good authors when I read one, and I know that Grisham is an astounding author. The praise he receives is a testament to that very fact.

Yet, The Innocent Man seemed... too good. It was a bit too real for me, and oddly enough, I noticed a difference in writing. It seemed as if someone was narrating a story as opposed to a first person account that I'd noticed before from Grisham. The writing was... stilted, but not in the sense that it was a hard read. It was just different. It reminded me of those docu-dramas on A&E. I could easily hear Bill Kurtis from American Justice speaking these words. I thought to my Self, Wow, this man's imagination is amazing! So, I kept reading, amazed at Grisham's talent to concoct such a story. But, it kept nagging me and nagging me, and eventually, I decided to do some research on my own.

I found out that The Innocent Man was, in fact, based on a true story! Two real, living and breathing men were wrongly convicted for a murder that they did NOT commit! Suffice it to say, I finished this book in approximately 3 days. It was that good! Sad, but very well-written. Now, I could tell you all about Mr. Williamson and his mental issues, and I could tell you about the separation between Mr. Fritz and his daughter, Elizabeth, but I'm sure I wouldn't do this any justice. I would strongly suggest you read this book for your Selves.

Out of all of the novels that I've read by John Grisham, The Innocent Man, by far, is my favorite. Though it is a long and sad account of a failed justice system, and though I was often frustrated because of that, it's still a great read. FIVE STARS.

Editorial Review:

In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the Big Leagues, Ron stumbled, his dreams broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then, on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron’s home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation led nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evidence, it led to Ron Williamson. The washed-up small-town hero was charged, tried, and sentenced to death—in a trial littered with lying witnesses and tainted evidence that would shatter a man’s already broken life…and let a true killer go free. Impeccably researched, grippingly told, filled with eleventh-hour drama, John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction reads like a page-turning legal thriller. It is a book that will terrify anyone who believes in the presumption of innocence—a book no American can afford to miss.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Mary Roach

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Total reviews: 352 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year....Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting."—Entertainment Weekly

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society

Dave Grossman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 160 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great read 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a very incite-full read and should be read before on combat. Very deep subject content and makes very good points about how our society is changing and not in a good way.

On killing review 4 out of 5 stars.
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It is interesting book for those who have illusions concerning any war. The book confirmed the basic thought that the fright to kill a person is more important than the fright to be killed. The nature programmed us to avoid killing a human being! Every war does not cost every life! Certainly, there is CONSCIENCE! The conscience torment to kill innocent children and women, fathers of mothers of somebody!

On Kiling 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A bit of slow read but does get interesting every few pages. It is very easy to take the factors in this book and apply them to the business world - why do people get stressed out and burned out at work.

Good but the second book is much better 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a very good book but pales in comparison to Col. Grossman's second book on combat. This book has a lot of data a is a little dry reading. However, the data is excellent and this book contains great information.

Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science (College Edition) (9th Edition)

Richard Saferstein

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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Written by a renowned authority on forensic science, this book introduces the non-scientific reader to the field of forensic science through an exploration of its applications to criminal invesigations, with clear explanations of the techniques, abilities, and limitations of the modern crime laboratory. The most current technologies, techniques, practices, and procedures highlight this book; the accompanying interactive crime scene CD-ROM puts readers in the role of crime scene investigations. Actual cases, including a new case study on the role of DNA evidence in the investigation of the World Trade Center crime scene, enable readers to see the integral role of forensic science in criminal investigations. Topics covered include: the crime scene, physical evidence, physical properties, organic analysis, inorganic analysis, the microscope, hairs, fibers, and paint, drugs, forensic toxicology, forensic aspects of arson and explosion investigations, forensic serology, DNA, fingerprints, firearms, toolmarks and other impressions, document and voice examination, and forensic science on the Internet. An excellent reference resource for members of the forensic science field, as well as others involved in criminal justice.

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda

Philip Gourevitch

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Total reviews: 215 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Hutus kill Tutsis, then Tutsis kill Hutus--if that's really all there is to it, then no wonder we can't be bothered with it," Philip Gourevitch writes, imagining the response of somebody in a country far from the ethnic strife and mass killings of Rwanda. But the situation is not so simple, and in this complex and wrenching book, he explains why the Rwandan genocide should not be written off as just another tribal dispute.

The "stories" in this book's subtitle are both the author's, as he repeatedly visits this tiny country in an attempt to make sense of what has happened, and those of the people he interviews. These include a Tutsi doctor who has seen much of her family killed over decades of Tutsi oppression, a Schindleresque hotel manager who hid hundreds of refugees from certain death, and a Rwandan bishop who has been accused of supporting the slaughter of Tutsi schoolchildren, and can only answer these charges by saying, "What could I do?" Gourevitch, a staff writer for the New Yorker, describes Rwanda's history with remarkable clarity and documents the experience of tragedy with a sober grace. The reader will ask along with the author: Why does this happen? And why don't we bother to stop it? --Maria Dolan

Criminal Law

Joel Samaha

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Disappointment: I'm dumping this for another title 2 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

The text itself is barely adequate for an undergraduate level class (I wouldn't consider it for graduate study). At first I was excited by the addition of the "case method" technique for presenting criminal theory, but after struggling with the poorly edited cases I find myself actually skipping them.

The explanations and examples used in this book do meet minimal standards, but don't expect much more than that. It's almost as if the author were too busy with other projects to actually put together a quality product.

To make matters worse the support material provided to professors is horrible. I'm not normally a big "test bank" type of instructor, but one of the selling points to this book was the extensive library of material available. Sadly, this is once again proof that quantity does not always equal quality.

The test bank is full of very poorly worded questions. What's worse is that many of the questions have answers which contradict the book. In other words, the test key and the book do not agree....END

Editorial Review:

Clear and easy to understand, Joel Samaha's best-selling CRIMINAL LAW helps you apply criminal law's enduring foundations and principles to fascinating, current court cases and specific crimes. With a balanced blend of case excerpts and author commentary, Samaha guides you as you hone your critical thinking and legal analysis skills. You'll see the principles, defenses, and elements of crime at work as you progress through the book-and you'll learn about the general principles of criminal liability and its defenses, as well as the elements of crimes against persons property, society, and crimes against the state. Featuring the latest topics and court cases, as well as many study tools to help you do well in this course, Samaha's CRIMINAL LAW is a text you will want to keep as a valuable reference even after you graduate and begin your career in the criminal justice field of your choosing.

In His Sights: A True Story of Love and Obsession

Kate Brennan, None

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

What if the man you'd loved for years vows, when you leave him, to destroy you? What if he transforms into a ruthless tormentor, stealing your freedom, undermining your sanity, and threatening your safety?

This is not a fictional scenario. It is Kate Brennan's life.

Kate is a well-respected writer and scholar, a highly independent woman with simple tastes and a complicated romantic past that leave her perfectly content with singlehood. So when she meets Paul—a wealthy, charismatic businessman with a great deal of free time—she's wary of getting involved. Eventually, though, his polished charm and relentless wooing win her over. Things move quickly, and it is only after the two have moved in together that Kate discovers the serial infidelity, the unbalanced psyche, and the sordid secrets lurking under the Mr. Right facade.

Kate lets Paul into her life with trepidation, and when she ends the relationship, she finds she can't get him out of it. With limitless resources, he dedicates himself to stalking her: he tracks her movements, arranges for people to break into her home, interferes with her work, and even relocates to her new neighborhood. His harassment lasts for more than a decade and, as Paul is still at large, it continues to turn Kate's life upside down today.

This visceral memoir not only lays bare the mind of a stalker, but also shows how a smart, successful woman can fall prey to a warped and powerful man who has the money and connections to keep her under his watchful eye. Both frightening and insightful, In His Sights is a gripping tale of one woman's descent into the dark side of love and how she has fought—and still struggles—to free herself.

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

Sudhir Venkatesh

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Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

First introduced in Freakonomics, here is the full story of Sudhir Venkatesh, the sociology grad student who infiltrated one of Chicago's most notorious gangs

The story of the young sociologist who studied a Chicago crack-dealing gang from the inside captured the world's attention when it was first described in Freakonomics. Gang Leader for a Day is the fascinating full story of how Sudhir Venkatesh managed to gain entrŽe into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment.

When Venkatesh walked into an abandoned building in one of Chicago's most notorious housing projects, he was looking for people to take a multiple-choice survey on urban poverty. A first-year grad student hoping to impress his professors with his boldness, he never imagined that as a result of the assignment he would befriend a gang leader named JT and spend the better part of a decade inside the projects under JT's protection, documenting what he saw there.

Over the next seven years, Venkatesh got to know the neighborhood dealers, crackheads, squatters, prostitutes, pimps, activists, cops, organizers, and officials. From his privileged position of unprecedented access, he observed JT and the rest of the gang as they operated their crack-selling business, conducted PR within their community, and rose up or fell within the ranks of the gang's complex organizational structure.

In Hollywood-speak, Gang Leader for a Day is The Wire meets Harvard University. It's a brazen, page turning, and fundamentally honest view into the morally ambiguous, highly intricate, often corrupt struggle to survive in what is tantamount to an urban war zone. It is also the story of a complicated friendship between Sudhir and JT-two young and ambitious men a universe apart.