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Joan’s Year In Books

Joan’s 2025 Year in Books

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Joan Renner

Goodreads Author

Born

Oak Park, Illinois, The United States

Website

http://www.derangedlacrimes.com

Twitter

derangedlacrime

Genre

Crime, Biography, History

Member Since

July 2012

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Joan Renner, a writer and social historian, authored The First with the Latest: Aggie Underwood, the Los Angeles Herald, and the Sordid Crimes of a City. The L.A. Weekly selected the book as one of the top ten true crimes books about the city. She contributed to the Los Angeles Times bestseller LAPD ‘53, written by James Ellroy and Glynn Martin.
Her work has appeared in true crime anthologies, and she has written for Los Angeles Magazine. Joan is an expert on historic Los Angeles crime and has given presentations to private groups and professional organizations. She has spoken at three annual meetings of the Southern California Association of Fingerprint Officers. Since 2009, she has appeared on over 60 true crime TV shows and podcasts: City ...more

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Combine Editions
Joan Renner’s books

Average rating: 3.98 · 65 ratings · 7 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	Of Mobsters and Movie Stars: The Bloody “Golden Age” of Hollywood 4.07 avg rating — 46 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The First with the Latest!: Aggie Underwood, the Los Angeles Herald, and the Sordid Crimes of a City by Joan Renner (Goodreads Author), Christina Rice (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.81 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Of Mobsters And Movie Stars: The Bloody "Golden Age" of Hollywood 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Joan Renner's Blog

Book Launch Party!

Join me on Saturday, July 13, 2024 for refreshments, gangsters, glamour, and cake as I celebrate the release of Of Mobsters and Movie Stars: The Bloody "Golden Age" of Hollywood (WildBlue Press).

I will be on hand to sign books and dish the dirt about Los Angeles true crime in the 1920s/1930s.

Books will be available for purchase while supplies last, so stop by this open-house style event and have Read more of this blog post »

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Published on July 03, 2024 14:08 • Tags: derangedlacrimes, joan-renner, ofmobstersandmoviestars, prohibition, retro, truecrime, wildbluepress

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Joan is Currently Reading

Joan is currently reading

Munich Wolf

by Rory Clements

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Apr 21, 2026 08:40PM

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Blackstone and the House of Secrets (Inspector Sam Blackstone, #3)

by Sally Spencer (Goodreads Author)

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Apr 20, 2026 09:01PM

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The Torch Betrayal (Conor Thorn, #1)

by Glenn Dyer

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Apr 20, 2026 08:22PM

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Joan is currently reading Munich Wolf by Rory Clements	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 21, 2026 08:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Munich Wolf by Rory Clements. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Munich Wolf by Rory Clements <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan is currently reading Blackstone and the House of Secrets (Inspector Sam Blackstone, #3) by Sally Spencer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 20, 2026 09:01PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Blackstone and the House of Secrets by Sally Spencer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Blackstone and the House of Secrets by Sally Spencer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan is currently reading The Torch Betrayal (Conor Thorn, #1) by Glenn Dyer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 20, 2026 08:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Torch Betrayal by Glenn Dyer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Torch Betrayal by Glenn Dyer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan is currently reading Vodka Express (A Dmitri Petrov Crime Novel, #1) by Ralph Griffith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 08, 2026 05:03PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Vodka Express by Ralph Griffith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Vodka Express by Ralph Griffith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan is currently reading The Sinister Deception (Field & Greystone #6) by Lana Williams (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 05, 2026 08:58PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Sinister Deception by Lana Williams. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Sinister Deception by Lana Williams <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan rated a book it was amazing The March Fallen (Gereon Rath #5) by Volker Kutscher	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 31, 2026 05:51PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The March Fallen by Volker Kutscher. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The March Fallen by Volker Kutscher <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan is currently reading Create Your Own Cozy: 100 Practical Ways to Love Your Home and Life (The Perfect Gift for People Who Love Interior Design, Decorating, DIY, Crafting, and ... Spaces at Home) (Cozy White Cottage) by Liz Marie Galvan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 25, 2026 08:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Create Your Own Cozy by Liz Marie Galvan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Create Your Own Cozy by Liz Marie Galvan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan is currently reading The Little Book of Living Small by Laura Fenton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 25, 2026 08:13PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Little Book of Living Small by Laura Fenton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Little Book of Living Small by Laura Fenton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan is currently reading Blackstone and the Great Game (Inspector Sam Blackstone #2) by Sally Spencer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 12, 2026 08:27PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Blackstone and the Great Game by Sally Spencer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Blackstone and the Great Game by Sally Spencer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joan rated a book it was amazing Blackstone and the Rendezvous with Death (Inspector Sam Blackstone, #1) by Sally Spencer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 11, 2026 09:04PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Blackstone and the Rendezvous with Death by Sally Spencer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Blackstone and the Rendezvous with Death by Sally Spencer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Joan Renner (?)

“Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is more interesting.
--William Randolph Hearst”
― Joan Renner

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Joan’s Quotes

“Hammett gave murder back to the kind of people that commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse; and with the means at hand, not hand-wrought dueling pistols, curare and tropical fish.”
― Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder

37 likes

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”
― François de La Rochefoucauld

tags: cynical, life, truth

3278 likes

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”
― Mark Twain, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World

tags: books, truth

6051 likes

“The streets were dark with something more than night.”
― Raymond Chandler

163 likes

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Joan Renner’s Followers (24)

Joan Renner

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