The Best American Crime Reporting 2007

by Linda Fairstein (Editor), Otto Penzler (Series editor), Thomas H. Cook (Series editor)

Thieves, liars, killers, and conspirators—it's a criminal world out there, and someone has got to write about it. An eclectic collection of the year's best reportage, The Best American Crime Reporting 2007 brings together the murderers and muscle men, the masterminds, and the mysteries and missteps that make for brilliant stories, told by the aces of the true crime genre. This latest addition to the highly acclaimed series features guest editor Linda Fairstein, the bestselling crime novelist and former chief prosecutor of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office's pioneering Special Victims' Unit.

The loved ones / Tom Junod --
The inside job / Neil Swidey --
The talented Dr. Krist / Steve Fennessy --
The case of the killer priest / Sean Flynn --
Double blind / Matthew Teague --
The school / C.J. Chivers --
A kiss before dying / Pamela Colloff --
The devil in David Berkowitz / Steve Fishman --
The man who loves books too much / Allison Hoover Bartlett --
Dirty old women / Ariel Levy --
Who killed Ellen Andros? / Dan P. Lee --
Fatal connection / David Bernstein --
Last seen on September 10th / Mark Fass --
My roommate, the diamond thief / Brian Boucher --
The monster of Florence / Douglas Preston

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Essays, Journalism, Anthologies

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Linda Fairstein (born 1947) is one of America's foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children. She served as head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002 and is the author of a series of novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.

Like Fairstein, Alex ('Coop') Cooper is in charge of the Special Victims Unit of the Office. She works closely with NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace. The 17th book in her best-selling series - DEVIL'S BRIDGE - launches in paperback in June, 2016. The 18th novel - KILLER LOOK - debuts on July 26th.

This year, Fairstein will debut a new series for Middle Grade readers - 8-12 years old. Her kid sleuth, Devlin Quick, appears in INTO THE LION'S DEN in November, 2016. The series is an homage to Nancy Drew, whose books inspired Linda's two careers - in crime fiction and in the law.

Ms. Fairstein is an honors graduate of Vassar College (1969) and the University of Virginia School of Law (1972). She joined the Manhattan District Attorney's office in 1972 as an Assistant District Attorney. She was promoted to the head of the sex crimes unit in 1976. During her tenure, she prosecuted several highly publicized cases, including the "Preppy Murder" case against Robert Chambers in 1986.

Linda Fairstein left the District Attorney's office in 2002, and has continued to consult, write, lecture and serve as a sex crimes expert for a wide variety of print and television media outlets, including the major networks, CNN, MSNBC among others. Ms. Fairstein is often called to provide her opinion on high profile prosecutions including: Michael Jackson's molestation charges in 2004, Kobe Bryant's sexual assault charges, and Scott Peterson's trial. She is also a frequent speaker on issues surrounding domestic abuse.

Ms. Fairstein lives in Manhattan and on Martha's Vineyard with her husband, Michael Goldberg. Her novels draw on Ms. Fairstein's legal expertise as well as her knowledge of and affection for the rich history of the city of New York.

Series:
* Alexandra Cooper Mystery

Reviews

[Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catching up on all the past years of this series. I love these anthologies, and here are the stories from this volume that I found really interesting:

The Loved Ones by Tom Junod
The story of a nursing home in New Orleans where patients/residents drowned in the rising waters during Hurricane Katrina.

The Case of the Killer Priest by Sean Flynn
Explores the difficulty in believing that priests were capable of doing bad deeds, before knowing what we now know about abusive priests, by looking at how a priest got away with murder.

Double Blind by Matthew Teague
I don't know much about this subject, so it was an eye-opening look at how double agents were used by British intelligence to fight the IRA.

The School by CJ Chivers
The longest (but most engrossing and toughest) article in this collection, about the terrorist takeover of the school in Beslan.

A Kiss Before Dying by Pamela Colloff
Strange story about a girl who asked to be murdered and was obliged by a friend.

Who Killed Ellen Andros? by Dan P. Lee
The quality of the forensic evidence in a case is only as good as the people who gather it.

Last Seen on September 10th by Mark Fass
Unusual story of a loved one lost the day before the World Trade center attacks and the difficulties the family has in having her listed as one of the casualties of the attacks.

My Roommate, the Diamond Thief by Brian Boucher
Very funny story of a man who ends up having a diamond thief for a roommate.

The following two articles were later turned into books:

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
One book collector loves books, but doesn't have the cash to buy them. I read the book before the article and if you want more after reading this, I recommend picking up the book.

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
May sound like a thriller novel, but this a true and very fascinating story about an Italian serial killer, and how a novelist gets caught up in the investigation. I caught this story on TV a long time ago, but I haven't read the book yet.

[Allison Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Thus spake Oscar Wilde. "Except for those of us in the stars who are looking at the gutter." Thus spake me. Let's face it, isn't gutter-gazing a natural human proclivity? Crime is unlovely, but it can be interesting. This is a collection of thoughtful, well-written articles. The details are often lurid, but never true-crime sensationalistic. Some of them are fascinating. "A Kiss Before Dying" tells the story of a complicated outsider and, in so doing, defends the humanity that her small town largely declined to grant her. In a culture where killers are rock stars, it's deeply refreshing to find compassionate, three-dimensional (warts and all) portrayals of their victims. Speaking of killers, "The Devil in David Berkowitz" is a great read. Looking at the stars may be a noble pursuit, but it can be a strain on the neck. And sometimes, when crime reporting is done responsibly, compassionately, and decently, you can find stars (and even a few laughs) in the most unlikely places.

[Lady ♥ Belleza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another compilation of true crime accounts. Most of them are taken from Magazines and each is written by a different person. They cover crimes from all over and different types of crime. The only one I didn’t like was “Monster of Florence”, but then I didn’t like the book, so I may have been a little prejudiced coming into it.

Aside from that one, the accounts in here were very interesting, to varying degrees, there was another one that was kind of ‘yawn’, but each account is short enough that you can skim over ones that don’t interest you.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Central Park Five

[Ann Stoudt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best American Crime Reporting 2007

Linda Feinstein is NOT the author, and her downfall should NOT stop people from reading these true crime stories. She was just the editor

This book has a diverse collection of 15 best crime stories, of the the year 2007. Written by noted journalists of articles with and the crimes detailed. The uniform quality of research and writing in this collection is startling; stories are so fully fleshed and detail is so rich it's often hard to believe they're non-fiction

Stories include:

“The loved ones” by Tom Junod -- Reports on a nursing home that refused to evacuate it’s residents during Hurrucane Katrina


“ inside job” by Neil Swidey -- covers the astonishing embezzlement of nearly $9 million by a construction company temp


“The talented Dr. Krist” by Steve Fennessy -- reports on the perpetrator of a horrifying kidnapping who is now a physician dedicated to helping the underserved


“The case of the killer priest” by Sean Flynn -- All is not well in a Catholic Convent


“Double blind” by Matthew Teague -- story of how British intelligence infiltrated and undermined the IRA.


“The school” by C.J. Chivers -- records the days when Chechen terrorists took over a school and its students.


“A kiss before dying” by Pamela Colloff -- tale of an alienated young student who is murdered by a classmate, and lives on as a ghost in the minds of local teens


“The devil in David Berkowitz” by Steve Fishman --- Examines the late-coming faith of David Berkowitz-the infamous Son of Sam - is cunningly but compassionately


“The man who loves books too much” by Allison Hoover Bartlett -- John Charles Gilkey steals purely for the love of books but is very dangerous


“Dirty old women” by Ariel Levy -- phenomenon of older women, mostly teachers, seducing their young students


“Who killed Ellen Andros?” by Dan P. Lee -- A woman is killed. Her husband is accused. A famous/infamous medical examiner investigates. What’s going on here isn’t just science. It’s something deeper, something stranger, something at the same time both terrifying and fascinating.


“Fatal connection” by David Bernstein -- Makes the real the life of a high priced escort


“Last seen on September 10th” by Mark Fass -- the painful story of the parents of a young medical student who disappears the day before the Twin Towers are brought down.


“My roommate, the diamond thief” by Brian Boucher -- A New Yorker finds an unlikely house guest on Craigslist.


“The monster of Florence” by Douglas Preston Preston and his Italian colleague are determined to get to the truth about a series of murders almost twenty-five years old. And they do, but not without personal risk and costs.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every chapter in this book made for excellent reading. I came away educated on the events surrounding more than a few crimes amd other true mysteries, from what became of Sneha Philip, to why on this planet anyone would mistake David Berkowitz for the second coming of Christ. Well-chosen stories, well written. Highly recommended.

[Matthew Jay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book and terrible author. Hopefully she reads the reviews one day and realizes that those who would knowingly prosecute children like she did should suffer the same punishment and more. Truly evil.

[Jazzy Wallace · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thief, conspirator and liar here is Linda Fairstein.

[Plum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best American Crime series is among the very best in nonfiction writing.

[R K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition of what has rapidly become my absolute favorite of The Best American family is slightly less consistent than editions past, at least to my taste. My favorite crime writing has to do with capers, and con men. It’s more the ingenuity, audacity and hubris of these men that think they can hoodwink everyone that gets me going. The legal proceedings that go along with crime and studies on certain criminals simply don’t interest me as much. Unfortunately, that’s what this book has in spades. It’s not surprising really, given that the guest editor is a former District Attorney from New York City. (Incidentally, I would have placed her preface over a couple of the stories she selected. Crazy to think there was a time when DNA was an untested science.)

Still, this edition of TBACR would have won five stars had it only consisted of only three stories; Double Blind, The School, and The Monster of Florence. Double Blind, a The Departed type tale of treachery, deceit, and double agents amongst the Provisional IRA, is exactly the type of novel I’d love to write. Two double agents fight to avoid detection in the Irish terrorist organization and afterwards reflect on whether their actions were worth it. Matthew Teague handles it masterfully, jumping back and forth in time, peeling back each layer of deception, and just when you think you have the whole picture, you fall even further down the rabbit hole.

The School, by CJ Chivers is a moment by moment tour de force about the Chechen terrorist attack and hostage taking at an elementary school in September. Chivers explains the history of Chechnya, its grievances with Russia, its internal fractures, all while spinning a breathtakingly detailed cinematic yarn about the events that happened that day. You follow several victims through their harrowing three day ordeal. It’s hands down my favorite out of the entire book.

The Monster of Florence is Zodiac the movie, including all the amateur journalist sleuthing and police incompetence, transposed on to the idyllic Tuscan countryside. Douglas Preston does a fantastic job reviving the cold case and making it breathe, not that it’s too hard with such a visceral and gripping story. In fact, it was so gripping that the author got caught up trying to solve it in real life, which ended with very real consequences.

There were other stories that resonated with me. The con man stealing rare books and the guy who accidentally rented out his apartment to a jewel thief were both good. There were also those that I feel like were clunkers, regardless of my personal taste, like the profiles on a repentant David Berkowitz (aka Son of Sam) and female teachers that sleep with their students. Still, this book delivers great, if uneven thrills for anyone who wants to take a walk on the wrong side of the law.

[Susan Oleksiw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of sixteen investigative reports is as riveting as any thriller, and indeed some are thrillers. Each entry is strong, well researched, and carefully thought out, true stories that in the hands of these superb writers are as brilliant as any novel.

The collection opens with a report on how thirty-five patients of a nursing home died in the Katrina flood. Of the 1500 people who died as a result of the hurricane, 200 were in hospitals and nursing homes, and 35 in an institution run by a married couple, who were the only people indicted for hurricane related deaths. The information on what really happened is stunning, and the failure of the news media to report accurately and objectively is equally shocking.

"The Inside Job" by Neil Swidey is about a quiet office worker stealing millions. "The Talented Dr. Krist" by Steven Fennessy left me grateful for coincidences. "The Case of the Killer Priest" by Sean Flynn seemed almost impossible to believe, and "The Double Blind" by Matthew Teague is a reminder that some never escape danger.

"The School" by C.J. Chivers records the days when Chechen terrorists took over a school and its students. "A Kiss before Dying" by Pamela Coloff is the sad tale of an alienated young student who is murdered by a classmate, and lives on as a ghost in the minds of local teens. "The Devil in David Berkowitz" by Steve Fishman tells the story of the Son of Sam.

Book lovers can be an odd sort, as we discover in "The Man Who Loves Books Too Much" by Allison Hoover Bartlett. Ariel Levy examines the phenomenon of older women, mostly teachers, seducing their young students in "Dirty Old Women." In "Who Killed Ellen Andros?" by Dan P. Lee, the story is the ME.

In "Fatal Connection" David Bernstein makes real the life of a high-priced escort who is murdered. Mark Fass reports the painful story of the parents of a young medical student who disappears the day before the Twin Towers are brought down, in "Last Seen on September 10th."

Sometimes the best stories are those right under our noses, as Brian Boucher finds out when he rents a room to a stranger in "My Roommate, the Diamond Thief."

The closing report is "The Monster of Florence" by Douglas Preston, another reminder that this kind of research and writing is dangerous as well as informative and rewarding. Preston and his Italian colleague are determined to get to the truth about a series of murders almost twenty-five years old. And they do, but not without personal risk and costs.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ambiguously titled "Best American Crime Writing" series is now more clearly titled "Best American Crime Reporting." These are not short stories but magazine essays, many of which could easily be developed into books. (I note that one of the writers plays coy in the coda to his essay and, rather than give a full update, tells us to buy his forthcoming book. Shame on you, Douglas Preston!) The essays are always interesting and occasionally revelatory. A note to noir enthusiasts: Fans of Horace McCoy's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? should not miss Pamela Colloff's essay "A Kiss Before Dying," which has everything to do with McCoy's novel even though it has nothing to do with a marathon dance contest.

[Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of true crime reports culled from various magazines, so obviously the results of the choices made are uneven. I am fascinated by true stories of flawed people and the lengths that they go to in order to keep coping with life. True tragicomedy, and at times, horrific. Standouts include "The Case of the Killer Priest" by Sean Flynn, "The Inside Job" by Neil Swidey, "Fatal Connection" by David Bernstein. I can go on and on. There are only a couple of duds. Wow. Glancing at these titles is so 1940s Cornell Woolrich-like.

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This yearly series is fantastic. I've read about four of them. If you think it's all grisly murders, think again. They're all extremely well-written and compelling features from top magazines and cover anything that can remotely be called a crime: theft, terrorism, embezzling, prostitution and, yes, murder, too. My favourite, among a bookful of favourites, was a 50-page story on the Chechnian terrorists who took over a school. Fascinating stuff.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very strong collection--not a dud in the bunch. A killer priest, embezzlement, a 1950s high-school shooting in Texas, a book thief, and crimes related to Hurricane Katrina and the attacks of September 11. Even the introduction is interesting. Before the editor of this collection became a mystery novelist, she prosecuted the so-called "Preppie Murderer."

[Stacy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always fantastic series. Crime stories range from a serial murderer in Italy to the nursing home "abandonment" in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina (it's not what the media portrayed) to the school hostage by Chechen rebels in Breslen.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories are much better than others, but the 1st story,which happened during Hurricane Katrina, makes the whole book worth it. I also enjoyed "The Inside Job". The stories aren't as good as a Ann Rule book, but they are written with the facts and no bias. A good read.

[Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

- "Thieves, liars, killers, and conspirators...an eclectic collection of the year's best reportage on criminal matters."
- I really enjoyed these articles
- I will definitely read the others in this series, if I can find them

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Compilation of Crime Stories

The stories are intriguing but short. There are enough details to give you the accounts of the crimes but each is told differently based on the author's writing style. My favorite was a first account about a jewel thief.

[Oren · Rating 2 out of 5]

short stories hold my attention... a selection of some of the best stories written in 2007 portraying various types of crimes, the perps who commit them, and the victims.

[Mazola1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good anthology. Interesting and varied pieces and just good writing. reat selections by the editor.

[Seán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even saw the lights of the Goodyear Blimp, and it read, "John Charles Gilkey is a pimp."

[Alie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an uneven collection. The School is the best of the collection but is nightmare inducing (terrorism).

[Katie Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories were better than others, but "The School" and "The Loved Ones" are so fantastic that it makes the whole book worth it.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much improved over last year's. Not one boring case in the book.

[Ken Harwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just one of a series of annual anthologies collected from various magazine stories about crime in America. Some stories work quite well. Some lack impact.

[Joe Noir · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the volumes in this series are good. Non-fiction crime from a variety of sources, and covering a multitude of sins.