Murder at 40 Below: True Crime Stories from Alaska

by Tom Brennan

Murder at forty Below is a gritty yet fascinating account of many of Alaska's most notorious and unusual murder cases. Drawn from police files, eyewitness accounts, and news reports, these stories introduce extreme criminals in an extreme land. Meet church-going big-game hunter Robert Hanson, who stalked topless dancers for more than a decade, and Robert Stroud, a construction worker who killed a bartender in Juneau, later to become the nationally known "Birdman of Alcatraz."

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mallory (onmalsshelf) Bartel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of ten crimes committed in Alaska as told by reporter Tom Brennan. I picked this one up while visiting Alaska at a rest stop near Nenana and I saved it for my #truecrimetober reading.

I enjoyed reading this one. It’s short and it only took me around a week to finish just because I was reading other books. This is a quick read about murderers that you may not have heard of.

Each chapter is a different crime and Tom Brennan’s research is great for each one. If you’re looking for a quick true crime read, I recommend this one!

[Caro Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro bien escrito que cumple con su cometido de informar sobre crímenes en Alaska, pero nada más.
No me puedo quejar, conocí casos de True Crime sucedidos en Alaska, que no conocía (con excepción de uno) y están bien investigados y redactados. Sin embargo, se sienten sumamente breves, como una especie de columna periodística con los detalles necesarios pero nada más profundo, cosa que si espero cuando compro un libro, que me digan cosas que difícilmente voy a encontrar buscando el caso por lo cuenta y no lo sentí así.
Me gustó pero si no lo hubiera comprado y leído, tampoco me hubiera perdido de mucho.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, lots of I testing and terrifying information. I felt like the author hopped around a bit. I also felt like a connection was missing. One thing that really bothered me though was describing a victim having rough sex. Rape is not rough sex.

[A.M. Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't remember where I found this, probably a thift store, and it sat on my shelves for years. But I've hit a true crime kick in my TV watching, so I grabbed this and gave it a chance. I had no idea the Birdman of Alcatraz was from Alaska. All of the stories are well written and interesting, showing a unique, far-north state that few of us will ever get to visit.

[Avital Gertner-Samet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in Alaska, on vacation. I always like to read books whose scenery merges into the one I'm at. It adds a totally new dimension to the reading. The book is very easy to read (only language-wise...) and is written in a journalistic form. I find it extremely disturbing that all the murderers described and murders portrayed in that book were real. They are all gruesome, cruel and diabolic. I would never understand what leads a person to take the life of another human being in cold blood, but it was interesting to read about the investigation and all the flaws in the criminal system. As much as I was angry about mistakes that had let murderers free to murder more people, I was most upset about the 19-20 year old Californian native who had killed 3 native Alaskans in cold blood and was let free after only 6 years in prison. If you have read this book, I'd love to hear what you thought about it!

[Sarah Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories felt very short and sparse. Yes they had details and explained the crimes, but I felt like it was a starting point rather than a finished product. Like it was the outline of a forensic files episode, and they needed to flesh it out with police reports, statements and the science.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books you still find for sale at various gift shops and gas stations in Alaska even though it was published in 2001. My parents picked up a copy while they were up there and passed it along to me. Other than Robert Hansen and Robert Stroud, the other people mentioned in the book were complete unknowns to me, and I image to most people who weren't in Alaska in the 1980s. Which isn't surprising given the nature of the crimes related, which weren't particularly elaborate or have a bunch of twists, they were mostly, cases of a person with a history of mental illness, instability, and/or violence killed several people.

It was also written in a dry just the facts journalistic style -- which while keeping to the truth, also served to keep me from being able to relate to the victims as fully fleshed out individuals. All the crimes he related happened in the 1980s or prior.

I found myself going to Google after every chapter to suss out more information. Where is that town located exactly, how isolated is that place he described? I found out Winona Fletcher who has been in prison since she was 14 for murder, was just paroled in September of 2025 after being incarcerated for 40 years for example.

Chances are you aren't going to stumble across this book unless you go to Alaska, or are deliberately seeking out information about murders in Alaska in the 1980s. But reading Wikipedia could get you the same information.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must be honest and say that I do not read true crime books anymore. Reason is that they make me a bit sick to my stomach due to the graphic nature but I wanted to read this one because it was specific to Alaska. I appreciated this author's simple but factual description of sensitive information dealing with each crime and not fall into the overly descriptive gore that I do not like. The stories were intriguing and I found it took me double the time to read this because I had to google the crime after I read each case wanting to see a pic or two of the killer. I love books on Alaska and I am glad I gave this book a read. I very much enjoyed reading about these historical moments in Alaska's history even if they are the darker side of it. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes true crime. *I must make note that there is one story in the book that is a bit hard to read. It is regarding a death of two children.

[Maria Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling Facts About Alaska's Most Notorious Murders!

This book tells the stories behind what the author believed to be the ten worst murderers in the State of Alaska. It read like a Hall of Fame story of this state's worst killers. The stories are easy to read, nicely told and I believed got the details right. A well written book told with certain flair and justice. People who read this book will be surprised that Alaska do have its share of violent criminals that can be equal to any in the lower 48 states and Hawaii. I am looking forward to volume 2 myself.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 10 true-crime stories, ranging from the clinically insane killer to a couple of serial killers and one or two murderous spree killers. This is a small book published by a small company and author that I had never heard of but the writing is engaging and it's not a long book. It's only about 200 pages, but as satisfying as any other true-crime book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting, and disturbing, collection of stories about crime and murder from Alaska. It was the perfect read and souvenir from my recent trip to the state. While all stories do revolve around murder, there is range in motive and circumstance.

[Beth Stiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick read. It is true crime written from a researched position. This is an easy read, while a tough subject. Tom Brennan treats the victims with respect while telling of their endings. The details and outcomes allow the reader to experience the whole story for each of the 10 crimes.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I found this to be a good read I did find it a bit grusume at times. These are true stories all compiled into one book.

[Lucía Rubio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not flawlessly written, still a good portrait of crime in Alaska.
Special because we don't hear much from them up there. I loved it.

[David Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with enough backstory to understand what goes on.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

The crimes were interesting. The book is horribly written.

[Vanessa Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, loved it

[Mary Kamrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting collection of true crime stories set in Alaska. Having read these stories while visiting this beautiful state, they were extremely interesting.

[emily ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

✩ 4.0 ✩

“The truth is, most of us are ordinary people—good and bad, brave or frightened, successful or not, flawed in the ways we all learn to live with.”

[Maggie Ashline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting accounts

[Jessica Nix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, my mama always said if you can't say anything nice......

So here goes: the concept is appealing. I'm a true crime junkie - one whose grandparents spent summers in Alaska for the better part of my adult life. My daughter recently went on a cruise there and thought this would be a good souvenir.

The cases are interesting and in the hands of a more capable writer, who knows?

As it stands this guy is "a newspaper editor, columnist and business consultant". The way this is written I can't help but feel bad for the citizens who read his work on a regular basis.

[David Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically don’t read true crime books, but when I saw this book I had to read it. Each chapter tells the story of a different notorious murder that occurred in Alaska. The hard part was sleeping. Every night I read, and with this book I would read one chapter then go to sleep. I noticed that each night I had violent disturbing nightmares. I have since loaned my copy to three other people. Everyone thought I was crazy, but without exception they too experience uneasy sleep.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm already vague on the details on this book, but I do remember at least two of the stories included and I found it an interesting read.

I hesitate to post a review when my memory is clouded, but as I have no intention of re-reading this book, I'll simply state that I read it all the way through and enjoyed the stories. Still I have to conclude since I didn't recall more that I wasn't exactly blown away by it either.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

After my last horrible experience with a local crime book, I was nervous about this one. However, much to my happy surprise, the author knows how to string sentences together in a grammatically correct fashion. The stories were interesting, although some jumped around a lot and left me wanting more details. I enjoyed reading about famous familiar cases and those completely unknown to me. All in all, this book served its purpose to entertain me on a plane ride and long drive home.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boyfriend is from Alaska which was what initially drew me to pluck this book off the shelf. I typically enjoy crime stories, especially if they are true. These short stories give detailed accounts of the crimes and how the perpetrator was caught.
SOME STORIES ARE GRAPHIC.
I would recommend to anyone who likes to read crime stories and/or see the bad guys get caught.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

True crime the Alaskan way. Supposed to be intriguing because the brutal murders occurred in the pristine landscape of Alaska. No surprise here, many deranged people seek the end of the road, end of the world places.

[Mary Atchison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being from Alaska, I was familiar with these cases. I love true crime stories, and this one didn't disappoint. I just wish these weirdos that come to Alaska to escape whatever it is they're running from would just keep on running right into our cold Cook Inlet and be washed out to sea.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short story collection. The writing was easy and accessible with just enough details. I was surprised to learn the Birdman of Alcatraz was from Juneau. All the stories just made me want more details about each case.

[Jules Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's like reading a dateline stories. I always like a good story, although some of these are pretty disturbing! SCARY!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting true crime stories of Alaska, quick read.