Crimes of the Centuries: The Cases That Changed Us

by Amber Hunt

A fascinating pop-history dive into the stories behind the incredibly impactful crimes—both infamous and little-known—that have shaped the legal system as we know it. When asked why true crime is so in vogue, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Amber Hunt always has the same it’s no hotter than it’s always been. Crimes and trials have captured American consciousness since the Salem Witch Trials in the seventeenth century. And these cases over the centuries have fundamentally changed our society and shifted our legal system, resulting in the laws we have today and setting the stage for new rights and protections. From the first recorded murder trial led by the first legal dream team, to one of the earliest uses of DNA, these cases will fascinate. 

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Adult

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 16, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I'm giving it 5 stars despite the many errors I found throughout it. In one caption I noticed they meant to say the murderer's name but actually said the victim's name (which is pretty awful) and there were discrepancies with people's ages or just incorrect words. In the very last chapter there was a quote saying, "telltale outdoor of bitter almonds" when they obviously meant "telltale odor." All that being said, I really loved this book! The errors took me out of the narrative but since I'm familiar with most of the cases chronicled in the book, I understood the full intention. The stories are important to know and the details are intriguing. There were a handful of stories I've never heard of and I was on the edge of my seat. Overall, I think it's a great anthology of true crime stories that are so important to know about.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was as well researched and thoughtfully written as Hunt's podcast. There were multiple times where her humor peeked through to lighten the heavy subject matter even as she treated each case with the time and respect it deserved. A lot of these cases I've already heard on the aforementioned podcast and I found myself wishing there were a few more brand new to me included, but there was more detail in this format and was still a gripping read.

[hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough research and an easily digestible execution! Only star docked is for some glaring grammatical errors because I’m a stickler.

[Pat Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is good , the podcast is better. Check it out.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure what our human obsession with the macabre stems from. It's certainly something to look into. I really like learning about true crime. Often my Mom and I spend our Friday nights eating popcorn and watching 20/20.
I liked all of the historical accounts. I find that, at least for me, it takes some of the scariness away when its decades removed from us. I'm not sure why that is since I know humanity is still just as depraved, if not rapidly getting worse. I guess it just makes it feel like a movie, rather than news.
Anyway, to my point, I really enjoyed this book. I am not sure if the author was the one who decided what stories to include, but whoever did, made great choices. There were a lot of stories I had never heard before.
One of the craziest was of the first person to be exonerated by DNA. He was literally imprisoned for TW raping and murdering a little girl simply because people felt he was sketchy, even though he didn't fit the perp sketch, and had a solid alibi.
The Tylenol murders were also wild. What's even crazier is they would've gotten away with it, if they didn't get greedy for an extra $40k.
This book is great for true crime and history buffs alike.
4/5 stars
PG-13

[Allyza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. As someone who spends way too much time reading Wikipedia articles about unsolved crimes and strange cases, this felt like it was made for me. It honestly read like I was watching a true crime documentary, so immersive and well-told that I could picture everything clearly. I couldn’t put it down. That said, some of the cases really got under my skin. You know the kind that just wind you up because they’re so frustrating or unjust? Though at the same time, I’m glad some of these stories led to real change. A lot of the cases became the reason laws were rewritten or new procedures were put in place. It’s awful that it takes something tragic to spark progress but there always has to be a first, doesn't there? Anyway, if you're into true crime, this is definitely worth the read. It’s gripping, emotional, and leaves you thinking long after you’ve finished the last page.

[Jenny Bohannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for true crime fans! I have never listened to the author's podcast, but I am familiar with a few of these stories. Despite a few errors here and there, I found each story interesting and appreciated the included photos and anecdotes at the end. The author put the stories in categories based on how they evoked change in procedure or law for easy reference. Each retell had just the right amount of information without being long or drawn out nor too short - a few times I was able to read a piece of the book when I only had a few minutes. All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend.

[Makayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-researched and mostly well-written account of many of the most influential cases in American history. Hunt has a strong voice and it’s clear she has researched fully. There were some glaring mistakes, such as putting the wrong death year on a caption, and I wish each account had focused more on the ramifications of the case rather than primarily leaving them to some bullet points at the end of each entry.

Overall, though, this was a great work and I’ll be checking out her podcast as well.

[Chy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who consumes a lot of true crime media a few of the crimes depicted in this book I was familiar with however there were a few that I had never heard of before.

The thing that I found most unique and that I enjoyed the most was that after each case it showed on the laws and techniques in solving crimes changed because of the case. It's not something that's often highlighted in other true crime stories so I did enjoy that!

[Rachael Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is well researched and includes plenty of excerpts directly from the news of the time. The writing is deeply compelling and it is a great sample of thrilling and chilling cases through true crime. A great reference or primer or even a great re-visit for those already knowledgeable of crime history.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read because each chapter is a different crime which I enjoyed. While I knew a bit of most of the stories, I learned quite a bit more and was intrigued. Like another review mentions, there were a lot of errors in the book which shouldn’t happen so the editing was very poorly done. It can be distracting to see the errors or have to reread passages but I still enjoyed the book.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched true crime and history book that talks about the main crime and legal cased that changed the way people live and legal system
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book that gives a summary of famous crimes, and then concludes each section with points of legal interest. 3 1/2 stars as the research was great but the legal points didn’t seem well thought out. Rounded up

[Cook Memorial Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by Amy BP! Similar to Swamp Kings by Jason Ryan and When Innocence is Not Enough by Thomas L. Dybdahl.

Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...

[Rebecca Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book, but I got a bit spoiled by the podcast. There is definitely more personality in the podcast, which I appreciate. Interesting book that teaches you about cases that you might not hear about.

[Scott Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter of this book is very interesting, but it's not well written and is marred by a large number of grammatical, punctuation and other errors. It's too bad an editor didn't fix them before publication.

[sabisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great compilation of a variety of cases that gives you a quick and interesting foray into the people and the surrounding conflicts. Well written and hard to put down. A great addition to any bookshelf.

[Ginger V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. I liked the format of different cases. It kept me enthralled, whereas true crime about every detail of one case can get tedious. i found myself wanting to delve deeper into some of the cases, as the writing was excellent.

[Krista Blackford · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this. The way it’s written is hard to chew through, and I get that this is based off her podcast. But I felt like it was just a podcast on paper except way less entertaining. There were a lot of mistakes in the writing and just very hard to get into.

[Kady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her podcast, and this book is a great companion to it.

[Jo-jean Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, well-written and well-researched book. Interesting to find how these crimes changed our investigative techniques and our laws.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I was expecting it to be the most popular crimes like the Manson murders, but it went back to centuries ago and how those crimes impacted our system today. So interesting!

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn about these cases and the impact that they have had on investigations, the legal system, and societal norms.

[Carrie Damon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I didn't enjoy as much because I listened to the podcast first. Pretty identical and I prefer Amber's voice.

[Bexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took an online course about famous trials and their impact on law and life and this book was very much set up like that. I've never listened to her podcast but am interested in it now.

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Podcast book.

[Theresa Garee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

[Mariah Oleszkowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily digestible summaries of big cases in America over the last 200 years that had major implications for our legal system.

[Yvonne Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, the author profiles crimes that have changed our legal system. Some of these include The Salem Witch Trials (innocent until proven guilty), The Radium Girls case (workplace safety) and the Osage Nation Murders (the rise of the FBI.) The narratives are very readable, and the book is illustrated nicely. It’s interesting to see in retrospect how cases from the past slowly influenced police investigations, the gathering of forensic evidence, and the rights of the accused.