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Crime Buff's Guide to the Outlaw Southwest
This "boxed set" of CRIME BUFF'S GUIDES TO OUTLAW ARIZONA and OUTLAW NEW MEXICO combines them in a single volume and continues the popular series that critics, true-crime fans, historians and travelers have hailed as "the ultimate guilty pleasure," "thorough and unflinching," and "the best damn crime travel series ever published!" This rollicking romp across the historic American Southwest promises all the can't-look-away allure of its predecessors ... and a few surprises! From Jodi Arias to Wyatt Earp, this is a trip to the desert's darker side, where seemingly idyllic places reveal the compound of a child-molesting polygamist, the quaint bridge where atomic spies sparked the Cold War, the spot where John Dillinger was arrested for the last time, the scenes of Billy the Kid's many crimes, and many more. With photographs, maps, directions, and precise GPS coordinates, this collection of outlaw tales is both a travel guide and an entertaining and enlightening read.
226 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2014
28 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Ron Franscell
30 books328 followersRon has written 19 books. His writing has been compared to Truman Capote, Charles Frazier and Robert Olen Butler—diverse, poetic, evocative and muscular. His new DEAF ROW—a mystery—proves it.
He burst onto the crime scene with THE DARKEST NIGHT (also titled FALL in a 2007 hardcover), which continues to be a bestselling true crime. This intensely personal nonfiction about a monstrous crime that touched his life as a child has been hailed by authors such as Ann Rule and Vincent Bugliosi, as well as critics, as a direct literary descendant of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
His widely acclaimed 2016 true crime, MORGUE: A LIFE IN DEATH (co-authored with renowned medical examiner Dr. Vincent Di Maio) was nominated for an Edgar in 2017.
His most recent true crime, "ALICE & GERALD: A HOMICIDAL LOVE STORY" (Prometheus Books) explores a grisly, real-life case of murder and perverse devotion. "Alice & Gerald" features a femme fatale whose manipulative, cold-blooded character rivals Lady Macbeth, this page-turner revisits a shocking cold case that was finally solved just when the murderers thought they'd never be caught.
Over the years, Ron's books have earned high praise from bestselling authors such as Ann Rule, John Lescroart, Vincent Bugliosi, C.J. Box, Howard Frank Mosher, and Warren Adler. His writing has been compared to Truman Capote, Robert Olen Butler, Norman McLean, Cormac McCarthy and Charles Frazier. Now, meet the author, who now lives in northern New Mexico.
But Ron's books aren't confined to true-crime. THE SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is the true story of an extraordinary -- if slightly macabre -- road trip with his teenage son to the Yukon in search of a mummified human toe .. and a father's reassurance that he hasn't become irrelevant to his son.
His CRIME BUFF'S GUIDE books are quirky travel guides that take true-crime and history-trippers to some 400 outlaw- and crime-related sites all over the USA. Editions include Los Angeles, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Washington DC, and Maryland.
His debut novel, ANGEL FIRE, was published by Laughing Owl in 1998, and reprinted by Berkley (Penguin/Putnam) in 2000. His popular mystery, THE DEADLINE, was re-published in 2014 by WildBlue Press, followed by a sequel, THE OBITUARY. His book reviews and essays are regularly published in many of America's biggest and best newspapers, such as the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, San Jose Mercury-News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and others.
DELIVERED FROM EVIL (2011) explores the entangled lives of mass-murderers and their victims, tracing the lives of 10 ordinary people who survived some of America's worst massacres. Auspiciously, it debuted on the day a deranged young gunman killed six and wounded 13 at a Tucson supermarket in one of the most shocking crimes of our day.
He burst onto the crime scene with THE DARKEST NIGHT (also titled FALL in a 2007 hardcover), which continues to be a bestselling true crime. This intensely personal nonfiction about a monstrous crime that touched his life as a child has been hailed by authors such as Ann Rule and Vincent Bugliosi, as well as critics, as a direct literary descendant of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
His widely acclaimed 2016 true crime, MORGUE: A LIFE IN DEATH (co-authored with renowned medical examiner Dr. Vincent Di Maio) was nominated for an Edgar in 2017.
His most recent true crime, "ALICE & GERALD: A HOMICIDAL LOVE STORY" (Prometheus Books) explores a grisly, real-life case of murder and perverse devotion. "Alice & Gerald" features a femme fatale whose manipulative, cold-blooded character rivals Lady Macbeth, this page-turner revisits a shocking cold case that was finally solved just when the murderers thought they'd never be caught.
Over the years, Ron's books have earned high praise from bestselling authors such as Ann Rule, John Lescroart, Vincent Bugliosi, C.J. Box, Howard Frank Mosher, and Warren Adler. His writing has been compared to Truman Capote, Robert Olen Butler, Norman McLean, Cormac McCarthy and Charles Frazier. Now, meet the author, who now lives in northern New Mexico.
But Ron's books aren't confined to true-crime. THE SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is the true story of an extraordinary -- if slightly macabre -- road trip with his teenage son to the Yukon in search of a mummified human toe .. and a father's reassurance that he hasn't become irrelevant to his son.
His CRIME BUFF'S GUIDE books are quirky travel guides that take true-crime and history-trippers to some 400 outlaw- and crime-related sites all over the USA. Editions include Los Angeles, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Washington DC, and Maryland.
His debut novel, ANGEL FIRE, was published by Laughing Owl in 1998, and reprinted by Berkley (Penguin/Putnam) in 2000. His popular mystery, THE DEADLINE, was re-published in 2014 by WildBlue Press, followed by a sequel, THE OBITUARY. His book reviews and essays are regularly published in many of America's biggest and best newspapers, such as the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, San Jose Mercury-News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and others.
DELIVERED FROM EVIL (2011) explores the entangled lives of mass-murderers and their victims, tracing the lives of 10 ordinary people who survived some of America's worst massacres. Auspiciously, it debuted on the day a deranged young gunman killed six and wounded 13 at a Tucson supermarket in one of the most shocking crimes of our day.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 5, 2017
Crime Buff's Guide To OUTLAW SOUTHWEST (Crime Buff's Guides Book 1) by Ron Franscell is a great book I was allowed to read from NetGalley. It is filled with crimes and exact GPS locations of those crimes or significant things related to those crimes of the southwest from about mid 1800's to about present day. The crimes varied greatly and so did some of the punishments. Plenty of photos. I guess if you were an avid traveler and liked to look these things up, you would certainly have the exact coordinates to do so. Some of the more recent ones, ones I should know more about, I did learn more interesting tidbits. I enjoyed this book. A good history book even if it was on the darker side.
April 25, 2017
Crime travel with the pace and feel of the gunslinging West!
May 15, 2017
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. 100’s of very well written true crime stories (book). They were all very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, a few repetitive statements but no out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great true crime movie, college PP presentation, or better yet a mini TV series or even a documentary (True Crime; American Crime Story; Investigative Discovery). I would like to of had the references or works cited in the text & ending of book (MLA). That said I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free Wild Blue Press; instafreebie; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. 100’s of very well written true crime stories (book). They were all very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, a few repetitive statements but no out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great true crime movie, college PP presentation, or better yet a mini TV series or even a documentary (True Crime; American Crime Story; Investigative Discovery). I would like to of had the references or works cited in the text & ending of book (MLA). That said I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free Wild Blue Press; instafreebie; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
September 9, 2017
An odd travel planner for those who like thrills and mystery. Instead of a guide to the stars homes, it is a guide to the death sites amongst other creepy-type places to visit. If you like to explore Atlas Obscura for travel ideas then this guide is for you! Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.
August 2, 2015
This is one of his best. Totally utterly fascinating.
April 20, 2017
I'm a fan of Ron Franscell. His new book compiles some of the most outrageous and little known crimes and characters across the Southwest. The descriptions and details are entertaining and unforgettable. Best of all, if you want to go see these locales up close and personal, he tells you how! Pack up the RV! They range from Billy the Kid to Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical Islamic imam who was born and lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Ron is a former journalist turned novelist turned top-notch true crime writer. He carries an abiding fascination for little-known details of people, places and events in recent history and the distant past. This book is fast-paced, built for road warriors and armchair bandits alike. Cast aside any fears of "alternate facts." This is the real deal.
April 30, 2017
Not surprising that novelist Ron Franscell is a former journalist, as his keen eye for reporting details and crisp storytelling delivers a powerful page-turner in his latest work, “Crime Buff's Guide To Outlaw Southwest.” In his riveting recounting, Franscell explores the criminal mythos of an outlaw land, the Southwestern United States, providing vivid depictions of a lawless landscape populated by chilling desperadoes and their despicable crimes. Masterfully organized into both geographic and thematic sections, this book provides a comprehensive scope of its subject matter, leaving this reader both satisfied and wanting more once I turned the final page. In fact, in an inventive take on the guided-tour concept, Franscell actually provides GPS coordinates for his crime scenes, lending an authentic sense of realism to this work. A highly recommended read, especially for fans of well-conceived and expertly executed true-crime nonfiction.
May 1, 2017
Very informative and entertaining. Book utilizes a unique aspect through GPS coordinates to identify exact location of specific crimes. Compelling enough to consider visiting crime sites.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews