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The Best American Crime Reporting 2008
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 2008 brings together the murderers and the masterminds, 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 Jonathan Kellerman, bestselling author of more than twenty crime novels, most recently Compulsion and the forthcoming Bones.
Story of a snitch / Jeremy Kahn --
A season in hell / Dean La Tourette --
I'm with the Steelers / Justin Heckert --
House across the way / Calvin Trillin --
Caged life / Alan Prendergast --
Badges of dishonor / Pamela Collof --
Dangerous minds / Malcolm Gladwell --
Dean of Death Row / Tad Friend --
Tainted kidney / Charles Graeber --
Ploy / Mark Bowden --
Day of the dead / D. T. Max --
Just a random female / Nick Schou --
Serial killer's disciple / James Renner --
Mercenary / Tom Junod --
Murder at 19,000 feet / Jonathan Green
Story of a snitch / Jeremy Kahn --
A season in hell / Dean La Tourette --
I'm with the Steelers / Justin Heckert --
House across the way / Calvin Trillin --
Caged life / Alan Prendergast --
Badges of dishonor / Pamela Collof --
Dangerous minds / Malcolm Gladwell --
Dean of Death Row / Tad Friend --
Tainted kidney / Charles Graeber --
Ploy / Mark Bowden --
Day of the dead / D. T. Max --
Just a random female / Nick Schou --
Serial killer's disciple / James Renner --
Mercenary / Tom Junod --
Murder at 19,000 feet / Jonathan Green
350 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2008
About the author
Jonathan Kellerman
150 books6,029 followersJonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.
Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.
IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan's former students, continues to break ground.
Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.
In 1985, Jonathan's first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children.
Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.
IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan's former students, continues to break ground.
Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.
In 1985, Jonathan's first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 19, 2014
I bought this on the Kindle during a daily deal promotion or something and I’m going to read the other collections as soon as possible. I don’t know how I haven’t gotten my paws on these before (RIGHT IN MY WHEELHOUSE), but the shorter articles included are perfect for fitting in right before I pass out asleep at night. The content is varied and it’s all interesting, but I liked two articles especially. One was about Charles Cullen (the subject of this book I reviewed last year) and the other was about Chinese military murdering Tibetan refugees in sight of climbers at the base of Cho Oyu. Pretty haunting.
March 2, 2009
Nothing could beet 2005, but this is just as good as 2007...
May 29, 2009
Terrific stuff — some comical, some appalling, all interesting.
July 23, 2020
To many people the concept of true crime often seems to mean mainly just stories about serial killers or unabombers. This collection of crime journalism presents a much wider scope of themes, which I greeted with delight. But the wideness of scope is also the weakness of the collection. Namely, I would have liked the stories to come together at least on some points. I know it is very hard to find separate writings that would interconnect, but that would have made this into a genuine book - a larger story. Well, maybe some of the other parts in the series come closer to that. Anyway, this 2008 collection was good enough for me to consider reading a couple of more parts in the series.
The highlight of the collection was The Caged Life, which tells about a prisoner who spends his life in virtually total isolation - and seems to be able to endure this fate mentally. What a strange way to live! And what a cruel way to treat a prisoner, no matter how awful the crime. But solitary imprisonment seems to be on the rise, because the prison system has a hard time handling gangs and groupings inside the facilities. Now this is what I expect from a good newspaper/magazine article: a wider view to the society at large. Really really good article! Five stars for this one.
Another good story was Dean of Death Row. It is about a guy who has worked with death row prisoners for decades and also witnessed many of them executed. How do you deal with that? Although the focus of this story is in one person, it generates questions that reach beyond that. What kind of mind and personality do you need to maintain your sanity in these conditions? How do you motivate your work? And should the society submit anyone to such working conditions?
Both these articles would make excellent subject matter for reading groups. Highly recommended!!!
There was one story in the book that I didn't care about at all, Day of the Dead. It is about the writer Malcolm Lowry (Under the Volcano). I don't find it having much interest outside literary circles and in today's world. I would have left it out.
The highlight of the collection was The Caged Life, which tells about a prisoner who spends his life in virtually total isolation - and seems to be able to endure this fate mentally. What a strange way to live! And what a cruel way to treat a prisoner, no matter how awful the crime. But solitary imprisonment seems to be on the rise, because the prison system has a hard time handling gangs and groupings inside the facilities. Now this is what I expect from a good newspaper/magazine article: a wider view to the society at large. Really really good article! Five stars for this one.
Another good story was Dean of Death Row. It is about a guy who has worked with death row prisoners for decades and also witnessed many of them executed. How do you deal with that? Although the focus of this story is in one person, it generates questions that reach beyond that. What kind of mind and personality do you need to maintain your sanity in these conditions? How do you motivate your work? And should the society submit anyone to such working conditions?
Both these articles would make excellent subject matter for reading groups. Highly recommended!!!
There was one story in the book that I didn't care about at all, Day of the Dead. It is about the writer Malcolm Lowry (Under the Volcano). I don't find it having much interest outside literary circles and in today's world. I would have left it out.
February 15, 2019
Another great read from this book, the second I've come across in this series. All the stories are well-written page-turners. One thing I noticed in this book was that not all the crime cases were about crimes; at least two chapters asked whether any crime had been committed at all, and one situation -- no, come to think of it, make that two of them -- were clearly not crimes depending on which side of the case you were standing on. Well worth your time.
November 5, 2024
Fascinating Crime Stories & Profiles From Around The World
This is an eclectic collection of stories about crimes as varied as murder, stalking, fraud and deceit. There are also profiles of serial killers, death row inmates, corrupt policemen and other types of criminals. The stories take place in America mostly, but also Iraq, Tibet and Mexico. If you enjoy good crime writing, you’ll like this book.
This is an eclectic collection of stories about crimes as varied as murder, stalking, fraud and deceit. There are also profiles of serial killers, death row inmates, corrupt policemen and other types of criminals. The stories take place in America mostly, but also Iraq, Tibet and Mexico. If you enjoy good crime writing, you’ll like this book.
August 30, 2018
True Crime
This a mix of magazine article about true crime. Most of them are very good and interesting, but a few are not interesting and at the same time are long. The reader will just have to be selective and realized may not enjoy all of them
This a mix of magazine article about true crime. Most of them are very good and interesting, but a few are not interesting and at the same time are long. The reader will just have to be selective and realized may not enjoy all of them
November 28, 2009
Like the other anthologies I reviewed (and will review), I find the subject matter very interesting and will highlight the stories that stood out the most to me. One thing I really like about this series (at least with those I've read so far) is the coda added to the end of each piece, which updates or augments the original story. This 2008 edition collects 15 articles from 10 different publications. The stories I liked were:
The House Across the Way by Calvin Trillin
What happens when an undesirable lives in a secluded and tight knit community?
Badges of Dishoner by Pamela Colloff
Border Patrol agents are jailed for misconduct but are hailed as heroes by the public. If regular police on the beat had done this would the reaction have been the same? In the coda the author points out that the only positive responses she got for this story came from Border Patrol agents.
The Tainted Kidney by Charles Graeber
Questions whether someone who has done so much evil can do good---and whether others will let it happen.
The Ploy by Mark Bowden
Interesting look at the interrogators that work in Iraq, especially if all you know is the "Jack Bauer" method of asking questions. This particular story was later written about in this book by the interrogator himself.
Day of the Dead by D.T. Max
"Mini-biography" about the writer Malcolm Lowry and his suspicious death.
Just A Random Female by Nick Schou
The effects of a murder don't stop just because the killer is caught, confesses, and is jailed.
The Serial Killer's Disciple by James Renner
Even with evidence pointing to someone else, a man is blamed for a little girl's murder.
Mercenary by Tom Junod
A man with Keyser Soze abilities.
Murder at 19,000 Feet by Jonathan Green
Tibetan refugees are shot by Chinese soldiers in front of mountain climbers and most everyone does nothing.
The House Across the Way by Calvin Trillin
What happens when an undesirable lives in a secluded and tight knit community?
Badges of Dishoner by Pamela Colloff
Border Patrol agents are jailed for misconduct but are hailed as heroes by the public. If regular police on the beat had done this would the reaction have been the same? In the coda the author points out that the only positive responses she got for this story came from Border Patrol agents.
The Tainted Kidney by Charles Graeber
Questions whether someone who has done so much evil can do good---and whether others will let it happen.
The Ploy by Mark Bowden
Interesting look at the interrogators that work in Iraq, especially if all you know is the "Jack Bauer" method of asking questions. This particular story was later written about in this book by the interrogator himself.
Day of the Dead by D.T. Max
"Mini-biography" about the writer Malcolm Lowry and his suspicious death.
Just A Random Female by Nick Schou
The effects of a murder don't stop just because the killer is caught, confesses, and is jailed.
The Serial Killer's Disciple by James Renner
Even with evidence pointing to someone else, a man is blamed for a little girl's murder.
Mercenary by Tom Junod
A man with Keyser Soze abilities.
Murder at 19,000 Feet by Jonathan Green
Tibetan refugees are shot by Chinese soldiers in front of mountain climbers and most everyone does nothing.
December 5, 2010
I got this for the Malcolm Gladwell article but enjoyed the others I read. One, set in Baltimore, (interesting because I very much enjoyed the books by David Simon - Homicide was best, but the Corner was good too - and The Wire was a very good show set in Baltimore), discussed the idea of public reluctance to 'snitch' and become a target for more violence. It was followed up by an article that reveals one of the very reasons folks ARE reluctant - women, duped by a con artist, were humiliated publicly by talk radio.
Gladwell's article was a very different look at profiling serial killers, fascinating because I am one of the public who finds shows/books about 'profilers' to be intriguing - and I basically believe it too. I suppose we need to believe it because it gives us some sense of control over a world where we really have very little control.
I enjoy Gladwell's alternative perspective on the world - not quite the opposite perspective, but he seems to stand off to the side and view it just off center. Then he presents it well - and never demands that I also view it that way, never insists his is the only way. Just suggests that perhaps I may want to take another look, think about it just a bit more.
Gladwell's article was a very different look at profiling serial killers, fascinating because I am one of the public who finds shows/books about 'profilers' to be intriguing - and I basically believe it too. I suppose we need to believe it because it gives us some sense of control over a world where we really have very little control.
I enjoy Gladwell's alternative perspective on the world - not quite the opposite perspective, but he seems to stand off to the side and view it just off center. Then he presents it well - and never demands that I also view it that way, never insists his is the only way. Just suggests that perhaps I may want to take another look, think about it just a bit more.
December 7, 2014
I liked this book a lot. It was a new choice for me because I usually don't read true crime/crime reporting books. I liked that this was a collection so they were essentially short stories which kept me interested. I also found myself reading some of the reports and thinking "wow, this actually happened!" because some reports were just so unbelievable. I also liked that the reports ranged from serial killers to robbery to other crimes.
I will definitely try and find some more of these collections because I am curious of how many there are and reading some collections that are closer to the current year. I recommend this to anyone who likes crime reports/true crime. I also recommend this to anyone who wants to try reading true crime/crime reporting for the first time because these are all short stories. I really enjoyed this book :)
I will definitely try and find some more of these collections because I am curious of how many there are and reading some collections that are closer to the current year. I recommend this to anyone who likes crime reports/true crime. I also recommend this to anyone who wants to try reading true crime/crime reporting for the first time because these are all short stories. I really enjoyed this book :)
April 2, 2009
The guest editor changes from year to year, but the book stays pretty much the same: Consistently entertaining nonfiction crime essays from The New Yorker (always), plus nods to the likes of The Atlantic Monthly and Esquire, but also to more obscure publications--this time, The Cleveland Free Times and OC Weekly make the cut--just to keep things a little bit honest. Most years, I find that once particular essay makes the book worth its price of admission. This time, it's Malcolm Gladwell's "Dangerous Minds" (from The New Yorker, natch), which argues that John Douglas and other FBI criminal profilers are charlatans who operate in the vein of cold-reading psychics.
February 16, 2013
I read this book because Jonathan Kellerman had an introduction. I am a huge fan of his. For the most part I enjoyed the true stories as reported in American magazines. The most horrifying one was about the convict who had spent over 20 years in maximum prisons in isolation. I cannot imagine anyone still being sane after that. He was still of his right mind. Then there is the story as told in ESQUIRE about the mercenary who made up most or all of his escapades. At the end of the story the author and I still didn't know what to believe and what not to believe about his adventures.
January 5, 2010
An interesting, though mixed bag. Many of the stories focus on ambiguities and complex personalities, rather than police procedures or whodunits. Stand out stories include Malcolm Gladwell's debunking of serial-killer profiling, Charles Graeber's report on a serial-killer's attempt to donate a kidney, and Mark Bowden's account of the interrogation that led to the US assassination of terrorist suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Overall, a very strong, thought-provoking collection.
August 24, 2009
Is there anybody out there who loves these anthologies as much as I do? The collections from the past few years are thick with excellent, compelling, bizarre, true crime stories. The reportage is phenomenal, and the "strange-but-true" angle knocks the crap outta most crime-fiction plots I read. Yep. Real life is bizarre.
June 24, 2013
- an eclectic collection of the year's best true crime reportage; snitches, super-maximum prisons, bad neighbours, improbable imposters, criminal organ donars, and the usual assortment of murderers; originally published in The New Yorker, Men's Journal, Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, etc
- I enjoy this series
- I enjoy this series
September 28, 2016
I liked th emix of articles. My favorites were the con men like in Justin Heckert's "I'm with the Steelers" and Tom Junod's "Mercenary." I also enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's look at criminal profiling and how faulty it is.The true crime stories are also good. The last story "Murder at 19,000 Feet" by Jonathan Green was a gut punch about politics and mountain climbers in Tibet.
March 20, 2009
I was a little disappointed to discover that I had read a lot of these stories already. But there were several I hadn't; my favorite being the one about the pathological liar who is head of security at a nuclear plant.
January 11, 2009
This is my favorite "Best American.." series. Covers a wide range of topics (serial killer, maximum security prisons, Border Patrol, imposters,terrorism). Year in, year out, always great reading.
April 10, 2010
This collection of crime reporting is not what you'd think - some of the stories are humorous rather than despicable. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys non-fiction.
May 9, 2010
These come out each year, with different editors. (Crime Writing through 2006) If you love true crime stories well-written, you'll enjoy these. (Guilty pleasures for me.)
April 5, 2011
With one exception, really good, interesting stories.
March 1, 2013
All the volumes in this series are good. Non-fiction crime from a variety of sources, and covering a multitude of sins.
February 12, 2014
This was a very easy and good read. The stories were diverse and engaging. Can't wait to read the next in the series.
December 24, 2008
Somewhat uneven: some superb journalism mixed in with some pretty pedestrian shyte.
May 7, 2017
The first story, about a snitch, was spot-on.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews