True Stories of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Real Crimes Behind the Best Episodes of the Hit TV Show

by Kevin Dwyer, Juré Fiorillo

Book by Dwyer, Kevin, Fiorillo, Jure

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Short Stories, Mystery, Tv, Mystery Thriller

483 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Reviews

[Anita Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, I read this because I got a cheap copy. I don't watch much TV but I can never read about true crime, so why not take a chance. This book was surprisingly entertaining, and the writers can write some mean true crime. It takes no small amount of skill to make a book transcend the gimmick behind it but these two managed. Moreover, you have to be pretty good at what you do to make true crime entertaining without making it exploitative. Both managed it. I went and checked both authors out in Amazon and it seems that they, at the time of this writing, are still pretty much writing books with gimmicks but I still think I may check those works out. So there you go - excellent writers save a cheesy theme book. Hug your English teacher!

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

No new real crimes reported here. In fact, I thought of one or two true life cases that may have sparked a stronger inspiration than the one stated. Interesting read for a fan of the show that is not heavy into true crime fandom

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good at all. Much different then I thought it would be. Very graphic, violent and not very informative. I regretted reading this.

[Timothy X · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ True Stories of Law & Order: SVU: The Real Crimes Behind the Best Episodes of the Hit TV Show by Kevin Dwyer

Oh man, I LOVED this book—and yeah, I’ll fully admit I’m totally biased because I’m obsessed with everything Law & Order and Dick Wolf! As a die-hard SVU fan who’s binged every season multiple times, this was like catnip for my inner true-crime junkie. Dwyer dives deep into the real-life cases that inspired the show’s most iconic episodes, and it’s a fascinating, page-turning ride that bridges the gap between TV drama and gritty reality.

What I adored most was how it peels back the curtain on Dick Wolf’s genius—showing how he and the writers take these harrowing true stories and transform them into those edge-of-your-seat episodes we all quote. From the chilling details of investigations to the emotional toll on victims and detectives, every chapter had me nodding like, “YES, that’s exactly why I love Benson and Stabler!” The book is packed with behind-the-scenes insights, episode recaps, and respectful handling of sensitive topics, all without spoiling the suspense.

Even if you’re not a superfan (but seriously, why not?), this book stands alone as a gripping collection of true crime tales. But for us Law & Order devotees? It’s pure gold—a must-read that made me appreciate the show even more. I devoured it in two sittings and immediately rewatched my favorite episodes. Highly recommend to EVERYONE—especially if you love Dick Wolf’s universe. In These Are Their Stories… and now you can read the real ones!!!

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love all these books! Both of the authors are amazing and I'm so happy they took this on and gave us these books. I'm not even the biggest Law & Order fan but I am a true crime reader (sometimes, that is) and seeing the real cases behind the shows is way cool.
This has some cases that everyone has heard of, the Bernardo and Homolka story, Albert DeSalvo, etc. and others that are more quite and weren't made well known. I definitely recommend this to any fan of the show or any true crime reader!

[MKF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of true crime stories that supposedly inspired episodes of Law & Order: SVU. The majority of are famous crimes that we already know about or at least heard about.
My problem with this book is that some of the episode plots are broad and could have come from multiple cases. I guess it is understandable that they chose the most famous headlines the authors do not tell you how they know for sure it is the case the episode is based on. There are a few that after reading the plot and crime description was obvious.

[Melissa Lenahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like watching the show a whole lot better than I liked reading this book. Very hard for me to get in to.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book has little to do with the actual LAW & ORDER shows, it does a great job of going "behind the scenes," as it were, of 25 of the show's episodes to explore the true crimes they were based on.

These aren't stories for the faint of heart, but they do pull at the heartstrings. I remember watching many of the episodes the crimes were based on. This is a great book, especially for those interested in true crimes, but anyone will find them fascinating.

The authors have truly done their research and are to be commended.

[Taylor Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm into reading about crimes and I tend to analyze everything that has to do with the crime. I found it interesting to read about the crimes that inspired some of the episodes. I probably would have liked it more if I watched those specific episodes so I could compare.

[Miz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is why there is a fascination with crime dramas. Becuase truth is WAY stranger than fiction. Pity there was mistakes all the way through the book - people had taken to editing my copy!

[Caroline David · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're a fan of true crime, many of the crimes in this book are familiar to you and you don't learn anything new. It was interesting but definitely not what I expected it to be. I wanted to learn more about crimes I knew nothing about but that wasn't the case.

[Yee · Rating 5 out of 5]

You thought some stories are fictional because there are too sick to be true but this book is telling you that those sick people are real.

True Stories of Law & Order: SVU by Kevin Dwyer.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked from the first chapter. I'd say this is a great read for anyone who: one, likes to read and two, likes Law & Order. Apparently there is a SVU edition out although I haven't found it yet- I can only hope it's as good as this. There are some chapters that pertain to stories that I remember hearing in the news, for example, James Bulger, the toddler who was murdered by two ten year olds in Liverpool and Kitty Genovese who was murdered in an alley by her apt. in N.Y. while over 30 neighbors saw or heard what was gong on and did nothing to stop it. Then there are many more chapters that involve littler known crimes, like the 8 year old mentally handicapped boy who was smothered to death while church members were "releasing his demons" and the little girl who underwent re-birthing practices with her adoptive mother because the mother felt they weren't bonded. The "mother" (I use that term VERY LOOSELY here) and three other adults stuffed this child into a flannel sheet and then proceeded to sit on pillows on top of her all while hearing her cry out that she couldn't breath. When she finally stopedd moving, after twenty-come odd minutes she was checked on and was dead.
This book doesn't cover these stories in the detail of a usual true-crime book but there are enough to let the reader in on the story even if this is the first time hearing about it.
I look forward to the SVU edition. I wouldn't recommend to anyone who isn't a true crime reader- a lot of these stories are pretty vivid.
After actually finishing the whole book I feel the need to add something- I've considered myself an avid true crime reader for years now and there was more than one instance in reading this book where I had to stop reading and actually walk away from the book. The authors chose the stories very wisely and they are stories that hit you in the heart. The details and a few of the pictures actually left me feeling angry at society. Maybe it affected me so much because I've been out of the true crime genre for a year or two now or maybe it's just because this book is more detailed- I'm not sure but I felt the need to put the warning out there.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered this from PaperBackSwap's marketplace recently because I used to be slightly ridiculous in my watching of SVU and I am a huge fan of true crime reads. Episodes from SVU are referenced at the start of each chapter followed by a description of the case that inspired the episode. While an interesting read, I would have preferred fewer episodes so as there could be more details. Also, there were references to things that sounded super interesting with notes like "because of space limitations we won't go into that," - not cool!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is excellent if you want to be completely paranoid about every single neighbor, stranger, or loved one you encounter. The sheer amount of human depravity recorded in True Stories of Law & Order: SVU is disturbing. I was especially haunted by the account of the BTK killer. The writing style is unsophisticated and easy to read, but strays into the poorly written territory, particularly in the chapter regarding the Smart case. Not overly graphic, but detailed enough to linger in the mind long after finishing the book.

[Cristian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't finished this book yet, don't know if I ever will. It's horribly written. It's a bag of chips, it's little debbie swiss cake rolls: sometimes you just like to eat shitty food. This book suits me perfectly when I'm close to falling asleep, and need that little nudge to make it happen.

The premise is interesting, but it just comes down to true crimes being poorly retold.

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like something someone cobbled together to make a buck from the popularity of the Law & Order franchise.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: even I recognized a few of the episodes as being modifications of true stories. Here are twenty five of them.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Each chapter is short, so it's easy to read the book a bit at a time. The content is grim, of course, but not particularly graphic. Some of the perps will be familiar names to true-crime aficionados: BTK, Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo, David Koresh, for example. Some of them I hadn't heard of before, or they were murky memories in my brain.

Some connections between SVU episodes and true crimes were a stretch. Just because a child is kidnapped in the show doesn't mean it's based on Elizabeth Smart. And there's an episode much closer to the Homolka/Bernardo case than the one these authors picked, although maybe it was broadcast after the book came out.

There's plenty of scope for an updated edition given SVU is still going strong, and I would read it.

[Arial Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is for the following reason. A major premise of this book is that shows like Law & Order SVU aren’t accurate depictions of how the criminal justice handles special victims cases. As someone pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal justice, I completely agree with this premise - however, I wish the author acknowledged that this book itself isn’t an accurate representation of how long it takes to solve these cases and get justice. A major part of Law & Order that is consistently inaccurate is how long it takes for these cases to actually reach court, let alone to actually find the perpetrator. I think it would have strengthened the overall credibility of the authors and the argument of the book. Otherwise, I really liked the way the authors went about briefly comparing the episodes to a much more detailed description of the real cases.

[Gina Malanga · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing that can distract me more from everything I have to do then I’ll law and order marathon. Everyone order franchise not just the original, also SVU criminal intent, they are all equally distracting. Some of the episodes I’ve seen 1 million times but I still will get sucked in and watch them! So when my student recommended this book I knew I had to purchase it. This book gives you a more in-depth and real life look at the stories that inspired some of our favorite episodes. You will definitely read this book and feel a sense of “Oh wait I remember that episode” But now we are given so much more detail and backstory. I spent the snowy afternoon engrossed in this book as easily as I am in a line order marathon on TV.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always interesting to see the 'ripped-from-the-headlines' stories that writers of the show use for inspiration, but while I enjoyed the book, it only piqued my interest without going into enough detail to satiate my curiosity. Some of the stories, while interesting, seemed only tangentially related to the show. The authors also included a lot of subjective opinion - I enjoyed this, because they had a very common sense approach to things that I tend to agree with, but it might annoy others who don't agree with them.

Quick read, interesting, but not the most compelling true crime I've read.

[Jaslyn Reinsel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love true crime, so this was a no-brainer for me. I enjoyed that each chapter focused on a different case, so I got to read about twenty-five cases without reading twenty-five separate books. The book talked about a lot of different types of cases, so you got a variety of topics. The one downside is that it is an older book (early 2000s) so some of the cases didn’t have resolutions yet - I’m going to have to do some research of my own on a few to find out the ending.

This is the second volume, so I’ll definitely be checking out the first!

[Tanya Hunter-Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love ‘Law & Order: SVU’ and can’t wait for the new season next year, so it was really interesting for me to read the real stories behind the inspiration of the episodes of this show. There seems to be a general fascination of true crime, and I definitely love the genre myself. For me it’s the fascination that human beings can commit these crimes towards other human beings. For anyone who is a true crime fan, and especially who love the TV show, this one is for you!

[sequoia spirit · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a big fan of the TV show Law & Order and a big fan of true crime, i found the book great.. the beginnings of each story were a little like filler tho, painting a picture of unnecessary details, but the stories were interesting.. some i was of course familiar with, like Whitey Bulger.. and one detail of another story surprised me as the convict is jailed just down the street from where i live..

all in all, kept my interest & i would recommend..

[Biff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was definitely an interesting read. I love true crime books and I love reading or hearing about the real crimes behind stories in crime shows.

I hardly ever read a book this quickly. I finished it in 3 days, which goes to show just how good it is.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a love of true crime or psychology. I really enjoyed it.

[Rachel Bond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but my copy had many typos and errors in it. Plus, I feel like you could just as easily find all the info on each case by using Google. There wasn’t any new or hard to find information in the accounts of the crimes. And, in fact, at this point much of the information is outdated, because people have since gone to trial, been released, died, etc.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go into the life of a behind the scenes SVU detective cracking down on the hardcore heinous cases of New York. FBI detectives help to solve murders and rape cases. Child abuse cases. and sexually based offenses. Typically each case will go to the court. Now its in the judges hands.

[Ty Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read true crime books. Some of Law and order Svu make you wonder where they got the story from. This books tells of some of those stories and it always tell you the punishment to the
criminal. This is really good if you love true crime.

[Dara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I completely quit reading this about 20 pages in, the connection to SVU just is enough to sell more books. it’s interesting the cases are based on true stories, but anyone with any knowledge of true crime has already heard them...nothing new.