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The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals
From mild mannered coworkers to doting parents. Some might be your jack-of-all-trades friend, or others might be your family member with an altruistic persona. The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals takes you deeper into the unconventional criminal's psyche. The ones where their most prominent feature isn't a bloodied knife, but a bright smile and warm gaze meant to lure their next victim. Meet the real murderers and killers. You've heard about John Wayne Gacy. You've read about Jeffrey Dahmer. You've delved into the Ted Bundy fascination. It's time for you to meet the infamous Na�n Briones, who struck fear into the hearts of the rich, and Freddie Brenman, a notorious street-fighter with mysterious ties to the Dillinger Gang. You'll find yourself realizing that being nice and friendly is a killer combination. Edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals reveals all-new accounts of true crime stories featuring serial killers from the contemporary to the depression-era. The international list of contributors includes award-winning crime writers, true-crime podcasters, journalists, and experts in the dark crimes field such as Tom Larsen, David Blumenfeld, and Anthony Ferguson.
- GenresNonfictionTrue Crime
Audio CD
Published December 21, 2021
8 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Mitzi Szereto
69 books146 followersOFFICIAL ACCOUNT
Mitzi Szereto (mitziszereto.com) is an American-British author, anthology editor, and short story writer whose books encompass multiple genres, most recently in true crime, including her latest release Women Who Murder: An International Collection of Deadly True Crime Tales as well as her popular series The Best New True Crime Stories. Her work has been translated into several languages. A contribution in her anthology Getting Even: Revenge Stories received the Crime Writers’ Association Short Story Dagger “Highly Commended.” She has the added distinction of being the editor of the first anthology of erotic fiction to include a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Mitzi has appeared internationally on radio and television and at major literature festivals, and has taught creative writing around the world, including universities in the UK. In addition to having produced and presented the London-based web TV channel Mitzi TV, she portrays herself in the pseudo-documentary British film, Lint: The Movie. Follow her on social media @mitziszereto.
Mitzi Szereto (mitziszereto.com) is an American-British author, anthology editor, and short story writer whose books encompass multiple genres, most recently in true crime, including her latest release Women Who Murder: An International Collection of Deadly True Crime Tales as well as her popular series The Best New True Crime Stories. Her work has been translated into several languages. A contribution in her anthology Getting Even: Revenge Stories received the Crime Writers’ Association Short Story Dagger “Highly Commended.” She has the added distinction of being the editor of the first anthology of erotic fiction to include a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Mitzi has appeared internationally on radio and television and at major literature festivals, and has taught creative writing around the world, including universities in the UK. In addition to having produced and presented the London-based web TV channel Mitzi TV, she portrays herself in the pseudo-documentary British film, Lint: The Movie. Follow her on social media @mitziszereto.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 14, 2021
Mitzi Szereto – Best New True Crime Stories – Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues, & Criminals – Reviewed 5/28/21 – Read 5/22-23/21
Mitzi Szereto shows us a look at the criminals that are not so well known, or maybe right next door?
We have all heard of the famous criminals, like Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and the list goes on. But what about the ones that we don’t hear about? Such as Naun Briones, that only went after the rich, or Freddie Brenman, a notorious street-fighter that had ties to the Dillinger Gang? Mitzi Szereto has teamed up with other award-winning and international crime writers to bring us this new addition to “The Best New True Crime Stories”.
She includes stories on Gentleman John Dillinger and Uncle Freddie, from the South China Sea we will take a look at Ching Shih and even the Bandolero Lojano. When you think of Robin Hood, you don’t think of John Dillinger, but he got his name because he was usually very polite to those who were in the bank at the time of his robberies. In fact, there is even one account, where he took off his coat so that a pretty lady would not get dirty when he told everyone to hit the floor. So far as being like Robin Hood, the one thing he did not do was rob the poor. Another account states that when they were robbing a bank, there was a customer at the window when they came in. He had told the tellers to put all the money in a bag. He walked up to the customer and told him to take his money out before the teller put the rest in the bag. Nice huh?
Well, read on, because this is just a couple of things you will learn about while perusing this awesome new addition to Mitzi’s Szereto’ s “The Best New True Crime Stories” series.
What did I like? I have read Mitzi’s other books, so I had an idea what this one was going to be like, but I was utterly surprised at some of the criminals in this book. I mean sure, the ones like John Dillinger have been talked about for years, but I had never heard anything about his bag man Freddie Brenman. Can you just imagine being involved with those guys? I heard stories told about my mother-in-law working for Al Capone, but sometimes you wonder if these things are even true. But the stories are still there, and they don’t seem to go away.
What will you like? Talk about being interesting, wow, the accounts are amazing! The research is outstanding, the descriptions will astound you, and the criminals might be next door. The list of contributors is right off the best sellers list, Morgan Barbour, Jackie Barrow, David Blumenfeld, T. Fox Dunham, David Breakspear, Shashi Kadapa, Janel Comeau, Tom Larsen, Deidre Pirro, Anthoney Ferguson, Dean Jobb, Paul Willetts, and Paul Williams. Each brings to the table lots of experience and a diversity of backgrounds, including a ton of books that they have published. “Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals” will be available on June 15th, 2021.
• ASIN: B08N5BC8M5
• Publisher: Mango
• Publication Date: 6/15/2021
• File Size: 2333 KB
• Print Length: 235 pages
• Genre: Heists & Robberies Biographies & Memoirs, Forensic Psychology, Medical Forensic Psychology
Mitzi Szereto shows us a look at the criminals that are not so well known, or maybe right next door?
We have all heard of the famous criminals, like Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and the list goes on. But what about the ones that we don’t hear about? Such as Naun Briones, that only went after the rich, or Freddie Brenman, a notorious street-fighter that had ties to the Dillinger Gang? Mitzi Szereto has teamed up with other award-winning and international crime writers to bring us this new addition to “The Best New True Crime Stories”.
She includes stories on Gentleman John Dillinger and Uncle Freddie, from the South China Sea we will take a look at Ching Shih and even the Bandolero Lojano. When you think of Robin Hood, you don’t think of John Dillinger, but he got his name because he was usually very polite to those who were in the bank at the time of his robberies. In fact, there is even one account, where he took off his coat so that a pretty lady would not get dirty when he told everyone to hit the floor. So far as being like Robin Hood, the one thing he did not do was rob the poor. Another account states that when they were robbing a bank, there was a customer at the window when they came in. He had told the tellers to put all the money in a bag. He walked up to the customer and told him to take his money out before the teller put the rest in the bag. Nice huh?
Well, read on, because this is just a couple of things you will learn about while perusing this awesome new addition to Mitzi’s Szereto’ s “The Best New True Crime Stories” series.
What did I like? I have read Mitzi’s other books, so I had an idea what this one was going to be like, but I was utterly surprised at some of the criminals in this book. I mean sure, the ones like John Dillinger have been talked about for years, but I had never heard anything about his bag man Freddie Brenman. Can you just imagine being involved with those guys? I heard stories told about my mother-in-law working for Al Capone, but sometimes you wonder if these things are even true. But the stories are still there, and they don’t seem to go away.
What will you like? Talk about being interesting, wow, the accounts are amazing! The research is outstanding, the descriptions will astound you, and the criminals might be next door. The list of contributors is right off the best sellers list, Morgan Barbour, Jackie Barrow, David Blumenfeld, T. Fox Dunham, David Breakspear, Shashi Kadapa, Janel Comeau, Tom Larsen, Deidre Pirro, Anthoney Ferguson, Dean Jobb, Paul Willetts, and Paul Williams. Each brings to the table lots of experience and a diversity of backgrounds, including a ton of books that they have published. “Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals” will be available on June 15th, 2021.
• ASIN: B08N5BC8M5
• Publisher: Mango
• Publication Date: 6/15/2021
• File Size: 2333 KB
• Print Length: 235 pages
• Genre: Heists & Robberies Biographies & Memoirs, Forensic Psychology, Medical Forensic Psychology
May 22, 2021
I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not one for gory detail, but I was drawn to this collection since I have a soft spot for well-mannered crooks as my own uncle was of a similar ilk. I found this collection of fourteen true stories about such creative criminals where only four starred women in leading roles - perhaps some work is still needed in that area - to be well researched. The first story, Uncle Freddie and Gentleman John Dillinger, brought me close up and familiar since the narrator was also talking about his own uncle and brought me into an Elliot Ness kind of world with speakeasies and prohibition. As an Australian, I had heard of The Aussie Larrikin, Alan Bond, but never the details of his rise, fall and rise. The story about a woman pirate, Ching Shih, who dominated the South China Sea in the 19th Century was a fascinating account of a woman making it in a man's world on her own, sometimes bloodier-than-thou, terms. Several of these crooks also had a philosophical bent that could apply today: "All the people I swindled had one thing in common- greed," says The Yellow Kid in the tale, "They wanted something for nothing": The Many Cons of the Yellow Kid.
Tales in the not-so-distant past like A One-Way Ticket to Poyais take the reader further afield, to South America or an imaginary land where the ego of a scamming perpetrator could be fed. Closer to home, the American Dream and the financial crisis of the 80s and being laid off made a man turn to a life of banditry. And then back to Europe, France to be exact, to Champs-Elysees Noir, with female swindlers, notably one Domenica, collector of art, husbands and lovers, and scandals reaching to the top of the French Government. Then a 20th Century Robin Hood in the oligarchy of Ecuador, The Bandolero Lojano, before returning to the US and The Tragedy of the King of Atlantic City. The Prince of Swindlers straddles continents, Europe in England, Australia and South Africa as a bogus physician, living a long life and even being confused with Jack the Ripper. Back to the US with an Agatha Christie-type take in The Socialite´s Poisonous Plight in the early 20th Century, followed by a Mafioso-type tale, The Monk, The Brain and the “Marlborough Diamond” to approach a conclusion in present-day India with The Bombay Grandmother, to finally end back in France at the end of the 19th Century with The Count if Blinville: The Illusive Lives of Charles Marchandon.
These tales were all well researched and well written, but the added diversity of epochs and countries added an interesting perspective of geographic and political instruction where not just history, but stories and their needs forever repeat themselves. I just needed to open my eyes; however, seduced by these creative crooks I never saw what was coming, which made for a satisfying read.
I'm not one for gory detail, but I was drawn to this collection since I have a soft spot for well-mannered crooks as my own uncle was of a similar ilk. I found this collection of fourteen true stories about such creative criminals where only four starred women in leading roles - perhaps some work is still needed in that area - to be well researched. The first story, Uncle Freddie and Gentleman John Dillinger, brought me close up and familiar since the narrator was also talking about his own uncle and brought me into an Elliot Ness kind of world with speakeasies and prohibition. As an Australian, I had heard of The Aussie Larrikin, Alan Bond, but never the details of his rise, fall and rise. The story about a woman pirate, Ching Shih, who dominated the South China Sea in the 19th Century was a fascinating account of a woman making it in a man's world on her own, sometimes bloodier-than-thou, terms. Several of these crooks also had a philosophical bent that could apply today: "All the people I swindled had one thing in common- greed," says The Yellow Kid in the tale, "They wanted something for nothing": The Many Cons of the Yellow Kid.
Tales in the not-so-distant past like A One-Way Ticket to Poyais take the reader further afield, to South America or an imaginary land where the ego of a scamming perpetrator could be fed. Closer to home, the American Dream and the financial crisis of the 80s and being laid off made a man turn to a life of banditry. And then back to Europe, France to be exact, to Champs-Elysees Noir, with female swindlers, notably one Domenica, collector of art, husbands and lovers, and scandals reaching to the top of the French Government. Then a 20th Century Robin Hood in the oligarchy of Ecuador, The Bandolero Lojano, before returning to the US and The Tragedy of the King of Atlantic City. The Prince of Swindlers straddles continents, Europe in England, Australia and South Africa as a bogus physician, living a long life and even being confused with Jack the Ripper. Back to the US with an Agatha Christie-type take in The Socialite´s Poisonous Plight in the early 20th Century, followed by a Mafioso-type tale, The Monk, The Brain and the “Marlborough Diamond” to approach a conclusion in present-day India with The Bombay Grandmother, to finally end back in France at the end of the 19th Century with The Count if Blinville: The Illusive Lives of Charles Marchandon.
These tales were all well researched and well written, but the added diversity of epochs and countries added an interesting perspective of geographic and political instruction where not just history, but stories and their needs forever repeat themselves. I just needed to open my eyes; however, seduced by these creative crooks I never saw what was coming, which made for a satisfying read.
August 10, 2021
Another excellent addition to Mitzi Szereto's true crime series!
May 9, 2022
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read another book in this series and I think they’re a lot of fun. First off, I like the collection of stories by different authors. It makes for an interesting reading experience. The authors all have different styles, which makes it diverse and there is something for everyone. Along this line, all the stories are about different crooks, and so it’s a fun compilation of different well-mannered crooks, rogues, and criminals. This also gives everyone an opportunity to find a favorite crook, which is something we should all do, of course.
In this book I like that Szereto has found a lot of different ways to interpret the title, and so this book contains lots of different reading experiences of well-mannered crooks, rogues, and criminals. They definitely all fit nicely under the title (although well-mannered in front of all those titles is hilarious and debatable anyway!), and it gives the reader a lot of experiences of different kinds of crooks, in different places, and in different times. One of my favorites, for example, was about the female Chinese pirate, Ching Shih, who dominated the South China Sea. I have heard about Ching Shih before, but I, like almost everybody else in all the land, loves a good pirate story, and this was definitely a good pirate story.
One thing that I appreciated about this book is that these are all written about true characters, so you’re not only learning new things, but they’re enjoyable as well. Some are by authors who have just researched the person, and there are a few who are related (maybe distantly) to the characters, which also made for an interesting and different viewpoint.
My mom is a true crime enthusiast, and she loves this book because she can read it in bite-sized chapters. When she comes to visit, she just picks up the book and finds a new person to read about and enjoy. You can read it all at once (because it’s binge-worthy), or you can just enjoy it story by story and be hooked anew each time.
Read this and other reviews here: https://www.readingforsanity.com/
I’ve read another book in this series and I think they’re a lot of fun. First off, I like the collection of stories by different authors. It makes for an interesting reading experience. The authors all have different styles, which makes it diverse and there is something for everyone. Along this line, all the stories are about different crooks, and so it’s a fun compilation of different well-mannered crooks, rogues, and criminals. This also gives everyone an opportunity to find a favorite crook, which is something we should all do, of course.
In this book I like that Szereto has found a lot of different ways to interpret the title, and so this book contains lots of different reading experiences of well-mannered crooks, rogues, and criminals. They definitely all fit nicely under the title (although well-mannered in front of all those titles is hilarious and debatable anyway!), and it gives the reader a lot of experiences of different kinds of crooks, in different places, and in different times. One of my favorites, for example, was about the female Chinese pirate, Ching Shih, who dominated the South China Sea. I have heard about Ching Shih before, but I, like almost everybody else in all the land, loves a good pirate story, and this was definitely a good pirate story.
One thing that I appreciated about this book is that these are all written about true characters, so you’re not only learning new things, but they’re enjoyable as well. Some are by authors who have just researched the person, and there are a few who are related (maybe distantly) to the characters, which also made for an interesting and different viewpoint.
My mom is a true crime enthusiast, and she loves this book because she can read it in bite-sized chapters. When she comes to visit, she just picks up the book and finds a new person to read about and enjoy. You can read it all at once (because it’s binge-worthy), or you can just enjoy it story by story and be hooked anew each time.
Read this and other reviews here: https://www.readingforsanity.com/
November 12, 2021
UK paperback edition 294 pages
I enjoy the best new true crime series, edited by Mitzi Szereto, however I do think that some you’ll enjoy more than others depending on your taste for true crime. Having read ‘Small Towns’ and rating that a 5-star, this one just didnt grab my attention in the same way.
If you’re interested in sleezy people and their cons, this is certainly for you - the content is interesting and mind-blowing some of these crimes. I just have an interest in the darker elements of true crime (no judging!!).
These stories are perfect to pick up and put down as and when you need a true crime fix.
There’s another book in this series coming to the UK in February, and I’m SO excited for it.
Gifted in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoy the best new true crime series, edited by Mitzi Szereto, however I do think that some you’ll enjoy more than others depending on your taste for true crime. Having read ‘Small Towns’ and rating that a 5-star, this one just didnt grab my attention in the same way.
If you’re interested in sleezy people and their cons, this is certainly for you - the content is interesting and mind-blowing some of these crimes. I just have an interest in the darker elements of true crime (no judging!!).
These stories are perfect to pick up and put down as and when you need a true crime fix.
There’s another book in this series coming to the UK in February, and I’m SO excited for it.
Gifted in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2022
Read this review and others at https://www.readingforsanity.com/2022...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews