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Unsolved Crimes: The Top Ten Unsolved Murders of the 20th Century
The twentieth century has come to a close without closing the books on some of its darkest crimes, such as the Lord Lucan murder, the disppearance of Jimmy Hoffa, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the coma of Sunny von Bulow. Time and again, Kirk Wilson comes closer than any other investigator to exposing the gritty, shocking truth. And in a specially extended edition of this award-winning book, renowned true-crime expert Colin Wilson adds a new introductory chapter with his own slant on how and why these crimes continue to haunt us. “An accomplished amateur sleuth’s handbook ... a solid fix for crime addicts ... thought through with Holmesian passion.”—Kirkus Review
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2002
27 people want to read
About the author
Kirk Wilson
17 books7 followersKirk Wilson’s books include the story collection OUT OF SEASON, the poetry collection SONGBOX, the poetry chapbook THE EARLY WORD, and UNSOLVED, a nonfiction crime study published in six editions in the US and UK
Kirk’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are widely published in literary journals and anthologies.
His awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Elixir Press Fiction Award, the Trio House Press Trio Award, Editor’s Awards and other prizes in all three genres, and two Pushcart nominations.
Kirk’s website is www.KirkWilsonBooks.com.
Kirk’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are widely published in literary journals and anthologies.
His awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Elixir Press Fiction Award, the Trio House Press Trio Award, Editor’s Awards and other prizes in all three genres, and two Pushcart nominations.
Kirk’s website is www.KirkWilsonBooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 26, 2021
I'm a huge fan of true crime and these stories really sounded fascinating - but most of them weren't! I read them in between other books I was reading so it took a long time to finish - just couldn't subject myself to more than one chapter at a time. A few of them were interesting but the writing wasn't that great.
April 23, 2015
Taylor Bartek
Book Review
I read the book Unsolved: Great Mysteries of the 20th Century, by Kirk Wilson. There were eleven different sections, each pertaining to a different crime. For example, one chapter would talk about the death of JFK and another would go over the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. The author always wrote as if he was trying to convince the reader that a specific person or a group of people, it varied from case to case, were responsible for the tragedy. For instance, in the Marilyn Monroe chapter, he theorized that she was murdered and gave specific reasons for who and why. The book was very informational, but it also had a very convincing argument.
I found the book very interesting, but that’s expected seeing as I watch crime shows 24/7. I’m interested in mysteries, and the way he explained each case made it seem like I was reading a Solve It Yourself book. I think the most interesting part was the Marilyn Monroe case because I’ve always been told that she killed herself. Wilson went into depth about her life from childhood up until her death, and it was surprising. The details that went into her death seem too fishy to just be a suicide. It was interesting to see the case from a different viewpoint. The least interesting part was the JFK case. It was interesting at first, but Wilson dragged it on when it wasn’t completely necessary, and it seemed like he was writing just to fill space. It didn’t seem like he had a point.
The book is written very well in a sophisticated manner. He uses a complex vocabulary throughout the pages, even when discussing the medical and law issues in the book. It makes him seem like he knew exactly what he was talking about down to the last detail. I think a major theme of the book is corruption because in all of the cases the suspects were never found guilty. The judge, jurors, and lawyers were all bribed or threatened, whether it be with a great amount of money or the safety of their loved ones, to make sure that the person being prosecuted never saw the inside of a cell. Sometimes the guilty never even stepped a foot into the courtroom for these crimes. They had that much power over people. A minor theme would be getting rid of nuisances. For many of these cases, the murders/disappearances of these people were most likely caused because they were a nuisance to the wrong person. Whether it be an over-obsessed lover, an overbearing wife, or a powerful tattletale, these people were too much baggage.
This book made me think in more detail. I had to factor in all the evidence, alibis, and suspects to create a scenario of the crime. I had to reread each chapter to make sure I didn’t miss a detail that could change the case dramatically. It made me think very analytically. The book helped me to recognize details and use them to my advantages. It also taught me that anything can change a case, even if it’s the location of a bullet on a body. I’m now more observant around others, whether they are talking to me or just standing there. I feel like a detective now.
Book Review
I read the book Unsolved: Great Mysteries of the 20th Century, by Kirk Wilson. There were eleven different sections, each pertaining to a different crime. For example, one chapter would talk about the death of JFK and another would go over the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. The author always wrote as if he was trying to convince the reader that a specific person or a group of people, it varied from case to case, were responsible for the tragedy. For instance, in the Marilyn Monroe chapter, he theorized that she was murdered and gave specific reasons for who and why. The book was very informational, but it also had a very convincing argument.
I found the book very interesting, but that’s expected seeing as I watch crime shows 24/7. I’m interested in mysteries, and the way he explained each case made it seem like I was reading a Solve It Yourself book. I think the most interesting part was the Marilyn Monroe case because I’ve always been told that she killed herself. Wilson went into depth about her life from childhood up until her death, and it was surprising. The details that went into her death seem too fishy to just be a suicide. It was interesting to see the case from a different viewpoint. The least interesting part was the JFK case. It was interesting at first, but Wilson dragged it on when it wasn’t completely necessary, and it seemed like he was writing just to fill space. It didn’t seem like he had a point.
The book is written very well in a sophisticated manner. He uses a complex vocabulary throughout the pages, even when discussing the medical and law issues in the book. It makes him seem like he knew exactly what he was talking about down to the last detail. I think a major theme of the book is corruption because in all of the cases the suspects were never found guilty. The judge, jurors, and lawyers were all bribed or threatened, whether it be with a great amount of money or the safety of their loved ones, to make sure that the person being prosecuted never saw the inside of a cell. Sometimes the guilty never even stepped a foot into the courtroom for these crimes. They had that much power over people. A minor theme would be getting rid of nuisances. For many of these cases, the murders/disappearances of these people were most likely caused because they were a nuisance to the wrong person. Whether it be an over-obsessed lover, an overbearing wife, or a powerful tattletale, these people were too much baggage.
This book made me think in more detail. I had to factor in all the evidence, alibis, and suspects to create a scenario of the crime. I had to reread each chapter to make sure I didn’t miss a detail that could change the case dramatically. It made me think very analytically. The book helped me to recognize details and use them to my advantages. It also taught me that anything can change a case, even if it’s the location of a bullet on a body. I’m now more observant around others, whether they are talking to me or just standing there. I feel like a detective now.
October 3, 2014
Very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews