The County Library discussion

Hello everyone,

This month's challenge is to read a nonfiction true crime book. Obviously, Ann Rule is one of the most prolific authors of true crime, so you can check out one of her books.

You may enjoy The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, or The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne, or The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case.

You can also read collections that are about lots of different crimes like Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession or True Crime II: More Tales of Murder & Mayhem.

There are some fun books in the juvenile nonfiction collection as well like Curious Cases: True Crime for Kids: Hijinks, Heists, Mysteries, and More, or The Story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or Daring Heists: Real Tales of Sensational Robberies and Robbers.

Good luck!

Well crumble bumble! I just barely finished Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss, the story of Dr. Jeffrey McDonald who was convicted of having killed his pregnant wife and 5 and 2 year old daughters at Fort Bragg in 1970. Proclaiming his innocence to this day, there remains controversy over his conviction. But one of the most compelling aspects of the crime is each member of the family had a different blood type allowing a pretty detailed crime scene reconstruction, but never a hint of motive. If you are curious, you can read my review.

Another one is the book that was the first of the genre, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote for which Capote won a Pulitzer Prize. And for something a tad off beat for those who watched the Netflix limited series The Staircase, a look at the theory that an owl, and not her husband, killed Kathleen Peterson, Death by Talons: Did An Owl 'Murder' Kathleen Peterson? by Tiddy Smith. I've read several titles in this genre in the last two years so I think I will sit this one out. But maybe not .... I do enjoy true crime.

In the listing of books my friends read is The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty by Valerie Bauerlein. I have been fascinated by the Alex Murdaugh case from the point when news reported fears that he remains a target for the killer or killers of his son and wife. He was attacked at the side of the road when changing a tire and was shot by an assailant. The bullet only grazed the side of his head, not penetrating. Now he is serving time in South Carolina convicted of being the killer of his wife and son, the attack on the side of the road a ruse to deflect suspicion away from him. And it got weirder.

I’m going to listen to “Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions,” by John Grisham.

I'm reading Code Over Country by Matthew A. Cole.

I finished listening to “Framed,” by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey. Wow…so many people who were innocent, convicted of crimes. I’m sad that some police officers, detectives, lawyers and others lied to solve cases. I have only had positive experiences with police officers, so I DO trust them, and I think that most of the time, we CAN trust them. I trust quickly, in general, unless someone gives me a reason not to trust. Anyway, I love that they wanted to get their messages out about wrongful convictions. It was sad, though, to listen to these stories.