There seem to be a bumper crop of true crime primers and guides this summer. Grab these for some edifying and informative reads. Crack open one of these on the beach and it might even convince people to leave you alone…
Written in Bone
Sue Black
from the publisher: Sue Black builds on the first, taking us on a guided tour of the human skeleton and explaining how each person’s life history is revealed in their bones, which she calls “the last sentinels of our mortal life to bear witness to the way we lived it.” Her narrative follows the skeleton from the top of the skull to the small bones in the foot. Longlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association ALCS Gold Dagger for Nonfiction.
Publisher: Arcade (June 1, 2021)
Language: English
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1951627806
Crime Time: Twenty True Tales of Murder, Madness, and Mayhem
J. North Conway
from the publisher: Crime Time is a collection of 20 riveting, page-turning historic true crime stories from 1724 to 1913 covering a host of monstrous American and English criminals, their crimes and their punishment. It includes stories of criminals— men, women and children, whose gruesome tales have been obscured by the passage of time.
Publisher: Lyons Press (April 23, 2021)
Language: English
Hardcover: 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1493052888
She Kills Me The True Stories of History’s Deadliest Women
Jennifer Wright
from the publisher: A powerful collection of stories about women who murdered—for revenge, for love, and even for pleasure—rife with historical details that will have any true crime junkie on the edge of their seat. They do the things that women aren’t supposed to do and live the lives that women aren’t supposed to want: lives that are impulsive and angry and messy and inconvenient.
Publisher: Abrams Image (September 28, 2021)
Language: English
Hardcover: 176 pages
ISBN-10: 1419748467
A Taste for Poison
Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them
Neil Bradbury, Ph.D.
from the publisher: In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes—some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved—are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (October 19, 2021)
Language: English
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1250270758
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