Just a girl and her books
AMERICA’S FIRST FEMALE SERIAL KILLER by Mary Kay McBrayer: Jane Toppin was a first-generation Irish-America nurse who started very far from the monster she became. Born as Honora Kelley, her life started with her father abandoning her and her sister to the Boston Female Asylum. Jane was indentured to a wealthy family, who changed her … Continue reading True Crime Mini Reviews
THE GRIM SLEEPER | Christine Pelisek 04.27.2018 | Counterpoint, LLC. Rating: 4/5 stars In 2006, Christine Pelisek broke the story of a serial killer who went unchecked in Los Angeles for decades, killing the most vulnerable women in one South Central neighborhood. Two years later the killer was dubbed “The Grim Sleeper” due to his … Continue reading Book Review: The Grim Sleeper
FURIOUS HOURS | Casey Cep05.07.2019 | KnopfRating: 4/5 stars Years after Harper Lee penned her novel, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, she found herself entranced by the true crime case of an Alabama serial killer. Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher, who was accused of murdering five of his family members in order to collect … Continue reading Book Review: Furious Hours
LOST GIRLS | Robert Kolker 05.06.2014 | Harper Perennial Rating: 4/5 stars Investigative reporter, Robert Kolker, has assembled within LOST GIRLS an account of the true-life search for a serial killer who still remains unknown on Long Island. The book is a detailed look into the world of online escorts and the dangers associated with … Continue reading Book Review: Lost Girls
BIND, TORTURE, KILL | Roy Wenzl 05.27.2008 | Harper Rating: 4/5 stars For thirty-one years, a monster was allowed to roam the streets of Wichita, Kansas. A serial killer calling himself “BTK”, standing for “bind, torture, kill” was known for slaughtering men, women, and children. He had the ability to effortlessly enter homes and kill … Continue reading Book Review: Bind, Torture, Kill
THE GOOD NURSE | Charles Graeber 07.29.2014 | Hachette Rating; 4/5 stars Registered nurse Charlie Cullen was arrested in December 2003 and quickly dubbed “The Angel of Death” by the media. Cullen was not a mercy killer however, he chose to take his victims without any rhyme or reason, often simply choosing the easiest target … Continue reading Book Review: The Good Nurse
DEVIL’S KNOT | Mara Leveritt 10.21.2003 (first published 2002) | Atria Books Rating: 4/5 stars After eighteen years in prison, in 2011 one of the greatest miscarriages of justice was righted when Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were released from prison. In 1993, three eight-year-old boys were found brutally murdered in West Memphis, … Continue reading Book Review: The Devil’s Knot
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON | David Grann 04.18.2017 | Vintage Rating: 4/5 stars The Osage Nation in Oklahoma struck it rich in the 1920s when oil was discovered beneath their land. The people of this nation were each given a portion of the wealth and soon the land was filled with chauffeured automobiles, mansions, … Continue reading Book Review: Killers of the Flower Moon
HELTER SKELTER | Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry 12.17.2001 (first published 1974) | W.W. Norton Company Rating: 5/5 stars Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial. Within these pages he offers the reader a firsthand account of the inner workings to one of the most horrifying cases of the twentieth century. The … Continue reading Book Review: Helter Skelter
MINDHUNTER | John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker 10.24.2017 | Gallery Books (first published in 1995) Rating: 4/5 stars Special Agent John Douglas helped to revolutionize the FBI and how criminal investigations are conducted by becoming an expert in criminal profiling. Douglas made his life’s work out of meeting with, learning about, and understanding serial … Continue reading Book Review: Mindhunter
