The evidence, suspects, trials, testimony and turning points of the most dramatic or most curious crimes of the past 30 years, as told by the writers and editors who covered the stories from the first gunshot to the final clank of the prison gate. Meet the rich cast of perps, heroes and victims who make true-crime stories among Peoples most-read features year after year. Also included: great photos, sections on oddball crimes and celebrity mug shots, and reviews of the best true-crime made-for-TV movies.
During the 1950s and 1960s True Detective magazine developed a new way of narrating and understanding murder. It was more sensitive to context, gave more psychologically sophisticated accounts, and was more willing to make conjectures about the unknown thoughts and motivations of killers than others had been before. This turned out to be the start of a revolution, and, after a century of escalating accounts, we have now become a nation of experts, with many ordinary people able to speak intelligently about blood-spatter patterns and organized vs. disorganized serial killers. The Rise of True Crime examines the various genres of true crime using the most popular and well-known examples. And despite its examination of some of the potentially negative effects of the genre, it is written for people who read and enjoy true crime, and wish to learn more about it. With skyrocketing crime rates and the appearance of a frightening trend toward social chaos in the 1970s, books, documentaries, and fiction films in the true crime genre tried to make sense of the Charles Manson crimes and the Gary Gilmore execution events. And in the 1980s and 1990s, true crime taught pop culture consumers about forensics, profiling, and highly technical aspects of criminology. We have thus now become a nation of experts, with many ordinary people able to speak intelligently about blood-spatter patterns and organized vs. disorganized serial killers. Through the suggestion that certain kinds of killers are monstrous or outside the realm of human morality, and through the perpetuation of the stranger-danger idea, the true crime aesthetic has both responded to and fostered our culture's fears. True crime is also the site of a dramatic confrontation with the concept of evil, and one of the few places in American public discourse where moral terms are used without any irony, and notions and definitions of evil are presented without ambiguity. When seen within its historical context, true crime emerges as a vibrant and meaningful strand of popular culture, one that is unfortunately devalued as lurid and meaningless pulp.
The instant #1 New York Times and USA Today best seller by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the voices behind the hit podcast My Favorite Murder! Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation. In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being ‘nice’ or ‘helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness. “In many respects, Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered distills the My Favorite Murder podcast into its most essential elements: Georgia and Karen. They lay themselves bare on the page, in all of their neuroses, triumphs, failures, and struggles. From eating disorders to substance abuse and kleptomania to the wonders of therapy, Kilgariff and Hardstark recount their lives with honesty, humor, and compassion, offering their best unqualified life-advice along the way.” —Entertainment Weekly “Like the podcast, the book offers funny, feminist advice for survival—both in the sense of not getting killed and just, like, getting a job and working through your personal shit so you can pay your bills and have friends.” —Rolling Stone At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Fresh twists on notorious trials are the focus of True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, a special edition of PEOPLE magazine. A companion to the new Investigation Discovery network series People Magazine Investigates, this edition explores crimes that have remained a mystery for years, the 1996 murder of toddler pageant contestant JonBenet Ramsey, the disappearance of little Lisa Irwin from her Kansas home in 2011, and reports on the latest efforts to solve them. Also featured are the reasons behind new murder trials awaiting Robert Durst, the millionaire profiled on the HBO mini-series The Jinx, and Adnan Syed, the subject of the podcast Serial. ItÍs a new look at more than 25 crimes, and the people who have overcome unthinkable tragedies to help their communities in the name of lost loved ones.
Inside many of the real life cases to inspire Law & Order For over 20 years and across two signature shows-Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit-viewers have been riveted by cases that have been "ripped from the headlines." Now, in True Crime Stories, a new special edition from People, go inside 35 real crimes that inspired the hit TV shows. From well-known cases that continue to fascinate us, including JonBenet Ramsey, O.J. Simpson, Robert Durst, and the Mayflower Madam, to the travails of such celebrities and politicians as Hugh Grant, John Edwards, and Anthony Weiner, here are descriptions of the crimes, the key players, and synopses of the episodes the cases inspired, complete with photographs of the real-life players and their respective Law & Order characters. This special edition also includes several "Reality Check" sections that provide insight into the detectives, prosecutors, and sets that have made the shows as realistic as they are. True Crime Stories also includes an interview with renowned Law & Order creator and producer Dick Wolf and photographs of your favorite cast members from both shows. For fans of both Law & Order and for true-crime readers, this is the one special edition you won't be able to do without. Bonus: an exclusive look at Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers, the exciting new miniseries that focuses on just one shocking story for an entire season.
A chilling account of the murders of two hunters in rural Michigan—a mystery that haunted a community and baffled the police for two decades. In the bitter cold of 1985, two buddies from Detroit embark on a hunting trip to the Michigan wilderness, unaware they will soon become the hunted. The eerie silence surrounding their sudden disappearance is broken after nearly two decades when a relentless investigator inspires a terrified witness to break her silence. The witness narrates a haunting scene that had unfolded years back, pointing fingers at the prime suspects—the Duvall brothers. With no bodies unearthed, the justice system is riveted by the startling revelations during an electrifying trial in 2003. The brothers, Raymond and Donald Duvall, had bragged about the murders, evocatively explaining how they dismembered their victims and fed them to pigs. Despite the shocking confession, the case holds its ground purely on a single witness’s account, taking the courtroom through a labyrinth of dark secrets and sinister acts. This gripping thriller presents a vivid tale of crime that reveals the devastating power of evil.
From pranks gone wrong to sexual abuse and murder, these stories will motivate readers to reflect on their own lives. In one case, 14-year old twin girls rob a bank in a desperate bid to save the family home, while another tale tells of a mother who makes a horrifying decision for her pregnant daughter. These people share their personal trials and tragedies in the hopes that others can learn from their experiences. Includes a 16-page color photo insert.
An entertaining and informative look at the unique culture of crime, punishment, and killing in Ancient Rome In Ancient Rome, all the best stories have one thing in common—murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city, Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theater, Claudius was poisoned at dinner, and Galba was beheaded in the Forum. In one 50-year period, 26 emperors were murdered. But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Emma Southon examines a trove of real-life homicides from Roman history to explore Roman culture, including how perpetrator, victim, and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside Ancient Rome's darkly fascinating history, we see how the Romans viewed life, death, and what it means to be human.
"In his fascinating account of crime in Virginia, John F. Jebb explores the evidence, motives, and colorful personalities that captured the public's imagination during the course of the state's criminal trials. Presenting the crimes in context, the author blends Virginia law and history in an engaging and superbly written work> --Fred Shackelford, author of Judges Say the Darndest Things Includes . . . The controversial rape case of the Martinsville Seven The first murder in America to be convicted on DNA evidence The UVA honors students accused of murder The last-minute reprieve of Earl Washington Jr. based on DNA findings The Virginia Tech shootings AUTHOR: John F. Jebb is a graduate of the University of Virginia and participated in the New Castle County (Delaware) Citizens Police Academy. He teaches English at the University of Delaware and with J. K. Van Dover authored the book Isn't Justice Always Unfair?: The Detective in Southern Literature.
