Some minis today: A town with no WiFi, growing up in a sex cult, and the unsolved murder of a Jazz Age dancer. They have nothing in common besides their blue-green cover schemes. I didn't plan it that way, but I like it! The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence... Continue Reading →
Frighteningly Good Reads: Unbelievable and Zodiac
Are you joining up with Molly @ Silver Button Books for Frighteningly Good Reads? There's still one week until Halloween! I managed to surprise myself by reading not only the book I'd specifically set aside for Molly's very fun challenge, but another that had been on my shelves for awhile and is, arguably, the spookier... Continue Reading →
Two Mysteries: What Happened to Paula and Atlantis Black
What Happened to Paula: On the Death of an American Girl, by Katherine Dykstra Katherine Dykstra's mother-in-law roped her into the story of Paula Oberbroeckling, an 18-year-old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who disappeared one summer night in 1970. Her remains were found a few months later but a cause of death was never determined. Instead,... Continue Reading →
The Enduring Mystery of MH370
The Disappearing Act, by Florence de Changy Le Monde journalist Florence de Changy, who was once based in Malaysia, has spent years researching the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The anniversary just passed -- the plane, carrying 239 people, disappeared seven years ago on March 8, 2014 en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.... Continue Reading →
Unraveling the Myth of a Harvard Murder
We Keep the Dead Close, by Becky Cooper (Bookshop.org) I complain a lot, A LOT about the spate of true crime books in the last few years where an author with no or minimal connection to a crime they find interesting writes a book about it that's also memoir, and inserts themselves into the story... Continue Reading →
The Mysterious Phenomena of the Missing in the American Wilderness
The Cold Vanish, by Jon Billman (Amazon) Outside journalist Jon Billman investigates disappearances that have occurred in national parks and remote areas of North American wilderness. These are what he calls "proverbial vanish-without-a-trace incidents, which happen a lot more (and a lot closer to your backyard) than almost anyone thinks.” The plethora of curious cases... Continue Reading →
Upsides and Downsides of the DNA Revolution
Book review: The Lost Family, by Libby Copeland (Amazon / Book Depository) I could not help but think... that spitting into a vial in search of family was like spinning a roulette wheel, with no ability to predict the outcome in advance, and the highest of stakes. One of the most rapidly changing branches of... Continue Reading →
Tamam Shud and the Mystery of Why This is a Memoir
Book review: Tamam Shud, by Kerry Greenwood (Amazon / Book Depository) In December 1948, my dad told me, the body of a man was found at the bottom of the steps on Somerton Beach. He was clean, manicured, well-nourished and well-dressed and had no visible wounds. Someone had gone to the trouble of removing all... Continue Reading →
The Man Who’s Forensic Science’s Best Kept Secret
Book review: American Sherlock, by Kate Winkler Dawson (Amazon / Book Depository) Innocent men were being hanged while criminals escaped justice. The complicated crimes of the 1920s demanded a special type of sleuth -- an expert with the instincts of a detective in the field, the analytical skills of a forensic scientist in the lab,... Continue Reading →
Nonfiction November Week 2: Nonfiction / Podcast Pairing
Nonfiction November Week 2: (Nov. 4 to 8) – Fiction / Nonfiction Book Pairing (Sarah’s Book Shelves): This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like... Continue Reading →
Cold Cases from London, Ontario, the “Serial Killer Capital of Canada”
Book review: The Forest City Killer, by Vanessa Brown (Amazon / Book Depository) Author, bookstore owner, and local historian of London, Ontario Vanessa Brown spent five years researching a series of unsolved, decades-old homicides in her quiet hometown. *Keith Morrison voice* Well, mostly quiet, that is: London had the unofficial and unenviable title of the "serial killer... Continue Reading →
Amateur Sleuths and the Unidentified
Book review: The Skeleton Crew, by Deborah Halber (Amazon / Book Depository) Chances are good that you or someone you know has at one point stumbled over a dead body. There are shockingly large numbers of them out there. According to the National Institute of Justice, America is home to tens of thousands of unidentified... Continue Reading →