Monday, February 25, 2013


After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Crimescape) Review





Jim Williams had it all: style, culture, charisma, and sophistication. As a premier antiques dealer in Savannah, he mingled with celebrities, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the Rockefellers, who came to admire his extraordinary treasures. His legacy thrust Savannah into the national spotlight and transformed the genteel city into a tourist mecca.

But three decades of hard work came crashing down the night he shot Danny Hansford, his wild young lover. Jim Williams stood trial four times over the next decade for premeditated murder.

Today, tourists flock to Mercer House to see the gorgeous mansion depicted in Clint Eastwood's movie and the book from which it was made--Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil--where flamboyant designer and antiques dealer Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey) killed Danny Hansford (Jude Law). While the movie and book portrayed the natives of Savannah as remarkably decadent, exotic characters, they missed the surprising dark side of Jim Williams himself. He was a smooth predator whose crimes could have put him behind bars long before the death of Danny Hansford.

After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is the newly revised and expanded version of the #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling true account of the crime, which includes crucial testimony recreating the courtroom drama between a gifted prosecutor and a brilliant defense attorney as they battle over the future of a self-made aristocrat. More than 40 photos and revealing insider interviews bring new life to the vivid cast of characters in this unique southern crime story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marilyn Bardsley is a respected expert on serial killers and the editor of RosettaBooks' bestselling Crimescape™ series, as well as the former executive editor and founder of Time Warner's Crime Library, a premier true crime website.

She has written about some of the most famous serial killers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper, the Boston Strangler, and Charles Manson. Her work is also considered an important resource for law enforcement; her feature reporting on child murder cases was mandatory reading for the police team assigned to the Green River serial murders.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Crimescape™ is a bestselling RosettaBooks collection of compelling, short nonfiction crime eBooks by the best true crime authors in the business. Taking readers into the dark heart of the criminal mind and the tense hunt to bring the perpetrators to justice, Crimescape™ authors stand apart from others because of their expertise in the field as police detectives, forensic professionals, criminal psychologists, and investigative reporters. As riveting storytellers, our authors bring readers unique insight into the murderous mind and some of the world's most mysterious and fascinating cases.


Another True Crime book I could not put down, this book goes way beyond ordinary research. I like the structure of the book giving you both sides of the story and then giving the blow by blow of what happened in the court room.

A very flawed investigation put on the the police starts to fall apart after four trials and the truth starts to emerge.

Another high note on the book is the included photos that seem to be perfectly adapted to the ebook form, I really enjoy photos in True Crime books and these are very well presented. In most ebooks one you click on the photo the photo is no bigger that a postage stamp, but these photos had much more detail and you could zoom and in and actually see them.






Tuesday, February 19, 2013

LAWBREAKERS  Lee Marvin DVD collection coming 

March 26



For decades, generations of viewers have tuned in faithfully to witness the dirty deeds, and clean resolutions, that televised crime shows routinely deliver. It s a time proven format that never fails to satisfy justice served, in well under an hour."Lee Marvin Presents: Lawbreaker", featuring the talents of one of Hollywood's most iconic tough guys, stands out in a genre that has produced some of televisions most popular and influential programming, and also some of it's more memorable personalities.
Cast as a bad guy early in his career, Lee Marvin began making a name for himself with supporting roles in "The Wild One' and "The Big Heat" in 1953, before his performance as a sadistic cowboy in "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955) cemented his reputation as a leading screen villain. He was propelled to stardom and leading man status following outstanding performances in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), and in "The Killers" (1964). The Western-comedy "Cat Ballou" (1965), earned Marvin widespread critical kudos, as well as an Academy Award for Best Actor.
In addition to his big-screen successes, Marvin starred in two television series, "M Squad" (NBC, 1957-1960), which cast him as a plainclothes detective who is a member of a special squad with the Chicago Police Department that takes on organized crime, and later, as host and narrator of "Lee Marvin Presents: Lawbreaker". One of the first television crime dramas to feature semi-documentary re-creations of real life cases, the show pioneered a format that is still wildly popular almost fifty years later. Marvin s tough-as-nails persona and his trademark no nonsense delivery shine through as he guides us through a sordid collection of criminal activity extracted from the crime dockets of some of America s biggest cities.






Review of Ann Rule 

Danger In The Dorm (Retro Ann Rule True Crime Short)



5.0 out of 5 stars Thin line between
This book is a nice introduction to Ann Rule if you want to check out her style of writing and not wanting to invest in a full book.

I'm also happy to see these books come out like this, I am a collector of the True Crime magazines and everyday they seem harder and harder to find, with books like this we get a taste of what was presented in those magazines .

The book is an informative but quick read and also including nice black and white photos enhancing to the true crime experience.

I look forward to any future releases in this format.
Ann Rule is one of the best when it comes to True Crime.



It was 1972, and the Oregon State University campus was considered one of the safest in America. Dorm residents felt so secure that some of them never bothered to lock their doors, unaware of the evil that lurked nearby. Everyone was shocked when the first girl was attacked. Soon there were more assaults. When honor student Nancy Wyckoff was murdered in her dorm room, detectives worked round the clock to catch her killer. But they were stumped when more victims came forward. The attacks did not seem to follow any pattern. DANGER IN THE DORM is one of Ann Rule's earliest true crime stories, published over four decades ago. In this first RETRO ANN RULE TRUE CRIME SHORT, Rule reports on the tragic murder that frightened students on campuses all over Oregon and beyond.



Monday, February 11, 2013

Serial Killer Series Boxed Set by RJ Parker Review 





5.0 out of 5 stars Just the Facts ma'am

I'm quickly become a big fan of True Crime books it probably all dates back to my growing up and my grandfathers subscription to True Detective Magazine. Now with the Kindle I can find so many great reads and this book is a great example of that fact.

I have both the paperback and the Kindle versions of the book and both contains photos of the whoever the story is about and having it being True Crime and factual photos are a nice bonus.

RJ's books take a very factual approach without a bunch of extra filler of emotions like an Ann Rule book. He just gives you the facts and a little bit of opinion thrown in here and there, These books are like an encyclopedia of serial killers and a great reference for anyone who is interested in Serial Killers.






Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Review of 51-50 a Noir Short Story by Paul D. Marks




5.0 out of 5 stars This Is How The World Ends

Wow what an amazing dark noir look at the world today. A cop at the end of his rope suffering from the state off affairs of the world we are becoming a part of. He suffers from depression over a violent case against a child that haunts him day and night. Will he finally crack?

Masterfully told with a short story that will stay with you long after you read it. Gang violence, Media, and the fall of mankind day by day empathy is lost and Hollow man emerges.




Tuesday, February 5, 2013



Naked City Best of DVD set 


 The new box set of Naked City has finally been released and it is a very nice collection, video and audio is very good. The packaging is very nice also.




DVD 1 
A Death of Princes
Debt of Honor 
The Man Who Bit A Diamond In Half
Murder Is A Face

DVD 2
A Hole In the City
Button In The Haystack
Shoes For Vinnie Winford
Vengeance Is A Wheel 

DVD 3
New York To L.A.
The Hot Minerva
The Night The Saints Lost Their Halo
A Case Study of Two Savages

DVD 4
The Fingers of Henri Tourelle
Which Is Joseph Creely?
Requiem For A Sunday Afternoon 
Ooftus Goofus

DVD 5
The Face of the Enemy
The Contract
Let Me Die Before I Wake
To Walk Like A Lion

DVD 6
Prime Of Life
The One Marked Hot Gives Cold
Hold For Gloria Christmas
A Horse Has A Big Head-Let Him Worry

DVD 7
Portrait Of A Painter
Don't Knock It 'Till You've Tried It
Alive And Still A Second Lieutenant 
The Tragic Success Of Alfred Tiloff

DVD 8
Spectre Of The Rose Street Gang
Goodbye Mamma, Hello Auntie Maud
Torment Him Much and Hold Him Long
Five Cranks For Winter... Ten Cranks For Spring

DVD 9
The Virtues of Madame Douvay
King Stanislaus And The Knights Of The Round Stable 
Her Life In Moving Pictures
Robin Hood And Clarence Darrow,They Went Out With The Bow And Arrow

DVD 10
The S.S. American Dream
One, Two Three, Rita Rakahowski
Golden Lads And Girls
Barefoot On A Bed Of Coals