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Interested in true crime books - ideally set in the Southern California area. I've searched the libraries and found several (Helter Skelter, etc) and read them.
Predator: Rape, Madness, and Injustice in Seattle by Jack Olson - the first half of the book takes place in the Los Angeles area. A must read for anyone who might serve on a jury - never assume someone is guilty simply because they have been charged.
Why: The Serial Killer In America by Margaret Cheney is a good one. Coroner by Thomas Noguchi is a classic.
Wolf and Mader's Fallen Angels is one I'm planning to read.
Any book on the Zebra Murders is worth reading. Cut! Hollywood Murders, Accidents, And Other Tragedies by Warren Leonard is another. The Road Out Of Hell by Anthony Flacco and Jerry Clark is terrific. A Mother's Trial by Nancy Wright is a favorite of mine; taking place just a few miles away is another favorite, Bad Blood: A Family Murder In Marin County by Richard Levine. Outrage by Vincent Bugliosi is good, but not as good as his other one, And The Sea Will Tell. That one is questionable as far as taking place in California; the trial did, but the crime was conducted elsewhere.
There are 8 million books on the Black Dahlia case; take your pick. My Dark Places by James Ellroy is a good one. The Night Stalker -- either the one by Cliff Linedecker or Philip Carlo -- is a great case.
Most of Joseph Wambaugh's books take place in California; Fire Loveris a great one.
Predator: Rape, Madness, and Injustice in Seattle by Jack Olson - the first half of the book takes place in the Los Angeles area. A must read for anyone who might serve on a jury - never assume someone is guilty simply because they have been charged.
Thank you! So many assume if you've been accused, you must be guilty of something...this book will go on my "to read list"
Another great one for that is The Devil's Knot, although it takes place in Arkansas. Or either of the books on Juan Corona, The Road To Yuba City by Tracy Kidder or the terrifying Jury by Victor Villasenor. The Corona story is a California serial-murder case.
In my earlier post I forgot to recommend Sharon Tate And The Manson Murders -- it tells you much, much more about all the players in the story, including what happened to the survivors, families of the victims, witnesses and so on and so forth in the years following the Manson trial.
2 books about Serial Killer Wayne Adam Ford - Shadows of Evil by Carlton Smith, and Body Parts by Caitlin Rother.
I forgot the author of this one - but it is simply titled The Hillside Strangler - about Buono and Bianchi.
This one is set in Northern California - but the book is an excellent account of homicide investigation - and an intriguing look at a relatively unknown serial killer - Trace Evidence: The Search for the i-5 Strangler - it is about Roger Kibbe.
PProbably the second true crime book I ever read, the first being Truman Capotes, In Cold Blood. Both gave me chills and nightmares.....excellent, excellent book. Joseph Wambaugh's fiction was better than his subsequent true crime, IMO, with the exception of the ONion Field. I enjoyed his series of books on the LAPD...The Blue Knight, The NEw Centurions, The Glitter Dome, The Choirboys....I loved, loved, loved those books.
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