This is a great exploration of how crime has changed over time both due to the changes in the way criminals behave and commit crimes and the ways that technology has changed the way we can track and catch criminals in modern times.

There were some new things that I never heard of before but the information was so short that it didn't keep my interest at all. I wanted in-depth new information and this was just regurgitated google in my opinion. Nothing new on what I wanted to learn new and more information about.

*I received this book from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

Murderinos, this book is for us! This book is a comprehensive guide covering some of the most infamous cases from all over the world! Get it for you house to show off your true crime love and to learn more on how exactly criminals think. SSDGM!

This was a great little encyclopedia of facts for the avid true crime junkie such as myself! I have an odd fascination with this morbid topic and this provided some facts and info I hadn't heard before!

I really like the Big Ideas Simply Explained series. It is an overview, so it won't be the source to go to if you are looking for something in-depth, of course -- but for sparking interest in areas that students are not familiar with, this series is excellent. Often students find something that they want to learn more about from these overviews. Since this book is about crime, I'd only recommend it for older, more mature students.

Very good read with plenty of research involved. For anyone who's interested in true crime and criminal studies, So much detailed information, without much filler.

*I was given an e arc from meatballs in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this read! I'm a big history nerd and I found the different crimes to very interesting. My husband likes informational books like this so we will definitely be rereading!

Since I was young, I always enjoyed reading about crimes...forensic files was my favorite show. This book has the well known as well as some that I had not heard of as often. Information provided here is thorough and accurate. A great addition to the library of anyone interested in crimes and the people who've committed them.

Such a cool book, exhaustedly written and fascinating. If you are interested in true crime, this is a book for you.

As much as I wanted to read this galley it was a no go as a download to was not possible as I tried all possible scenarios
1. Kindle format not available.
2. File could not be opened when downloaded
3. Protected file
Being that the publisher makes it such difficult task I would NOT recommend this book

Super interesting, great book to pick up randomly and enjoy some compelling stories! Organized perfectly.

This book was a very interesting read. It gave insight into the different aspects of criminology by going through many famous murders. A compelling read for any true crime fan.

This is an interesting book. It touched on every category that I could think of including: Arson, Burglary, Murder, Kidnapping, Serial Killers, Organized Crime, Political Crimes, White Collar Crimes and much more. It covers crimes from various time periods Present (2010s) to Neanderthal. There is something for everyone and it includes a directory. It gives general information on different types of crimes (such as types of serial killers) within each section of the book as well as information on certain cases (such as Teapot Dome). I really like these types of books and I enjoyed this book very much.

my computer cannot open pdf files, so cannot review -

The Crime Book by DK Publishing

2 stars

The Crime Book is clocks in with over 300 pages of crime. This novel covers an expansive range of different crimes and is covered in a newspaper format that feels very much like you are sitting down with a cup of coffee/tea/whatever and you are flipping through the newspaper witnessing coverage. It’s a very interesting format and I commend DK Publishing for taking the time and effort to make every page, timeline, photograph, and work of art standout and be not only eye-grabbing, but also accurate to the information being covered. The writing, however, does lose its grip after countless sections and a lot of it becomes a little boring. I can’t believe I’m saying that crime is boring, but the way the topics are covered wasn’t wholly gripping and I found myself easily putting this novel down to read something else instead.


There are a ton of different topics covered in this book and that makes it unique. Most crime books heavily focus on only one area of crime—murder or serial killers. This novel spends some time on those topics, but it isn’t the central focus on this novel and because of that I learned a lot of information on forensics and other cases that I’ve never heard of before.


Bandits, Robbers, & Arsonists

This section covers eighteen cases. The majority of the focus is on bandits and robbers, which is a really interesting period of crime because robbers and bandits became highly romanticized during the Gold Rush and the Great Depression. Some of my favorite cases were:
Burke and Hare, the original body snatchers. The term “burking” originates from Burke’s unique method of suffocation to acquire more bodies for their business.
Bonnie and Clyde, one of the most infamous couples in history. They are highly romanticized, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes intentionally by the media, but their history as bandits is scary and wrought with murder.
John Leonard Orr, a pyrophile, who failed the police psychological evaluation and became a firefighter. This guy did a ton of damage to the LA area and had an astronomical body count. He also wrote a novel while in prison that alludes to other vicious crimes he may committed.
Phoolan Devi, a popular Indian bandit who orchestrated a major mass murder of 22 people (two of them being her rapists) and was known for redistributing wealth to lower caste families and villagers. I had never heard of her before, but her story is incredibly fascinating.


Con Artists

This section covers eleven cases. Some of them are typical con cases others are elaborate schemes like the Alcatraz prison break. This section for me was a bit of a miss and some of the information was interesting, but it failed to fully hold my attention. My favorite case was Konrad Kujau and his elaborate forgery of Hitler’s diaries. The case was incredibly interesting and easily my favorite of the section.


White Collar Crimes

This section covers twelves cases of crimes that involve fraud and government coverups that are illegal. The Bhopal Disaster was my favorite case covered because I had never heard of it and I felt like it was an incredibly important topic about American companies harming foreign countries (this case India) and resulting in mass deaths.


Organized Crime

This section covers ten cases ranging from the mafia to gangs across the globe. It’s incredibly interesting and I enjoyed a large portion of this section. Some of the most interesting were the Sicilian Mafia, Hells Angels (motorcycle gang), “Freeway” Rick Ross (crack cocaine empire), the Triads (Chinese mafia), and the Yakuza (Japanese mob).


Kidnapping and Extortion

This section covers seven cases of kidnappings around the globe. The cases that I enjoyed reading the most about were the Kidnapping of Natasha Kampusch and the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping. This section was incredibly fascinating because I’m not incredibly familiar with kidnapping cases and while there are some I know of, there are more that I have only heard vaguely mentioned or have little to no knowledge of.


Murder Cases

This section covers twenty cases of murder. Topics include the Black Dahlia murder, the Lizzie Borden trial, the Manson Family, Tupac and Biggie’s murders, and O.J. Simpson are some of the most famous cases that have widely covered in the media. My favorite cases that were new to me was the Dripping Killer, the Texas Tower Massacre, and the Murder of James Bulger. These cases were all very sad and made me depressed as well as slightly paranoid that the people around me may be killers.


Serial Killers

This section covers twelve serial killers and this is where my ARC copy started to have missing pages and began to feel frustrated. This section was almost glossed over too quickly. The majority of the topics covered were brief and I think that this was because I was missing a fair bit of pages. I was also surprised by the small amount of cases covered. This was where I started to lose interest and I just wanted this to be over with. There were a couple of cases covered that I had never about before and that was interesting, but I felt like my copy kept me from gaining a vast portion of the material and this severely hindered my enjoyment of the section.


Assassinations and Political Plots

The vast majority of this section was missing from my copy so I stopped taking notes and gave up on finishing. I quickly lost interest and couldn’t bring myself to care.


Would I recommend The Crime Book? I’m not sure. Due to the large portion of pages missing from my edition I wasn’t able to fully decide how I felt about the overall composition of this novel. However, if you are a true crime fan and enjoy collecting crime memorabilia, then this would be perfect for you.


Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. All of these illustrations pop up throughout the text and the illustrations was one of my favorite aspects of this novel.

Thank you, Netgalley and DK Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Such an incredible guide. I loved it . Great reference material.

Super interesting read! Well formatted, descriptive, and detailed without getting bogged down with them. The crime stories chosen were well written and had a nice variety. If true crime is something you like, its a good read. Though not meant to be read straight through all at once.

I didn’t know DK did anything but travel books, though this follows the format set by those.
The most intriguing fact hits right at the beginning: the first known homicide occurred 430,000 years ago.
This book turned out to have a pretty standard design, in the form of a reference book: one- or two-page chapters on famous criminals or crimes, with panels featuring similar acts. Each chapter is led with a meaningful title and an even more meaningful drawing, a caricature of the crime in question; my fave was the horse and the can of paint.
Some of the categories really aren’t, more like broad labels: celebrity murder, desert murder, and so on. Don’t expect anything in-depth here, merely something to pique your interest so you can explore the fascinating crime further on your own. Other than to let the reader know about a particular case, there’s nothing here that can’t be found in other books or the internet.

4.5 stars
This book was awesome!
This book consists of different sections with main topics such as bandits, con artists, white collar crime, kidnappings, organized crimes, murder, serial killers and so many others. Within each section, there are individualized stories - with crimes committed as early as 1303 to present day. Some are well-known cases such as Bundy and Dahmer, while some I haven't even heard of-and I read quite a bit about true crime.
This book was really interesting and well paced. That being said, this is not an intensive read by any means- some are even just a single page in length. You could read the whole book in one sitting or just a story here and there. Each story covers the location, theme, and the before and after. Includes black and white photos for each story-either newspaper articles, crime scene photos (nothing gory or inappropriate), and the criminal themselves.
I would recommend this one to any true crime lover or someone interested in this subject.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest opinion. My thanks to DK and Cathy Scott for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a wonderful book! It is concise and I'm in awe of the research that went into this book. I bookmarked several stories. Highly recommended.