The title Crime Time is perfection! As History and True Crime are amongst my favourite genres, I just had to read this and am very pleased I did. The author defines "crime" and then delves into the lives of 20 criminals and gangs from 1724-1923, their childhoods and upbringing, crimes themselves and their deaths (often executions). Not only does the author describe murder but also heists, bank robbing, kidnapping and shop lifting and the masterminds (and duds!) behind them. We also read about the origins of several expressions such as "double cross" and the story where dental evidence was first used. Talk about compelling! I hung onto every word.

Of the twenty stories, several stand out to me including Gentleman Jack who could escape almost everything, including prisons and once even joined the search for a criminal. He even became a venerated hero. The youngest I read about was a bullying twelve-year-old girl who hung for the murder she committed over a basket of strawberries and revenge.

Interestingly, criminals were often shown the results of their crime by the police to elicit responses including the murderer of the Girl in Green. Sometimes tickets were sold to attend sensational executions such as for Durgan who killed her employer in jealousy. Another story describes vigilantes and what they did to a terrifying gang. Many criminals kept corrupt politicians and police in their pockets through bribery and threats. The author also explains that some criminals repent yet others cast the blame in other directions such as women in general or former lovers.

Many of these criminals had heinous childhoods but not all of them did; some grew up wealthy and privileged and others were professionals or from wealthy and esteemed families. Still others begged parents to take care of their children and bring them up honourably to avoid pitfalls.

The photographs and newspaper clippings at the chapter headings are brilliant. I like that the author uses actual confessions, too. Those interested in history and true crime ought to read this.

My sincere thank you to Lyons Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the e-ARC of this thought-provoking and arresting book.

Crime Time by J. North Conway is a collection of 20 different true crime stories. It explores many different crimes throughout history, many of which were firsts in the United States.

This book was so full of great information. I loved how the author focused on lesser well-known crimes and criminals. Many of the stories also took place in my backyard of New York City, so I really appreciated learning more about the history of my hometown.

True crime stories is a genre I usually do not go for but I’m a huge history buff, so I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and well researched. It’s obvious the author was really passionate about the subject.

J. North Conway has written several other books on various historical topics and I will definitely be checking out his other works.

An outstanding book. The book is well illustrated and the stories are well done and intriguing. I really enjoyed the way the author brought the characters to life and told their story. I found this book hard to put down. A great read for the true crime fans!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay so I absolutely loved this book! I kinda figured that I was going to because I love both historical true crime and short stories so a book that combines both was pretty much a guaranteed win. I really enjoyed all the stories that were included and the way that the author gave you all the details you need without going too in depth, which leaves room for the reader to get a glimpse at the stories and to pick the ones that they want to learn more about.

(I plan on looking into all of these in the future because they were all fascinating)

I had heard of some of these stories but it was still nice to get a refresher and to see where they fit into the grand scheme of things. The stories hit all the main points and paint a really vivid picture of both the time and the people involved. It’s always fascinating to read about historical true crime and the punishments that were doled out for what now seems like petty crimes.

The only actual issue that I have with this book is a very tiny thing, but if we’re being honest it pisses me off to no end and kind of makes me question some other things. There’s a small mention of Jack the Ripper and when talking his victims the author refers to them as prostitutes when this is proven to be false and I think it’s a dangerous assumption to continue making.

I absolutely love true crime and this book was no exception. I loved the look into crimes I knew nothing or very little about. These stories were gruesome and disgusting which I loved.

I love this book about true crime stories. As a true crime connoisseur, the best ones are covered here. This will be extremely interesting to all readers.

Interesting stories and written well. Even though most of the stories I've read before, it's a book well worth a read anyway. It was a nice way to spend the short time it took me to read.