Member Reviews

I received an advance copy of, The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, by Tom McCarthy. This book is for fans of true crimes. It goes back centuries, when women killed and sometimes got away with it.

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An interesting collection of stories. The variety and diverse stories will keep the interest of any reader. The only drawback was a few of the stories ended without a finish, leaving the reader wondering what happened. However, overall the book is a good read.

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

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I love true crime stories and this book was a great collection of events. There are so many interesting stories and facts in this one.

This is well written and researched. Some of these stories I was familiar with and others were new to me. I always like reading the different perspectives on crimes as people always seem to have different thoughts and theories.

If you are a lover of true crime this is one you are going to want to add to your shelves.

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A well-researched, well plotted, nonfiction book about some of the biggest crimes and heists of the last one hundred years. Once you start reading you are well aware that the author is a speaker and an intellectual and not just a true-crime buff. It reads as though we need to take notes and prepare for a test at the end. Which some people will not like, or appreciate, but I enjoyed it.
I learned a few new small pieces of information and clues, but not as much as I hoped to form a new novel and new investigator into these infamous stories. These days it is hard to come up with new info and be the one to uncover and share new insights when all of us arm-chair-podcast-google-detectives have seen and heard it all.
BUT really. over all it was informative and well done.

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My thanks to Rowman and Littlefield. The editor Tom McCarthy and Netgalley.
I'll confess that I was intrigued. I've never watched the play or movie "Chicago." So, seeing these two stories, that I'd never heard of was great! I will say that I'm o.k. with the current era. An equal crime should always be equal time.
Unfortunately, the stories became a bit wonky!
I think it was due to continuity issues! Yes! That is me blaming the editor, Tom McCarthy!
Some stories just ended. THE END.
Oh, you want to know what happened after? Nope!
I'll remember the name of Tom McCarthy, and I'll say a cuss word before and after!

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The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told is a collection of “…stunning heists and unspeakable murders from the front pages of history…” written in a mesmerizing way that introduces the reader to very well-known crimes as well as some crimes that have not been focused on as often, making this a diverse set of crimes and an interesting read for any true crime lover. In all the cases presented, one can say for sure, that human nature is much scarier than fiction.

Each story is easy to read and if filled with not only the pertinent facts (just the facts ma’am, LOL) of the crime but also suggestions as to the motive, reasoning, and actions that all involved took; that includes law enforcement, the courts as well as the victims and killer(s). More than just a re-telling, this collection shines a light on the important details of the crimes, the people affect and the questions that these cases bring forth. The collection also gives the reader the entire story, from before the crime, to the crime to the sentencing and the outcome of the participants lives in the end.

Maybe because I have read hundreds upon hundreds of true crime books, this one was interesting to me because of its structure. The first story is told in both a narrative and court document form making the reader feel like they are reading the transcripts from the trial as well as being told a story. Every crime is engaging and interesting and I think any true crime readers who is looking for new and different cases will find this collection with the read.

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