True stories

Casualties of War by Daniel Lang (Open Road Media ebook, $9.99).

The Killing of Karen Silkwood by Richard Rashke (Open Road Media ebook, $9.99).

The Murder of Dr. Chapman: The Legendary Trials of Lucretia Chapman and Her Lover by Linda Wolfe (Open Road Media ebook, $9.99).

Nutcracker: Money, Madness, Murder: A Family Album by Shana Alexander (Open Road Media ebook, $9.99).

The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case by James Neff (Open Road Media ebook, $9.99).

If pressed, the only thing we can really say is missing from the selection of “true crime” writing that Open Road Media has now made available as ebooks is the Ann Rule classic, The Stranger Beside Me, which detailed the hunt for serial killer Ted Bundy—a hunt in which he actually offered his help. No problem—that one’s available in a cheap edition from Amazon.

But starting with a classic of narrative long-form journalism, these books make for some fascinating reading. Daniel Lang’s Casualties of War was first published as a feature story in the New Yorker in 1969. It describes in detail the 1968 events that made up what the U.S. Army called the Incident on Hill 192, in which a forward patrol was found to have kidnapped a Vietnamese girl, raped her repeatedly, then murdered her to avoid being found out. The sole member of the patrol who refused to participate also went to superior officers; Lang’s breathtaking reporting eventually became the basis for the 1989 film, which starred Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn.

It was, next to the My Lai massacre that occurred the same year, a flashpoint in the altered perception of U.S. troops in Vietnam. But first and foremost, it is a story about how bravery and depravity exist side-by-side in war, and as such, it stands as a milepost in good reporting.

Richard Rashke’s The Killing of Karen Silkwood is a serious piece of journalism that tracks down a number of theories associated with the mysterious death of the Oklahoma plutonium-plant worker in a single-car crash in Oklahoma in 1974. First published in 1981, Rashke’s book was among the sources used by writers Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen for the screenplay for the Mike Nichols’ 1983 film Silkwood, which starred Meryl Streep as the title character.

One of the biggest flaws in the film is the complications and conspiracy theories that surround Silkwood’s death; there’s no way to make it into a traditional narrative arc without losing the depth and nuance of the story. Fortunately, Rashke had the space and the reporting chops to do the job, and this book remains a classic.

Linda Wolfe dives a bit deeper into history for her 2004 book, which examines the murder of Dr. William Chapman by his wife, Lucretia, and her Cuban lover in 1831. It’s a historical murder-mystery, the tension heightened when Lucretia Chapman’s lover, Lino Espos y Mina, turned on her and wrote his own account of the affair and murder, painting himself as having been used by a conniving woman.

It seems that Americans have always loved high-profile murder trials, and Wolfe’s book on the Chapman case provides proof that we have a “trial of the century” every two years or so.

The late and legendary journalist Shana Alexander tackled the 1978 murder of Mormon millionaire Franklin Bradshaw by his own grandson, and at the urging of his daughter. This 1985 book was one of two on the subject and is, by far, the better one, if only because Alexander was such a good writer. Though at times it reads a bit like a pot-boiler, Alexander knows how to tell a good story about some extremely weird people. Nutcracker is a classic, and the perfect antidote to poorly-written true crime stories.

Finally, James Neff tackles the murder that led to the creation of the popular 1960s TV series, The Fugitive (and, of course, the later Harrison Ford movie). In 1954, young and handsome Dr. Sam Sheppard was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in their home. It was the Scott and Lacy Peterson case of the ‘50s, and eventually, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the “carnival atmosphere” surrounding the trial had cost Sheppard his due process rights.

Neff, in this 2001 book, takes a fresh look at a very cold case. Sheppard had been acquitted after a second trial, 12 years after the first, but had still suffered greatly in the court of public opinion. His son, who had been seven years old when his mother died, lost a lawsuit that charged Ohio had falsely imprisoned his father.

But Neff, in re-examining the evidence, determines that Richard Eberling, the “bushy-haired” man Sheppard claimed to have seen that night, was indeed the likely killer. But he also takes a long, hard look at the social and cultural context in which the crime was committed and prosecuted—and nobody comes off looking particularly good.

If satisfying reading about real events—especially true crime—is on your agenda, these classics offer better choices than you’re likely to find elsewhere.

The now almost mythical story of the one-armed killer's murder of Mrs. Sheppard and Dr. Sheppard's subsequent blame for the killing is explored in this true-crime thriller.

A well-researched book, it takes you on a ride through more recent scientific clues, including DNA, proving Sheppard's innocence. James Neff then explores the details to prove who the real killer was.

The incompetence of the police and those investigating this crime were part of the reason that this real-life story went so wrong.

I enjoyed this, part-mystery and part-real life, and recommend it.

This is a compelling which does little for 1950's United States justice. Unfortunately, and it is not the author's fault, the ending is assumed but unprovable. It is exceedingly well researched and written.