Best Selling "True Crime" Books

Non-fiction lovers know that the truth isn't just stranger than fiction -- it can be a whole lot scarier, as well.

1. In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences - Truman Capote
The granddaddy of the modern true crime genre, In Cold Blood's detailed account of the murder of the Clutter family in 1959 rural Kansas is as good today as it was in 1965. Not only is it an admirable true crime book, it is non-fiction writing at its best. I included it in my list of 20 best non-fiction books for people who think they hate to read non-fiction.

2. The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez - Philip Carlo
The satanic motivations of the rapist and murderer the "Night Stalker" are discussed in chilling detail in this book.

3. Confessions of Son of Sam - David Abrahamsen
Classic scare-yourself-silly reading.

4. A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath - Jeanine Cummins
Highly emotional account of the 1991 rape and murder of Robin and Julie Kerry and the attempted murder of their cousin, Tom Cummins who, for some time after the crime, remained wrongfully targeted as the prime suspect by the police.

5. Murder in the Family - Burl Barer
Details the 1987 Anchorage, Alaska murders of a mother, Nancy Newman, and her two daughters by the 23-year old nephew of Nancy's husband.

6. The Mammoth Book of Women Who Kill - Richard Glyn Jones
Sounds hokey, I know, but it's the sort of book you pick up and find yourself reading for hours on end. Covers every murderess of note in detail from ancient Rome to the 1930s. If you can't get enough, don't fret: you've still got The Mammoth Book of Illustrated Crime; The Mammoth Book of Unsolved Crimes; and The Mammoth Book of True Crime.

7. The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer
A gutsy hybrid of fiction and non-fiction, this book relates the crimes and execution of Gary Gilmore.

8. Shot in the Heart - Mikhail Gilmore
Tells the Gary Gilmore story from the perspective of Gilmore's brother, who relates the abusive background that contributed to the murders Gary committed.

9. Perfect Victim: The True Story of 'The Girl in the Box' by the D.A. that Prosecuted her Captor - Christine McGuire and Carla Norton
One of those totally-normal-looking-couple-keeping-a-sex-slave-imprisoned-in-the-basement tales. Yikes.

10. Cries in the Desert - John Glatt
Lots and lots of horror and torture in New Mexico.

11. Dead and Buried: A Shocking Account of Rape, Torture, and Murder on the California Coast - Corey Mitchell
Like the two books above, this isn't for the faint of heart. The title says it all.

12. My Life among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers - Helen Morrison and Harold Goldberg
Helen Morrison was a forensic psychologist who interviewed some of the most infamous serial killers of the past several decades. A lot of the details here are not for the squeamish.

13. I: The Creation of a Serial Killer - Jack Olsen
Highly detailed story of the rapist and murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson. Be warned: some of the story is told from Jesperson's point of view and can be more than a little disturbing.

14. The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule
Explores Ann Rule's friendship with Ted Bundy while working with him at a crisis hotline service, her shock at learning of his murderous tendencies, and her search to understand what makes killers like Bundy tick.

15. Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Fiendish Killer - Harold Schechter
And you thought Silence of the Lambs was scary. This tale of Albert Fish, allegedly the real-life inspiration for Hannibal Lecter, makes Silence of the Lambs look like Little Bo Peep.

16. Lethal Intent - Sue Russell
Tells the story of female serial killer Aileen Wuornos, the subject of the film "Monster."

17. Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders - Terry Sullivan
Terry Sullivan divides Killer Clown into three parts: the search for the missing 15 year-old Rob Piest; the focusing of the investigation on Gacy and the discovery of bodies buried on his property; and Gacy's trial. Lurid details abound -- Gacy was a truly sadistic, horrific individual.

18. The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare - Donald A. Davis
Not high literature, but hard to put down, nonetheless.

19. Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho - Harold Schechter
Like Mr. Schechter's Deranged, Deviant contains details that a casual crime reader might find too much to handle.

20. Fatal Vision - Joe McGinniss
Relates the story and trial of Jeffrey MacDonald, accused of murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters. One of the unusual aspects of this book is that the author actually lived with MacDonald in the months leading up to the murder trial.

21. Angels of Death: A True Story of Murder and Innocence Lost - Gary C. King
Disturbing story of 12 year-old Alex King and his 13 year-old brother, Derek, accused of murdering their father.

22. Bitter Harvest: A Woman's Fury, a Mother's Sacrifice - Ann Rule
Detailed account of the 1995 house fire in which two of Debora Green's three children died. The book includes details of Green's later trial, where she was accused of arson, leaving her children to die, and attempting to poison her husband prior to the fire.

23. Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone - John Kobler
A biography of the Chicago mob boss that includes some graphic details of the crimes he supervised.

24. Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia - Peter Maas
A suspenseful, inside look at the Mafia, based on Mr. Maas's interviews with Gravano.

25. Crime of the Century: The Lindbergh Kidnapping Hoax - Gregory Ahlgren and Stephen Monier

Taken from:
50 best true crime books: truth stranger -- and scarier -- than fiction
July 26, 6:43 PMBook ExaminerMichelle Kerns

If you'd like to peer into the dark heart of true crime, you can't do better than this list of the [50] best true crime novels ever written. Serial killers, famous murder cases, bizarre nightmares of human cruelty, mobsters, gangsters, police procedurals, and courtroom dramas -- find the best of the bunch here.

A Word to the Wise: Some of these titles include a decent amount of explicit violence and sexuality, as well as just being plain freaky. They are, perhaps, not the best choice of reading matter for the Young and Impressionable or those who are afraid of Things That Go Bump in the Night. Proceed with caution, a dose of common sense, and triple Yale locks on all doors.

"Camren Colley" came to visit Grammi and Papa John!

It has been a while since I posted, but here are a few pics from Camren's stay during the Summer of 2009!

John Greene, Jr.'s 25th Birthday - June 1, 2009

Twenty-five years ago John Rodman Greene, Jr. was born in Houston, Texas at Memorial City Hospital. If I remember correctly, my little guy was born at 2:05 p.m.



Now, twenty-five years later, he has come back to the Houston area to roost! He moved to Katy this past weekend after spending two years in Dallas. He is still working for JP Morgan and Danielle will be working at Mayde Creek High School next year.



We celebrated John's birthday tonight by having his favorite spaghetti dinner, salad, bread, carrot cake, and cheesecake. He left with a birthday bag of left-overs which will come in handy since Danielle is still working in Dallas this week.



Presents followed the University of Texas theme. Ask him about them.

We wish John a very Happy Birthday.



We love you son.

Mom and Dad

Camren Colley - Easter, 2009

Here are some pictures of Camren in Lubbock, Texas enjoying Easter, 2009!

How to Organize an Easter Dinner

Camren's Newest Picture

Happy Easter!

This blog is dedicated to the preparation and serving of the Easter meal prepared by Patti Greene on April 12 2009! Understand that I don't consider myself a cook. In fact, I am a "Celebration Cook." I like cooking for family gatherings, but not for every day cooking. So, I would like to share with my family how this meal was put together, and maybe---just maybe you will get some hints on how to make an Easter dinner or any dinner for that matter in the future.

1. First you need to think about what you want to serve. I looked through cookbooks (color pictures ones mostly) and the Internet. My final recipe consisted of...
a. Appetizer - Chips, French onion dip, Hot sauce, and Deviled eggs
b. Salad - Green salad, and Fruit cup
c. Smoked Ham, Raisin sauce, Marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole,Twice-baked potatoes, Savory peas, and Corn.
d. Thick homemade bread and Corn bread (courtesty of Grandmother)
e. Drinks - Iced-tea, Coffee, Coke in a bottle, Diet coke, and water
f. Pies - Apple pie, Sugar free apple pie, Sugar free blueberry pie, and Peach pie (courtesy of Grandmother and Melissa) and ice-cream

2. I had my recipes all together and I made my grocery shopping list.





3. Two days before Easter, I set the table.



Just joking. My table wasn't that pretty, but mine was cute. See below.



4. The day before Easter, I tried to make as much as I could, starting with the sweet potato casserole. (Oh, I made the deviled eggs too.)



5. I then prepared as much of the salad as I could, i.e. I washed and cut the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cucumbers. I put them in plastic bags to keep fresh until Easter Day.



6. I decided I could cut up all the fruit cup except for the apples and bananas, so I did that on Saturday. I cut up the kiwi, orange, strawberries, and grapes. Again, I bagged them to keep them fresh.



7. I cut the pats of butter - I sliced the lemon - I made the raisin sauce - I made the twice-baked potatoes - I brewed the tea the day before. However, I had to wait until Easter to make the peas and corn.



9. Now it is Easter. We went to Saturday night church, so we were all rested on Easter morning. Grandmother and Grandfather came over. They are sitting on the couch eating their appetizers.



10.You can see me in the kitchen wearing my new apron from "The Bib Shoppe" (www.bibshoppe.com). I love it. It fits so nice, and I love the pockets in the front.



11.We ate the salads first, then we proceeded to the buffet line.





12.After the main course, we all had some pie (with ice-cream.) Yum.




13.After dinner, we go and hang out in the family room. Jimmy opens his birthday presents. Jimmy has come to love the old-time Coca Cola - in a bottle that is.



14. If you look, you can see Jimmy's Easter basket. It consisted of random things like bandaids, highlighters, notepads, toothbrush, etc. I think he was disappointed there wasn't any candy in there, but I didn't think he would want it.



15. And now Jimmy can start his 23rd year with 2 new shirts and 2 new pairs of shorts!



16. Then, we all sit around tired from all the calories we have eaten.



It was a good Easter. It would have been a perfect Easter if the entire family was there, but we will take who we can get.

Happy Easter everyone.

P.S. Sorry, no pics of dad. He was the photographer.

Patti

Easter is Coming!

Hi Everyone,

Well, Easter is on the way. I am cooking at my house. Jimmy, mom, dad, Chuck, Melissa, Michael, Madeleine, John, and I will be here. I really wish Jennifer and Coby and John and Danielle were going to be here. I enjoy it so much when the entire family is together - that is why I like Christmas so much. It seems that is the only time we are all together.

It is only Good Friday, and I have already set most of the table for Easter Dinner! Okay, the glasses aren't on the table yet, and yes, the table will look better when the entire family is around and there is food on the table, but here is a preview. Just pretend what it will be like.



Today, we waited for Victor Lopez to show up and give us an estimate on a back patio. He was supposed to arrive at 10:00 a.m., but since he didn't show up by 10:45 a.m., we decided to go and do our errands - a trip to the new outlet mall at 290; a stop off at a home decorating store; Garden Ridge; Mardel's (yes a new Mardel's opened near Fry Road on Monday); Hobby Lobby; and Kroger for our Easter food! Yum, we are having ham, corn, peas, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, twice-baked potatoes, salad, fruit cup, bread, and pies! The pies will be loaded with candles to celebrate Jimmy's 23rd birthday too. Anyway, the big thing was our trip to the Coach store. John bought me a Coach purse today. Jimmy got me hooked on Coach purses after buying two fake ones for me when he was in NYC. But, I longed for the real thing. I am so happy to get one now. Which one do you think is the real one?



If you guessed the one on the right, you are correct. Don't you just love it?



Above is the picture of John buying me my first "real" Coach purse! He looks good buying me stuff, doesn't he?

Other things I did today were putting more pics of Camren on the refrigerator, and taking a picture of the blanket that Carole Olivero made for Camren. Yes, Jen, that means a THANK YOU NOTE!



Well, gotta run and watch my favorite show - Friday Night Lights! It is amazing that I love that show when I don't even like football.

Patti

Mongolia - Dinner at New York Pizzeria - April 7, 2009

Hi Y'all,

John and I received a postcard in the mail last week inviting us to dinner at the New York Pizzeria in the Westgreen Gardens Shopping Center. CTW LifeQuest Mongolia was inviting us to attend an evening of food, fellowship and fun with some Mongolian guests, Norjin, Davaasuren, and Chimgee. CTW LifeQuest Mongolia is the organization that Jerry and Susan Smith operate in Mongolia ministering to the Mongolian people. They run an orphanage in the country that is well recognized by the Mongolian government. The children in the orphanage have been thriving both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The reason we were invited is because John, Jennifer, and Jimmy went to Mongolia on a mission trip about 6 years ago! It was a very interesting evening and I want to share some pictures from our evening and about Mongolia. Enjoy.











So, just in case I have sparked your interest in Mongolia, I am posting an overview about the country from ABC CLIO World Geography below!

The north-central Asian nation of Mongolia (sometimes called Outer Mongolia) lies landlocked between Russia to the north and China to the south, east, and west (Inner Mongolia is part of China). Mongolia's semi-arid southeastern plain, which extends into the Gobi Desert, sweeps upward into vast steppes where extremely severe winters (known locally as zud) frequently kill livestock, the Mongolian people's most important resource. The nation has what is called a "continental climate"—wide temperature ranges in a single day, very cold winters, cool to hot summers, and little rainfall (Mongolia averages about 250 sunny days per year). Parts of the country can get as hot as 107°F in the desert, though in general temperatures range between about 20°F and 71°F nationwide. More than 90% of Mongolians are Khalkh Mongols, but this majority has no grievance with the country's indigenous ethnic groups, which mainly include a small Turkic (mostly Kazakh) minority. The Mongols, who are mostly Tibetan Buddhists, speak Khalkha Mongol, while the Muslim Kazakhs speak a Turkic-based language. (Atheism was the official state policy toward religion under the communist regimes that ruled from the 1930s to the 1980s.) Mongolia's population of almost 3 million people only sparsely inhabits its vast rural stretches. Less than 50% of the people live in the country's few cities. The capital and largest city, Ulan Bator, is located in the northeastern section of Mongolia's harsh, rugged terrain.

Chat later.

Patti

Pictures come from Patti's IPhone or ABC-CLIO World Geography