The New York Times Book of Crime
More Than 166 Years of Covering the Beat

Edited by Kevin Flynn

This interesting compilation has a bit for every variety of crime buff. Broken into sections by type of crime (such as Murder, White Collar, The Mob, etc), articles from the venerable New York Times are reprinted as they were run at the time. This both gives a glimpse of stylistic changes and changes in how crimes are approached.

While many of the crimes are familiar (pretty much everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper), some are not, and some bring back names you knew but may have forgotten about. Most articles include a brief note at the end providing follow up and updates to the resolution of the crime.

I would definitely recommend this as a great place to start a true crime journey, as most articles can be followed up with a quick online search for more in depth books and information. In addition, as these are direct reprints of the original articles, they make for surprisingly quick reading, especially given the length of the book.

Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society
America's Original Gangsters and the U.S. Postal Detective Who Brought Them to Justice

William Oldfield and Victoria Bruce

Sometimes heroes are found in the unlikeliest places. While perhaps not an edge-of-your-seat page turner, this book casts a fascinating light on a department and subject that is the last place one would think to look for convicting Mafia gangsters - the U.S. Postal Service.

The author is a descendant of the titular Inspector Oldfield who discovered that through malice, malaise, or bureaucracy, the story of the disruption and conviction of the Black Hand Society at the hands of his ancestor had never been told, and indeed, was completely left out of official documentation. Fortunately the family had held onto what memorabilia they were able to throughout the years, and the digitization of newspapers made additional information available. The story traces from our heroes early life and failures, through his appointment to a job he, frankly, thought would be uninteresting, to the final conviction of organized crime members.

I did find it a bit more interesting than some might, as a name was featured that I had personally interacted with in the past, and I must say, the police photographs just might show some family resemblance to the individuals I had encountered. Perhaps those speculations all those years ago about a businesses practices weren't so far off after all...

Exposed
The Secret Life of Jodi Arias

Jane Velez-Mitchell

Trashy. Voyeuristic. Salacious. A high profile murder case that was all of these things could do no less than spawn a book that reflects these same characteristics. Although there are a few bits in the writing style that give me a bit of an eye twitch ("killed him to death"? As opposed to what, killing him to inconvenienced?) I found this a quick read, obviously geared toward an audience looking for the gruesome and salacious inside story.

Starting with the discovery of the murdered Travis Alexander, the book begins with the life of the perpetrator and victim, as well as their time together, relationship and breakup, and bits of what was seen by friends and acquaintances, then alternates chapters with coverage of the investigation and trial. Although not for the faint of heart in some respects, this book will surely satisfy all the morbid fascination of any true crime fan.