Tag Archives: True Crime

The People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Parry

British Literature

Synopsis: Subtitled: The True Story of a Young Woman [Lucie Blackman] Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo–and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up. Review: I have no idea what the title of The People Who Eat Darkness means, but that was the only thing I found unsatisfying about this riveting true crime read. Lucie Blackman was a British girl who went to Tokyo to pay off her debts working as a hostess, a paid entertainer to Japanese salarymen. She was not a prostitute or…

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The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales

American Literature

Synopsis: Subtitled: “How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World.” Review: I was really glad I only paid $2.99 for The Bling Ring during a special Kindle promotion, because it didn’t give me much more than I already knew from reading about the spoiled Valley kids who robbed a bunch of celebrities’ homes, including those belonging to Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Orlando Bloom. Not that I was expecting anything particularly hard-hitting, but I felt like this was just an…

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Dead by Sunset by Ann Rule

American Literature

Synopsis: The true crime account of the murder of a brilliant attorney by her sociopathically narcissistic husband. Review: I was looking for a quick and easy read and decided to return to an old favorite. Dead by Sunset is one of Ann Rule’s best books, offering an exquisitely detailed portrait of a narcissist and the destruction he created in the lives of his wives (5 of them), girlfriends (too numerous to count), kids (sadly he was a bad father to 6 kids), and business associates.…

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The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber

American Literature

Synopsis: Charlie Cullen was a hospital administrator’s dream–a nurse who took any shift and worked harder than anyone else–but to his patients, he was an “Angel of Death” who killed upwards of 300 people. Review: It’s been awhile since I read a true crime account, but when I heard a radio interview with The Good Nurse author Charles Graeber I knew I had to pick this one up. Charlie Cullen’s story is fascinating because of the institutional protection he received over his career as a…

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