Of the 10,000 novels published by legitimate American imprints this year (almost one an hour!), few will greatly profit either their author or publishing house. The book trade is historically poorly paid and genteel. A solitary writer,... Read More

“I want you to kill the bitch! I want you to throw acid in her face and burn her eyes out of her head! I want that woman cold in her grave!” Elizabeth Duncan’s jealousy and outrage became vicious when her son Frank got married.... Read More

For the thrill-seeker, murder doesn’t always measure up to expectations. We can hope for a power-crazy ex-commando indulging in a dramatic axe assault but may get a flat-footed meter-reader wielding a poisoned muffin. In fact, love and... Read More

When attorney Robert Shapiro asked Henry Lee to help his team clear O.J. Simpson of murder charges during what even then was already being called “the trial of the century,” the veteran forensic scientist was utterly unfamiliar with... Read More

Writers have been turning murder into literature since Cicero documented his own work in ancient Rome as a criminal advocate. Nevertheless, In Cold Blood is a far cry from The Mousetrap. Corpses abound and killers are caught in mystery... Read More

Although Boston resident Phil Cresta stole millions of dollars and was placed on the F.B.I.’s most wanted list, his name has failed to go down in the annals of crime history. Cresta, along with the aid of two accomplices, committed... Read More

A lovely young woman finally marries the man of her dreams, but less than two years later is found dead in the charred shell of her house in the small North Carolina town of Pleasant Garden. Compounding the tragedy, investigators... Read More