This book was different than most true crime books I have read. There were several stories and essays about different crimes, they were told as a first person narrative, and there were different types of crimes covered (not just murder or other violent crimes). I would say that it's more about crime in general than what you would traditionally think of when you think of the true crime genre. Overall, I enjoyed it but this may be different than you would expect jut going by the title.

A collection of true-crime essays by various authors, this book contains a variety of subjects, many of which have never been written about before. While, as typical in a collection of essays, some are better than others, on the whole these pieces are well-written and well-researched. I may not have always agreed with an author's point of view, but the book as a whole was a gripping read. ( )

I like true crime and I found these stories compelling. They were well written. Man's inhumanity to man is always fascinating and disturbing but I would have liked to have heard more information from the crime scenes themselves and the investigators thoughts and reactions about them.

Overall an interesting read. ( )

True Crime is a collection of true short stories, almost all of which are about a particular crime with one or two that are more philosophical thoughts on crime. Many of these stories are written by the people who lived them, although a few are instead written by journalists. As the slightly over-dramatic subtitle indicates, the content of these stories varies widely.

I requested this book because I like non-fiction and since I’m trying to read through the Dewey Decimal system, I was going to get to a true crime book eventually. When it came to actually reading it, however, I apprehensive that the stories would be too violent, too gruesome, and too melodramatic. I was pleasantly surprised on all counts. As a true crime story, of course some of the stories make you contemplate how human beings can do such horrible things to each other. It’s not going to be an entirely happy book. There were two stories I thought were too much (one about child murder and one about a historical lynching which included unnecessary detail), but the majority of these stories were moving without being over the top.

Although I’d like to review the stories individually, thirteen stories would make for far too long of a review, so I’ll settle for identifying some themes among the stories I liked and the ones I didn’t. The ones I didn’t like included material that I personally felt was too terrible (the child murder), too detailed (the lynching), or too bizarre (a weird musing on ears and their relationship to violence). But the majority of the stories were very thoughtfully and decently written. They were still tough reads, but many of them gave you fascinating insights into human behavior and an appreciation for how the worst circumstances can bring out the best in people.

At the end of the day, I don’t think true crime stories are my cup of tea. They involve too much unpleasant suspense as you wait for something terrible to happen and I finished reading these stories feeling a bit down. However, I thought this collection, for the most part, handled a tough subject very well.

This review first published on Doing Dewey. ( )

True confession: I had to take my time reading True Crime. The violence was best in small doses. Of the thirteen stories Gabrielle Giffords stayed with me the longest because it was the play by play of the victims were doing before the shooting. Like a slow motion camera detailing the day to day-ness of their ordinary lives. All of the stories stuck with me in little ways. I think they represented the senselessness of our society.
Lee Gutkind has compiled a collection of true crime stories. Interestingly enough, there are thirteen stories. Thirteen being a supposedly unlucky number is a good parallel for the unlucky victims in each story. Gutkind claims his brush with crime made him question his own capabilities. Could he commit murder? In the end we as readers don't really know the answer, but does Gutkind? ( )