The Best American Crime Writing 2005 (Best American Crime Reporting) [Paperback]

James Ellroy (Author), Otto Penzler (Author), Thomas H. Cook (Author)

Book Description

Series: Best American Crime Reporting | Publication Date: September 6, 2005

The 2005 edition of The Best American Crime Writing offers the year's most shocking, compelling, and gripping writing about real-life crime, including Peter Landesman's article about female sex slaves (the most requested and widely read New York Times story of 2004), a piece from The New Yorker by Stephen J. Dubner (the coauthor of Freakanomics) about a high-society silver thief, and an extraordinarily memorable "ode to bar fights" written by Jonathan Miles for Men's Journal after he punched an editor at a staff party. But this year's edition includes a bonus -- an original essay by James Ellroy detailing his fascination with Joseph Wambaugh and how it fed his obsession with crime -- even to the point of selling his own blood to buy Wambaugh's books. Smart, entertaining, and controversial, The Best American Crime Writing is an essential edition to any crime enthusiast's bookshelf.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is a solid and diverse collection of true-crime writing, if devoid of the memorable entries that marked the 2004 edition. The 16 pieces—some by familiar names such as noir master Ellroy, Freakonomics coauthor Stephen J. Dubner and terrorism expert Lawrence Wright—span a wider range of criminal activities, however, from an anatomy of bar fights (perhaps the slightest of the pieces) to the evolving nature of al-Qaeda as evidenced by the March 11, 2004, Madrid train bombings. Three essays stand out in particular for conveying noteworthy aspects of the criminal mind in a short format. Texas Monthly regular Skip Hollandsworth offers a compelling portrait of a respectable, church-going suburbanite who masterminded numerous burglaries. Dubner's piece also deals with a master burglar who specialized in designer silverware; Ivana Trump was among his victims. Justin Kane and Jason Felch outline the vicissitudes of an elaborate federal investigation of the Ukrainian underworld. Philip Weiss presents outstanding investigative work on a forgotten travesty of justice involving the Peace Corps (though it has less impact than his book on the topic, American Taboo). Anyone interested in true crime should find something to enjoy in this wide-ranging collection. (Sept. 9)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal

Fans of true crime will welcome this new anthology series, which each year will compile the best articles of the genre into one volume. The 17 selections in this first volume of the series come from a wide variety of sources, including Spin, GQ, The New Yorker, Texas Monthly, and Details. Editors Penzler (founder of Mysterious Press and editor of The Best American Mystery Stories of the Year) and Cook (author of 18 books, one of which was nominated for an Edgar) have assembled a diverse assortment of writing, with subjects both well known, such as O.J. Simpson (Pat Jordan's "The Outcast"), and not so well known, such as members of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Breeders Association (Mark Singer's "The Chicken Warriors"). Nancy Gibbs's moving "The Day of the Attack," written within approximately 30 hours of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, is included as a representative of reporting on this historic crime. Because these well-written articles vary widely, this work should appeal to all true-crime enthusiasts. Recommended for all public libraries. Sarah Jent, Univ. of Louisville Lib.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060815515
• ISBN-13: 978-0060815516
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True-life crime Journalism at its best-A pleasing assortment, December 19, 2004

By 

kooky Kid "Bookfiend1818" (east coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best American Crime Writing: 2002 Edition: The Year's Best True Crime Reporting (Paperback)

As fan of non-fiction with a leaning towards true life mysteries; I was thrilled to find the 2004 edition of Best American Crime Writing on my library shelves- I ate the whole book up in a few days. I was thrilled to learn that there were additional years of "Best' books, right now I am finishing the 2002 compilation ... I decided to dash off a review before I had forgotten.What is so much fun is that the articles themselves are twenty or thirty pages so it's easy to finish one or two in a sitting. Great book for commuters and travelers.As well, if there are any stories that center on a topic that one doesn't find interesting, it's a cinch to simply skip on to the next story.Other reviewers have noted what I will repeat, the writing is first rate, not sensationalised or prurient, and the topics cover such diverse subjects as Insurance fraud in the high stakes world of Horse racing, a Capra-esque town beset with a series of tradgedies,a wacked out super charming serial killer con-man, as well as an investigation into the Crash of Egyp Air 990.I found particularly insightful , Doug Most's Judgement Day which introduces the reader into the point of view of a contrite convict serving time for murder in Massachusetts, and his experiences with the parole board-I have never read anything quite like it.
Kudos to the editors, they've done a wonderful job pulling together the best of True crime from the magazine world, this should give exposure and acclaim to a much aligned genre and its authors...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Gem In The Genre!, December 10, 2002

By 

Alison Emery "vassargirl" (Jacksonville, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best American Crime Writing: 2002 (Hardcover)

Although I'm a fan of true crime, most of the genre doesn't meet my standards. Too often I find that it focuses on the criminal and the macabre, gruesome, or sensational aspect of whatever story is being told and appeals to a certain prurience which I find distasteful. Often, the victims are forgotten or neglected in favor of the criminal, whose story may be more interesting or titillating. This remarkable collection, however, includes only well-told stories from respectable publications. Most of the 17 stories are riveting and will linger with you long after you've finished the book. These are true human interest stories which never ignore the real tragedies involved. Kudos to the editors for managing to find such quality stories. I can't wait for the next edition!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!!, December 7, 2002

By 

smellthebreeze (TEXAS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best American Crime Writing: 2002 Edition: The Year's Best True Crime Reporting (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful read!! It contains 17 articles written in the past year by excellent journalists from various magazines such as: GQ, SPIN, THE NEW YORKER, ATLANTIC MONTHLY, ESQUIRE, VANITY FAIR and more. The variety makes it nice because you get to read different styles of writing by different authors on different subjects. The subjects too are a variety in range: "The Cheerleaders" focuses on a town in New York hit by tragedy after tragedy; "A Prayer For Tina Marie" is a wonderful article about a woman who murdered her two kids in an unthinkable way (much worse than Andrea Yates); "Flesh and Blood" is about the murder-for-hire by pro football player Rae Carruth... AND MUCH MORE!! With such quality of writing, you don't want to miss this book. I am really hoping that more of these will be published!!