Customer Reviews

The Best American Crime Writing: 2002 Edition: The Year's Best True Crime Reporting

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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...

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!

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!!

This is quite a good anthology, although the selections are heavily tilted toward New York publications. The New Yorker and New York Times magazines are certainly not the only venues for crime reporters, though you might think so if you relied only on the editor's choices.

The best part of the book is James Ellroy's contributed essay "Choirboys" in which he recounts his misspent youth before finally being motivated to writing by the publication of Wambaugh's novels. Ellroy's power as a writer is fully on display in this intensely personal tale.

Of the 15 stories, I would judge only one as weak. The selection covers crime, not just those with gore. There's the story of a burglar who stole nothing but sterling silver. Another accompanies a businessman who is about to start a five year prison sentence for financial misdeeds that cost investors about a billion dollars. The decades old murder of a Peace Corps volunteer is given attention as the author tracks down a woman's killer who literally got away with murder thanks to political maneuvering by the State Department and Peace Corps.

Overall it's a solid anthology and choosing James Ellroy to write the introduction and finagling his own contribution was genius. My only reservation, as noted, is that the editors seem to have chosen only from publications mostly on the east coast where the view of things can be skewed.

Jerry

An excellent collection with great writing. Edgy, evocative, atomshpereic with fully developed character studies that are made even more fascinating by the fact that these are real people and events. The crime reporters explore the conjunction of everyday life and the many faces of pathology. Could not stop reading; can't wait for the next edition.

Crime writers are thankful that Otto Penzler and Thomas H. Cook have found a new home for The Best American Crime Writing 2005. This anthology, previously published by the Vintage label of Random House, has just jumped ship to the Harper Perennial label of Harper Collins. The collection, priced at $10.17, gathers sixteen primo stories that were carefully selected by two authentic crime aficionados. The yarns reprinted here were initially published in oddball places ranging from big city newspapers, to little magazines, to men's magazines, or regional magazines in-between, all of which saw print in the calendar year 2004. I add this series anthology to my mounting book collection every year. Big-name writers like James Ellroy happen to appear in this issue, but I do prefer the tales by the "lesser known writers."

Readers will enjoy the introduction by James Ellroy, ditto his bonus contribution. The original essay Choirboys, featured here, reading like a beat poem about the author's misspent youth -- details his criminal fascinations -- and it's a fine tribute to his most valued teacher; the legendary crime writer Joseph Wambaugh. It isn't hard imagining Ellroy being arrested for disorderly conduct, guzzling booze, reading in libraries, shoplifting crime books, snarfing dope, sneaking into movies, sparring with cops and stealing food, after reading this. But that's ignoring his good qualities. You'll probably recognize Ellroy's name from a quartet of books he's written about L.A. -- The Big Nowhere, The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz -- one of which became an Oscar winning movie starring Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey.

I'm ambivalent about the potency of this anthology, so here are some suggestions. For continuity, Mr. Penzler, go back to the glossy covers and don't use black on the spine either as it shows wear too easily. Keep the contributor notes in the back, Mr. Cook, since they deserve their own section. List the article source on the Contents page, so I can jump immediately to a preferred story. Also, consider that your series (much like Best American Short Stories) might benefit from having a rotating Guest Editor each year; it'll keep that whiff of stagnation at bay. If a Guest Editor sounds unappealing, set up a three person Prize Jury instead. Lastly, what stories were short-listed? Were there 50 Distinguished Crime Stories from 2005 that you had to cut? Were there 100?

My favorite article was "The Virus Underground," a story by Clive Thompson that first appeared in the New York Times Magazine. Running only 21 pages in length, this story about teens in the virus writing community is a cerebral examination of a subculture that is greatly misunderstood. What motivates these malicious coders? The author does an excellent job of picking at, and pulling on the nuances of, his cyber investigation, revealing the psychological multi-threading that perks beneath all hacking. Threats to national security? Pragmatic geniuses? Both? Since writing about technology and unintended consequences (in plain English) isn't easy, Thompson proves to be skilled. His long paragraph documenting consultant Paula Scalingi and "Purple Crescent" (an exercise modeling a terrorist attack that floods New Orleans, causing national confusion) proved eerily prophetic just one year later!

Editorially, Cook and Penzler didn't do "as good a job" as in previous years. I'm not sure if this is due to the change in publishers, or if this is just the expected outcome when the page count has been significantly reduced. Overall, The Best American Crime Writing 2005 seemed bland in spots, lacking a range of subject matter exhibited in previous editions. I hope the Editors take my suggestions for improvement to heart. If you make this purchase, you should pick up last years version of Best American Crime Writing: 2004 Edition for direct comparison. The magazines I've linked to below are the source publications for these reprinted stories. Nominate articles for possible inclusion by sending your submissions to Otto Penzler, c/o The Mysterious Bookshop, 129 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019.


The Book:
The Best American Crime Writing 2005,
Harper Perennial

ISBN:
0060815515 or
9780060815516

Pages:
367 Pages

Rating:
3 Stars

Sixteen Essays:
The Girls Next Door
The Ones That Got Away
The Family Man
Mysterious Circumstances
The Virus Underground
Punch Drunk Love
The Terror Web
Anatomy Of A Foiled Plot
To Catch An Oligarch
A Long Way Down
Fine Disturbances
The Silver Thief
Stalking Her Killer
Social Disgraces
The Self-Destruction Of An M.D.
Choirboys

If You Like 'The Best American Crime Writing 2005,' You Might Enjoy:
Atlanta Magazine
Boston Globe Magazine
GQ
Men's Journal
New York Magazine
New York Times Magazine
San Francisco Magazine
Texas Monthly
The New Yorker

Visit the Publisher's Website:
www.harperperrenial.com

Recommended
Yes


Pros: "The Family Man," "The Ones That Got Away," "The Virus Underground."

Cons: Contributor info lacks separate section. Cover finish is matte. Sources unlisted on contents page.

The Bottom Line: New York publications are overrepresented. 2005 edition is 150 pages thinner than previous year.

There are several very good articles in this edition of "The Best American Crime Writing." I especially liked "The Self-Destruction of an M.D." and "Stalking Her Killer." But the main reason for me to buy this book is editor James Ellroy's heartfelt, masterful tribute to pioneering crime novelist Joseph Wambaugh in the never-before-published essay "Choirboys." Ellroy once again tells the sordid story of his early life and hard times as a street person. Only this time he recounts his reading at the time of Wambaugh's revelatory early novels, interspersed with tales from Wambaugh's police and writing careers. (Which have obviously been gleaned from conversations with Wambaugh.) Ellroy credits Wambaugh with literally saving his life and providing the spiritual resources for him to overcome his demons and make a successful life for himself. This is an excellent telling of what an author can mean to a reader and how important, even vital, literature is to our survival. They should use "Choirboys" to teach young students of literature why it really matters.

As a graduate of Dryden High School, I was the class after Jen, Sarah, and Katie. I also grew up with Katie. Their combined deaths as well as the all the others led to a very difficult time for students, staff, teachers, administrators, and parents at Dryden. This article, while it is accurate, opened many wounds at Dryden. It is part of our history, but unlike other articles that were written after 1996, we are not a "village of the damned" nor do we wish to be seen as such. Take this article as such, our history and a remembrance of those we love and miss.

I am a survivor from one of the stories in this book. I wouldn't have enough time or patience to explain why I am saying this, but just be aware that, at least for my story, much of what you read is fictionalized history. The main facts (names, dates, places) are true, but the rest is, shall we say "generously edited" to fit the writer's vision. And for her, mission accomplished. For myself and the others from this story, all we got was pain, grief, and disrespect from someone claiming to report "only the facts."

really its bit of a misnomer there are 4 or 5 stories that arent really crime in the more traditional sense . a couple stories belong in politics . yes i understand blowing up things is a crime but really were looking at a different animal here. if you want a good read inthe al queda area read steven coll's book or charlie wilsons war- more of the genesis of al queda. the bar room fight story which wasnt all that bad for what it was mostly because the writer was able to breathe a little life in to an otherwise non story. he even mentioned he was given the story as a punishment.i guess it must have been a slow crime year to have included this story which is good news. one of the better stories was the child exploitation story. it seems the reporter did alot of research however never let a liberal arts grad monkey with numbers. not a good idea. the number they throw arounf seem really extreme. if you want the staright dope go to www.stats.org. click on crime and click on child exploitaiton actually bookmark this page it ll provide a good laugh at all the bs in the media. this is not to downplay the tragedy of the story however fear mongering and reporting are a little too common these days. if the stories are even true anymore (shattered glass). however one shining moment was the skip hollandsworth story. sorry but this a fairly poor collection and the writitng is banal and i guess that is the true crime here. the highest commendation i can give it is that it does make good toilet reading and im not being all that facetious. i think otto penzler et al need to listen for the pop. go re read a willeford or a thompson may not be real but at least theyre enagaging writers. if you want an example of some good writing and true crime mixed in with some chicago history read 'the devil in white city'