Murder at 40 Below: True Crime Stories from Alaska [Paperback]

Tom Brennan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

MURDER AT FORTY BELOW is a gritty yet fascinating account of many of Alaska's most notorious and unusual murder cases. Drawn from police files, eyewitness accounts, and news reports, these stories introduce extreme criminals in an extreme land. Meet church-going big-game hunter Robert Hanson, who stalked topless dancers for more than a decade, and Robert Stroud, a construction worker who killed a bartender in Juneau, later to become the nationally known ""Birdman of Alcatraz.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Brennan moved to Alaska in 1967. He is a communications consultant, newspaper columnist, former oilman, and self-described ""recovering fly-fisherman."" He and his wife, Marnie, live in Anchorage.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Epicenter Press (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945397992
• ISBN-13: 978-0945397991
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good crime story, August 24, 2004

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at 40 Below: True Crime Stories from Alaska (Paperback)

This book tells the stories behind what the author believed to be the ten worst murderers in the State of Alaska. It read like a Hall of Fame story of this state's worst killers.

The stories are easy to read, nicely told and I believed got the details right. A well written book told with certain flair and justice. People who read this book will be surprised that Alaska do have its share of violent criminals that can be equal to any in the lower 48 states and Hawaii.

I am looking forward to volume 2 myself.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the bears aren't the biggest worry..., October 18, 2007

By 

Mike Smith (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder at 40 Below: True Crime Stories from Alaska (Paperback)

I wouldn't say that I'm someone who's especially into true crime novels or regional Alaskan nonfiction, but I have to say that I really did enjoy this book--as much as a person can enjoy a book about this sort of thing.

This book collects ten of Alaska's most sensational true crime murder stories and tells them in a fast-paced, engaging, and creepy way.

The book seems to fawn a little too lovingly over some of the crimes' grisliest details, at least for my taste, but at least it can never be accurately accused of being boring, slow, uninteresting, or tedious. (It kind of freaked me out--I used to hitchhike all over Alaska, and half of these stories tell of psychopaths picking up their victims that way.)

If you don't live in Alaska, consider reading "Murder at 40 Below" for its stories. And if you do live in Alaska, read this book the same way you might read a book about grizzlies: knowing that what you're about to read might have a very real impact on just how safe (or unsafe) you feel in your own home.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hits close to home, May 16, 2009

By 

C. Saunders "An Alaskan" (North Pole, Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder at 40 Below: True Crime Stories from Alaska (Paperback)

This book tells it like it is. I knew one of the victems and one of the murderers. This hit way too close to home for me at the time. My brother ended up buying the house that the murderer lived in, which is what happens in a small community like Moose Creek, Alaska. But back to the book...Very well written and true to the facts. A fast pace read.